The guy not only is a damn good writer, but "gets it" - what is really important and in the world of multimillion dollar contracts and business deals that sports really is just a game and the people that play them are really lucky. Some of the lucky few not only are true hall of famers in ability, but in character as well...
http://sports.espn.go.com/espnmag/story?id=3930609
Not to say that Elway is a transformative character - we all have our flaws. But if anything else, he embodies in some aspects of his life the sort of person we would like to be. That is why years ago, the coke commercial with Mean Joe Green sparks not only memories but touches our psyche - the warrior ethos of a football player taking time to give back to someone totally unexpectedly. Some say the extension of that into the celebrity culture has sent us down a path of destruction we are on today... The difference between most hollywood actors and most sports athletes, is that for at least today on the sports field there isn't a movement to elevate everyone's "self worth"....professional sports teams still lose.
Elway lost four straight superbowls before finally succeeding. The fact that he hasn't acted like Barry Bonds, been the egomaniac that A-Roid has been, or that he has understood that while he is undeniably human that there are some 13 year old boys who worship him as a god incarnate. I would throw Charles "The Mouth" Barkley in there as well. Granted, back in the day he claimed he wasn't a role model. But in failing publicly and getting arrested for DWI he could have chosen to fight, lawyer up, or deny. Instead, like many adults that take care of their personal affairs every day, he admitted to his faults, apologized to his fans and took his punishment. Whether or not he learns from this is immaterial - the cynic will always point to a relapse not as a symptom of deeper problems, but as indication that previous apologies were lip service....maybe so. But in these two microcosms of life - the good and the bad - we see not only our heroes falling, but our heroes living up to the ideals of their fans. Proof that there is good in the world. Refreshing....
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Failure can be a good thing...
It never ceases to amaze me how low the bar is set on level of knowledge for some journalists. Most mornings we turn on Fox News and listen to the banter as we get ready for work. Even on a conservative leaning program where one would expect some level of edumacation, it floors me some of the statements that are made. In a debate with Glenn Beck this morning, Steve Doocy vehemently asserted (paraphrasing here of course) that 'we can't let the financial / bank system fail...it is the fundamental basis for our economy'........Why do the call it BANKruptcy????
A quick aside - roughly 10 years ago, we were damn near to bankruptcy ourselves...Living in LA on 3400 a month, with a $1400 a month rent, many many bills, a five year old and a newborn, recently having combined two salaries and two debt loads to one salary and two debt loads (whatever anyone ever tells you about Mary Kay is a load of crap - Hobby? Yes! Tax write off? Absolutely. Means to get out of the house and away from the kids from time to time? Sure. Unless your wife is constantly surrounded by a horde of makeup addicted, addle-brained pink-loving women with disposable income and a preternatural desire to participate in multi-level marketing programs, don't EVER consider it an income!!!!) Shannon was pretty responsible with her bills, I was the epitome of the "drunken sailor" in my approach to credit. So what did we do? We PAID....and paid and paid.... Got "credit counseling" which is a nice way of saying "don't call us anymore - call these guys..." They helped us reduce some interest, get other bills prioritized. The credit companies loved us... What also happened is that our approach to credit became ingrained in our psyche... We learned to spend first and save later. As a result of that debacle, we are now nearing retirement (thank God for the pension) with no "nest egg" save for some accumulation in our TSP account, still many bills, and little disposable income. The late payments and "black marks" on our credit history are gone now that more than seven years is under the bridge, but we are still haunted by the "debt to income" monster....
So why didn't we declare bankruptcy? Mainly because that little caveat that it is REALLY difficult to maintain a TOP SECRET security clearance with a bankruptcy on your record...kind've bad career wise. But what if that hadn't been a concern? What would have happened in a Bankruptcy? We would have stopped any and all bill collection, our debts would have been negotiated down...(i.e. you have been paying $250 a month for the past three years on this $10,000 debt and it now stands at $7500.....you have paid enough) The monster of cyclical compound interest would have been slaughtered. The "valid" debts - signature loans, car loans, etc would have been renegotiated, and we would have been able to set a new budget based upon savings, our finances and finally debtors.....guess what? If we would have declared ten years ago, that too would have been off of our credit history (or nearly so - can't remember if they stay on ten or fifteen years) and we would have ten extra years of retirement / college tuition investments growing.
So why in the @#$@#$%$#@% is it so difficult for punditry to understand the concept of bankruptcy? NO - the bank doesn't "go under" or cease to exist....No, mom and pop don't lose their life savings - that is why the FDIC exists... Those organizations or activities that lose money because their deposits were not covered by FDIC should have diversified and shouldn't have taken that much risk. (tough love works!)
GM could have given the finger to the unions, had bankruptcy court sell off their bad assets and they could have re-emerged leaner and more competitive....the reason GM "couldn't fail" had nothing to do with their size - it had everything to do with the UAW's backing of the Democratic Party.
Bank of America and Citibank are not "too big" to fail.... Same thing - bankruptcy court would allow them to shed bad debt and move on. And what is this bad debt? The same financial instruments that poisoned the well - high risk mortgage instruments who's "owners" don't have the means to repay. Well bankruptcy court can handle that too - set up a bad debt receivership, go after the "poor people that got taken by the evil predatory lenders".... "Predatory lenders"??? give me a break - I wish someone would have broken into my home, put a gun to my temple and forced me to sign paperwork that will give me hundreds of thousands of dollars that I couldn't payback in a bear market.... Let the buyer beware.... it is exactly that sort of me first, nanny state, kindergarten cry-baby attitude that created this situation in the first place. Maybe by putting a little heat on these people instead of having ACORN come around and help them squat in property that they don't own anymore, that would teach them next time to look a little more closely at the terms of their contract.
Let the banks fail - eliminate the cancer, then start healing. "Nationalization" is just a form of chemotherapy, and I would like to see this nation get better before it loses all its hair, and is stuck in bed with an IV surrounded by doctors who upon realizing that your bank account is empty "can't do anything for you anymore but to make you comfortable...."
A quick aside - roughly 10 years ago, we were damn near to bankruptcy ourselves...Living in LA on 3400 a month, with a $1400 a month rent, many many bills, a five year old and a newborn, recently having combined two salaries and two debt loads to one salary and two debt loads (whatever anyone ever tells you about Mary Kay is a load of crap - Hobby? Yes! Tax write off? Absolutely. Means to get out of the house and away from the kids from time to time? Sure. Unless your wife is constantly surrounded by a horde of makeup addicted, addle-brained pink-loving women with disposable income and a preternatural desire to participate in multi-level marketing programs, don't EVER consider it an income!!!!) Shannon was pretty responsible with her bills, I was the epitome of the "drunken sailor" in my approach to credit. So what did we do? We PAID....and paid and paid.... Got "credit counseling" which is a nice way of saying "don't call us anymore - call these guys..." They helped us reduce some interest, get other bills prioritized. The credit companies loved us... What also happened is that our approach to credit became ingrained in our psyche... We learned to spend first and save later. As a result of that debacle, we are now nearing retirement (thank God for the pension) with no "nest egg" save for some accumulation in our TSP account, still many bills, and little disposable income. The late payments and "black marks" on our credit history are gone now that more than seven years is under the bridge, but we are still haunted by the "debt to income" monster....
So why didn't we declare bankruptcy? Mainly because that little caveat that it is REALLY difficult to maintain a TOP SECRET security clearance with a bankruptcy on your record...kind've bad career wise. But what if that hadn't been a concern? What would have happened in a Bankruptcy? We would have stopped any and all bill collection, our debts would have been negotiated down...(i.e. you have been paying $250 a month for the past three years on this $10,000 debt and it now stands at $7500.....you have paid enough) The monster of cyclical compound interest would have been slaughtered. The "valid" debts - signature loans, car loans, etc would have been renegotiated, and we would have been able to set a new budget based upon savings, our finances and finally debtors.....guess what? If we would have declared ten years ago, that too would have been off of our credit history (or nearly so - can't remember if they stay on ten or fifteen years) and we would have ten extra years of retirement / college tuition investments growing.
So why in the @#$@#$%$#@% is it so difficult for punditry to understand the concept of bankruptcy? NO - the bank doesn't "go under" or cease to exist....No, mom and pop don't lose their life savings - that is why the FDIC exists... Those organizations or activities that lose money because their deposits were not covered by FDIC should have diversified and shouldn't have taken that much risk. (tough love works!)
GM could have given the finger to the unions, had bankruptcy court sell off their bad assets and they could have re-emerged leaner and more competitive....the reason GM "couldn't fail" had nothing to do with their size - it had everything to do with the UAW's backing of the Democratic Party.
Bank of America and Citibank are not "too big" to fail.... Same thing - bankruptcy court would allow them to shed bad debt and move on. And what is this bad debt? The same financial instruments that poisoned the well - high risk mortgage instruments who's "owners" don't have the means to repay. Well bankruptcy court can handle that too - set up a bad debt receivership, go after the "poor people that got taken by the evil predatory lenders".... "Predatory lenders"??? give me a break - I wish someone would have broken into my home, put a gun to my temple and forced me to sign paperwork that will give me hundreds of thousands of dollars that I couldn't payback in a bear market.... Let the buyer beware.... it is exactly that sort of me first, nanny state, kindergarten cry-baby attitude that created this situation in the first place. Maybe by putting a little heat on these people instead of having ACORN come around and help them squat in property that they don't own anymore, that would teach them next time to look a little more closely at the terms of their contract.
Let the banks fail - eliminate the cancer, then start healing. "Nationalization" is just a form of chemotherapy, and I would like to see this nation get better before it loses all its hair, and is stuck in bed with an IV surrounded by doctors who upon realizing that your bank account is empty "can't do anything for you anymore but to make you comfortable...."
Sunday, February 22, 2009
On the lighter side
I have to apologize - the main reason I write here is for my own therapy. I play the role of the fuddy-duddy, frustrated dad 24/7/365. Since virtually noone out there is dying to listen to my lectures and pontifications, I allow myself the fantasy of believing that by publishing my random thoughts online that a - I am an "author", and b - that they are even mildly interesting. So for the three or so people that check in here from time to time, sorry to be so boring. I don't mean to sound like I am a know-it-all academic type...it just happens.
That having been said, I have to relate what happened with the dogs the other night. Harley is our 140 pound, nine year old Bull Mastiff. He has one reconstructed knee with a metal plate, and one elbow swollen to twice its size with arthritis. Dexter is our 190 pound, one year old English Mastiff who is all puppy. Because he has a habit of getting into trouble if not supervised, Dexter usually sleeps upstairs with us. Harley sleeps downstairs because he usually doesn't want to deal with the stairs - they are a bit steep.
Two nights ago, we head off to bed and Harley is pacing at the foot of the stairs and grumbling a bit. After listening to this for about five minutes, I go to the top of the stairs to see whats up - sure enough he needs little more than an "OK" before he starts hobbling up the stairs. He has been a bit "clingy" lately, but it is cute. In the meantime, Dexter is lying down on his pillows over in the corner. The carpet upstairs is generally well padded, but we try to get Dex to lay on the pillows as of late - both elbows are a bit swollen with what looks like gout / bursitis from lying on the hard floor too much - typical mastiff issue.
So Harley goes over to Dex and sniffs around then paces over by the fish tank, finally settling down with a thump near the foot of the bed. This then is where my argument begins for Dogs having feelings, souls, and generally big hearts..... Dexter gets up from where he is laying, goes over to Harley and sniffs, and nudges him a bit. Harley gets up and goes over to lay on the pillows, followed by Dexter laying down by his side on the carpet with his nose nuzzled up against his "big brother".....
Yeah, you can explain that in about a million ways of pack animal theory. I just like to think that he felt sorry for his achey big brother and wanted him to be comfortable!
That having been said, I have to relate what happened with the dogs the other night. Harley is our 140 pound, nine year old Bull Mastiff. He has one reconstructed knee with a metal plate, and one elbow swollen to twice its size with arthritis. Dexter is our 190 pound, one year old English Mastiff who is all puppy. Because he has a habit of getting into trouble if not supervised, Dexter usually sleeps upstairs with us. Harley sleeps downstairs because he usually doesn't want to deal with the stairs - they are a bit steep.
Two nights ago, we head off to bed and Harley is pacing at the foot of the stairs and grumbling a bit. After listening to this for about five minutes, I go to the top of the stairs to see whats up - sure enough he needs little more than an "OK" before he starts hobbling up the stairs. He has been a bit "clingy" lately, but it is cute. In the meantime, Dexter is lying down on his pillows over in the corner. The carpet upstairs is generally well padded, but we try to get Dex to lay on the pillows as of late - both elbows are a bit swollen with what looks like gout / bursitis from lying on the hard floor too much - typical mastiff issue.
So Harley goes over to Dex and sniffs around then paces over by the fish tank, finally settling down with a thump near the foot of the bed. This then is where my argument begins for Dogs having feelings, souls, and generally big hearts..... Dexter gets up from where he is laying, goes over to Harley and sniffs, and nudges him a bit. Harley gets up and goes over to lay on the pillows, followed by Dexter laying down by his side on the carpet with his nose nuzzled up against his "big brother".....
Yeah, you can explain that in about a million ways of pack animal theory. I just like to think that he felt sorry for his achey big brother and wanted him to be comfortable!
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Victimology, the Republican Party, and doing the dishes
I'm long-winded, full of sea stories and as Dad's go, I probably am in the top ten pantheon all time in my ability to bore the crap out of my kids when I try to make a point. It happened tonight, but as a result of ANOTHER of my lectures, I am starting to get some insight into things...either that or maybe just reading too many political blogs these days.
It all started with "The Other McCain"...a blog by Robert Stacy McCain on a variety of right-wing issues, and political thoughts. One of his more recent ventures is as a producer / supporter of documentaries. The one that caught my eye today was a discussion against slavery reparations - http://rsmccain.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-video-who-should-pay.html Overall an excellent piece but about halfway through the 30 minute "clip" it went in a direction that lost my interest - granted focused on it's core thesis - who should pay? But my mind wandered....How did it happen that after breaking down how the party of Lincoln and the so-called "radical Republicans" railed against slavery as an evil institution unworthy of support, did Republicans manage to lose the African American vote?
Now without sounding like ANOTHER anti-welfare diatribe and going off in a rathole of a discussion thread, I managed to hold on to at least one idea from the video. Be it anti-slavery in the post Civil War and Reconstruction period, the amazing growth period of Eisenhower, or the Reagan Revolution one thing was consistent - a Republican party that didn't bang away at one and only one issue, but struck out as the party of morals and beliefs. Reagan was anti-tax, pro-freedom, strong national defense and was not afraid to call the Soviet Union the "evil empire". Don't get me wrong - Alan Keyes is an excellent example of a well grounded, articulate, morally sound "one issue" candidate - discussion of morals for the sake of discussing morals is a one issue candidacy into and of itself. But what we saw in the "Great Republican Presidents" was an election of a man, and a system of beliefs - not one issue. President Obama managed to pull that one on us this cycle - "hopey change" was an ideal - a "be anything" sort of belief. People were able to project their own hopes and desires into the candidacy and hear whatever they wanted to coming out of his mouth. Brilliant coup, but a recipe for disaster as well as a one-term presidency because of the nagging little issue that results count. Those people who believed that they would get a house and a car for free if Obama was elected will be fairly disappointed when they are out on the street and still walking four years from now. Here is my FIRST point however - When the Republican Party drafts a core set of undeniable principles that are based on an ideal and a moral basis, they lead and expand the party. When they explicitly try to "expand the party" by backing off of those ideals to appease the "moderates", they lose.
(By the way - what is a "moderate"??? You either believe something or you don't. By saying you are a moderate, you are admitting to the fact that you firmly are committed to being wishy-washy)
Which brings me to being a victim. The video made an excellent point - many african american former slaves took their 40 acres and a mule and made something of it. There were thousands of Black-owned farms in the years following the end of the Civil War. Gradually their numbers decreased as a function of the spread of the Klu Klux Klan, the advent of the southern Democrat lobby and Jim Crow laws. This tension and fight continued throughout the early part of the 20th century right up until the 60's and the Civil Rights Movement. Keep in mind that the "Evil Republican Party" of today - that can't hold 1% of the black vote was the same party that 100% supported passage of the Civil Rights act. George W. Bush's grandfather voted for Civil Rights, and Al Gore's father voted against it. A funny thing happened however on the way to the forum....Johnson's "Great Society" expanded on the 40 acres and a mule. Prior to this time, the civil rights movement was one of equal rights and the value of a man's labor and effort. Then came quotas, set asides, government welfare, and the expansion of "benefits" to the downtrodden. A new culture grew, and the fire in their bellies was fueled by the civil rights movement. It was no longer good enough that all men had equal opportunities - those "less fortunate" needed "expanded" opportunity just to catch up. But just like open markets, darwinism and water seeking the lowest ground level - when something is made easier to accomplish it is less valued. The creation of the "victim" class guaranteed that the Republican Party would never again get the african american vote, and that the age of class warfare had begun. How far we march down this road to socialism remains to be seen....
So later on in the night, I get into a discussion with our 15 year old, angst ridden, "victim" of a teenager. Simple issue - doing the dishes. Everyone does their own, he is responsible to start the dishwasher when full, and empty it when it is done. This with the understanding that if he fails to empty it, the rest of us can't help load it, therefore he has the additional responsibility of doing the "backed up" dishes......So I get the bright idea of going off on another rant and tangent (Yeah, I know - you are all falling off your chairs in utter shock) and approaching this from the point of eliminating the "victimology". His main point against my logical approach to how we should clean our eating implements was "well what about last night - the dishwasher wasn't full, but everyone just put their dishes in the sink..." I counter "did you say anything?".....then the shoulders slump, the lower lip comes out and a heavy sigh fills the room..... We have met the enemy and they are us....
Yes folks, even the biggest supporter, most ardent follower of St. Ronaldus the Great, original card carrying reactionary Republican can create their own victimology state. Maybe it has been the military in me - it is a hard habit to break - you issue orders and expect enthusiastic responses. For too many years I have confronted this failure to take responsibility with the all-too-familiar "boot camp" mentality. Not that I am naturally a screamer...heck there are plenty of my "former plebes" from the class of '94 that would be happy to tell you that they fought valiantly not to laugh at me as I tried to be intimidating....
I am trying to use it as a learning tool however - I try to point out to him that "feeling bad" and shying away from responsibility - be it in doing homework, chores, or studying - because it was too hard, I was too late in starting, or I didn't understand things - is a copout. Whenever excuses are made, it is an abdication of responsibility and a leap into the role of a victim. A victim has nothing expected of them except the reception of our pity and support. And when that support and pity comes - in the form of government handouts, or dear-old-dad fighting the "evil school administration" for makeup work, extra time or a better grade - the motivation to work harder dies. While I have been thinking that by instilling order and discipline that I have been building confidence, it has been a faulty confidence - one based upon following certain rules. When those rules, standards or bars have been missed - as they often are in the face of adversity, the only recourse is to play the victim card.
So, thanks to James Lehman's "total transformation", a BUNCH of internet research and a whole load of self censorship, I am trying desperately to back away from the cliff of "immediate and unthinking following of an order" into more of a discussion of responsibility and accountability for our actions. Maybe something the party can do as well - some issues we face today are black and white (no pun intended on the racial issue) but they don't require 100% and total allegiance from all members of the party - take abortion, teen pregnancy, and religion just to name a few... But a broader discussion of what is right, what is good - naming our principles and asking people to follow our lead instead of demanding that they take our position on Roe v. Wade....maybe then the party of Lincoln and Reagan can have a hand on the tiller of our ship of state once again....and maybe I can get the dishes done with less drama!
It all started with "The Other McCain"...a blog by Robert Stacy McCain on a variety of right-wing issues, and political thoughts. One of his more recent ventures is as a producer / supporter of documentaries. The one that caught my eye today was a discussion against slavery reparations - http://rsmccain.blogspot.com/2009/02/new-video-who-should-pay.html Overall an excellent piece but about halfway through the 30 minute "clip" it went in a direction that lost my interest - granted focused on it's core thesis - who should pay? But my mind wandered....How did it happen that after breaking down how the party of Lincoln and the so-called "radical Republicans" railed against slavery as an evil institution unworthy of support, did Republicans manage to lose the African American vote?
Now without sounding like ANOTHER anti-welfare diatribe and going off in a rathole of a discussion thread, I managed to hold on to at least one idea from the video. Be it anti-slavery in the post Civil War and Reconstruction period, the amazing growth period of Eisenhower, or the Reagan Revolution one thing was consistent - a Republican party that didn't bang away at one and only one issue, but struck out as the party of morals and beliefs. Reagan was anti-tax, pro-freedom, strong national defense and was not afraid to call the Soviet Union the "evil empire". Don't get me wrong - Alan Keyes is an excellent example of a well grounded, articulate, morally sound "one issue" candidate - discussion of morals for the sake of discussing morals is a one issue candidacy into and of itself. But what we saw in the "Great Republican Presidents" was an election of a man, and a system of beliefs - not one issue. President Obama managed to pull that one on us this cycle - "hopey change" was an ideal - a "be anything" sort of belief. People were able to project their own hopes and desires into the candidacy and hear whatever they wanted to coming out of his mouth. Brilliant coup, but a recipe for disaster as well as a one-term presidency because of the nagging little issue that results count. Those people who believed that they would get a house and a car for free if Obama was elected will be fairly disappointed when they are out on the street and still walking four years from now. Here is my FIRST point however - When the Republican Party drafts a core set of undeniable principles that are based on an ideal and a moral basis, they lead and expand the party. When they explicitly try to "expand the party" by backing off of those ideals to appease the "moderates", they lose.
(By the way - what is a "moderate"??? You either believe something or you don't. By saying you are a moderate, you are admitting to the fact that you firmly are committed to being wishy-washy)
Which brings me to being a victim. The video made an excellent point - many african american former slaves took their 40 acres and a mule and made something of it. There were thousands of Black-owned farms in the years following the end of the Civil War. Gradually their numbers decreased as a function of the spread of the Klu Klux Klan, the advent of the southern Democrat lobby and Jim Crow laws. This tension and fight continued throughout the early part of the 20th century right up until the 60's and the Civil Rights Movement. Keep in mind that the "Evil Republican Party" of today - that can't hold 1% of the black vote was the same party that 100% supported passage of the Civil Rights act. George W. Bush's grandfather voted for Civil Rights, and Al Gore's father voted against it. A funny thing happened however on the way to the forum....Johnson's "Great Society" expanded on the 40 acres and a mule. Prior to this time, the civil rights movement was one of equal rights and the value of a man's labor and effort. Then came quotas, set asides, government welfare, and the expansion of "benefits" to the downtrodden. A new culture grew, and the fire in their bellies was fueled by the civil rights movement. It was no longer good enough that all men had equal opportunities - those "less fortunate" needed "expanded" opportunity just to catch up. But just like open markets, darwinism and water seeking the lowest ground level - when something is made easier to accomplish it is less valued. The creation of the "victim" class guaranteed that the Republican Party would never again get the african american vote, and that the age of class warfare had begun. How far we march down this road to socialism remains to be seen....
So later on in the night, I get into a discussion with our 15 year old, angst ridden, "victim" of a teenager. Simple issue - doing the dishes. Everyone does their own, he is responsible to start the dishwasher when full, and empty it when it is done. This with the understanding that if he fails to empty it, the rest of us can't help load it, therefore he has the additional responsibility of doing the "backed up" dishes......So I get the bright idea of going off on another rant and tangent (Yeah, I know - you are all falling off your chairs in utter shock) and approaching this from the point of eliminating the "victimology". His main point against my logical approach to how we should clean our eating implements was "well what about last night - the dishwasher wasn't full, but everyone just put their dishes in the sink..." I counter "did you say anything?".....then the shoulders slump, the lower lip comes out and a heavy sigh fills the room..... We have met the enemy and they are us....
Yes folks, even the biggest supporter, most ardent follower of St. Ronaldus the Great, original card carrying reactionary Republican can create their own victimology state. Maybe it has been the military in me - it is a hard habit to break - you issue orders and expect enthusiastic responses. For too many years I have confronted this failure to take responsibility with the all-too-familiar "boot camp" mentality. Not that I am naturally a screamer...heck there are plenty of my "former plebes" from the class of '94 that would be happy to tell you that they fought valiantly not to laugh at me as I tried to be intimidating....
I am trying to use it as a learning tool however - I try to point out to him that "feeling bad" and shying away from responsibility - be it in doing homework, chores, or studying - because it was too hard, I was too late in starting, or I didn't understand things - is a copout. Whenever excuses are made, it is an abdication of responsibility and a leap into the role of a victim. A victim has nothing expected of them except the reception of our pity and support. And when that support and pity comes - in the form of government handouts, or dear-old-dad fighting the "evil school administration" for makeup work, extra time or a better grade - the motivation to work harder dies. While I have been thinking that by instilling order and discipline that I have been building confidence, it has been a faulty confidence - one based upon following certain rules. When those rules, standards or bars have been missed - as they often are in the face of adversity, the only recourse is to play the victim card.
So, thanks to James Lehman's "total transformation", a BUNCH of internet research and a whole load of self censorship, I am trying desperately to back away from the cliff of "immediate and unthinking following of an order" into more of a discussion of responsibility and accountability for our actions. Maybe something the party can do as well - some issues we face today are black and white (no pun intended on the racial issue) but they don't require 100% and total allegiance from all members of the party - take abortion, teen pregnancy, and religion just to name a few... But a broader discussion of what is right, what is good - naming our principles and asking people to follow our lead instead of demanding that they take our position on Roe v. Wade....maybe then the party of Lincoln and Reagan can have a hand on the tiller of our ship of state once again....and maybe I can get the dishes done with less drama!
Friday, February 20, 2009
A little humor....
Are you a Democrat, Republican or Texan???
Here is a little test that will help you decide. The answer can be found by posing the following question:You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist (Muslim Fascist?) with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at your children. You are carrying a Glock 40 caliber, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches your family. What do you do?
................................................................
Democrat's Answer:
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
What does my wife think?
What about the kids?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it with a Democratically approved gun lock?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
Should I call 9-1-1?
Why is this street so deserted?
We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing!I need to debate this with some friends for a few days and try to come to a consensus
................................................................
Republican's Answer:
BANG!BANG!
................................................................
Texan's Answer:
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Click.....(Sounds of reloading).
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Daughter: "Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?"
Son: "Can I shoot the next one!"
Wife: "You ain't taking that to the Taxidermist!"
Here is a little test that will help you decide. The answer can be found by posing the following question:You're walking down a deserted street with your wife and two small children. Suddenly, an Islamic Terrorist (Muslim Fascist?) with a huge knife comes around the corner, locks eyes with you, screams obscenities, praises Allah, raises the knife, and charges at your children. You are carrying a Glock 40 caliber, and you are an expert shot. You have mere seconds before he reaches your family. What do you do?
................................................................
Democrat's Answer:
Well, that's not enough information to answer the question!
Does the man look poor or oppressed?
Have I ever done anything to him that would inspire him to attack?
Could we run away?
What does my wife think?
What about the kids?
Could I possibly swing the gun like a club and knock the knife out of his hand?
What does the law say about this situation?
Does the Glock have appropriate safety built into it with a Democratically approved gun lock?
Why am I carrying a loaded gun anyway, and what kind of message does this send to society and to my children?
Is it possible he'd be happy with just killing me?
Does he definitely want to kill me, or would he be content just to wound me?
If I were to grab his knees and hold on, could my family get away while he was stabbing me?
Should I call 9-1-1?
Why is this street so deserted?
We need to raise taxes, have paint and weed day and make this happier, healthier street that would discourage such behavior.
This is all so confusing!I need to debate this with some friends for a few days and try to come to a consensus
................................................................
Republican's Answer:
BANG!BANG!
................................................................
Texan's Answer:
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG! BANG!
Click.....(Sounds of reloading).
BANG! BANG! BANG!
Daughter: "Nice grouping, Daddy! Were those the Winchester Silver Tips or Hollow Points?"
Son: "Can I shoot the next one!"
Wife: "You ain't taking that to the Taxidermist!"
Have we already lost the war of hearts and minds?
In my nine month "all expenses paid excursion" to Iraq, the mantra was "winning hearts and minds"....getting the people of Iraq to believe in democracy, freedom and open markets. I am concerned that thanks to the current spread of socialism in our own country, we may have already lost that battle.... It didn't matter how many times the democrats repeated the chant during the election about "corporate greed and excess"....greed didn't cause this crisis. Wall street didn't decide to destroy itself in an orgy of "greedy trading". Mortgage traders and bank executives didn't set out to kill their very lifeblood of credit by preying upon the "little man".
Plain and simple, government pressure and democratic congressmen lobbied for and got authorization for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to issue high risk loans to people that could not pay them back. They then participated in a bundling of these risky mortgages together for sale on the credit market. It would be no different than a hacker selling copies of "halo 3" for PC that contained a virus....customers buy the game, the virus spreads and suddenly we wake up and half of our computer infrastructure is gutted....
What we hear though, is "Corporate Greed"..."Shame on you CEO's - we will mandate that you don't earn over $300K a year"....People assume that CEO's spring from the womb in Armani suits and silver spoons. Keep in mind, Jeff Bezos (granted the fact that he is a FLAMING liberal) started Amazon.com from his garage. He "earns" $81K per year, but has benefits of $1.1M (according to wikipedia).....he only has about $8 Billion in net worth.... But he didn't just stumble over Amazon - he worked his liberal butt off to make it what it is today...he earned every penny of his net worth....so why do we gnash our teeth when all us "common folk" who weren't smart enough, determined enough, or hard working enough to build a company like that see their houses, boats, and cars?
http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-stimulus-saves-microsoft-billionaire-hundreds-of-millions-phew-2009-2
Check out "someguy's" comments and the subsequent backlash....
Thanks to the Dems and the media, we have repeated the chant "corporate greed" so many times that perception becomes reality. It is assumed that if a CEO has a salary of $10M a year and a pre-arranged termination fee of many Millions, that they didn't "need" the money and therefore were greedy. Let me ask you a question - why is it that on Valentine's day it is soooo much more beneficial to the males of our species if they plan ahead and get reservations at an expensive restaurant instead of going through the Mickey Dee's drive through? I mean come on - the difference between Value Meal #1 and a steak at Ruth's Chris is about three times the beef (maybe $10 a pound for high grade), a scoop or two of cooked veggies (an extra $1.75?) some mashed potatoes (same as the fries, just cooked differently) and throw in an extra $20 for the "share" of extra salaries, rent, ambience, etc. BUT, even getting a "cheap" bottle of wine and the meal at Ruth's Chris runs in the low $100's for two, up to $250 if there are appetizers, extra drinks and a good tip.....They didn't "need" that extra money, right? Aren't they just being "greedy"???
The short answer of course is no. The "long" explanation of this is best given by Ayn Rand in the "money speech" by Francisco D'Anconia in "Atlas Shrugged" - http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1826. Far and away the best treatise on the events we are facing today. The "medium" answer that your spouse or significant other inherently understands in the paradigm of valentine's is that the free and open market has put a value on effort. They are impressed with the extra effort (over the drive thru) that you would go to in cleaning yourself up, putting on a suit, making reservations, saving your sheckles and taking them to a nice restaurant. The "greedy" restaurant exists because of enough of society values high quality food and "ambience" over the golden arches that they have been allowed to raise their prices high enough to put a true value on their services. Too high, and not enough people would show to make a profit. Lower the price too much and not only could they not feed everyone that shows up (maximum throughput, not to mention no reservations available) but the quality would drop because they wouldn't have enough money after paying employees, suppliers, landlords, etc to buy higher quality supplies.....the free and fair market has placed a value commensurate with their skill and effort at serving food. Concurrently that same market has dictated the acceptable price of a Big Mac.....the difference between those two prices is the "effort and value" theoretically you place on your sweetie.....
So why when it is so easy to understand the folly of taking your wife to McDonald's on Valentine's Day, is it so difficult for the general populace to understand the fact that some companies place an appropriate value on the enormous risk and personal effort that these multinational corporate CEO's must take upon themselves to improve shareholder value????
Plain and simple, government pressure and democratic congressmen lobbied for and got authorization for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac to issue high risk loans to people that could not pay them back. They then participated in a bundling of these risky mortgages together for sale on the credit market. It would be no different than a hacker selling copies of "halo 3" for PC that contained a virus....customers buy the game, the virus spreads and suddenly we wake up and half of our computer infrastructure is gutted....
What we hear though, is "Corporate Greed"..."Shame on you CEO's - we will mandate that you don't earn over $300K a year"....People assume that CEO's spring from the womb in Armani suits and silver spoons. Keep in mind, Jeff Bezos (granted the fact that he is a FLAMING liberal) started Amazon.com from his garage. He "earns" $81K per year, but has benefits of $1.1M (according to wikipedia).....he only has about $8 Billion in net worth.... But he didn't just stumble over Amazon - he worked his liberal butt off to make it what it is today...he earned every penny of his net worth....so why do we gnash our teeth when all us "common folk" who weren't smart enough, determined enough, or hard working enough to build a company like that see their houses, boats, and cars?
http://www.businessinsider.com/obama-stimulus-saves-microsoft-billionaire-hundreds-of-millions-phew-2009-2
Check out "someguy's" comments and the subsequent backlash....
Thanks to the Dems and the media, we have repeated the chant "corporate greed" so many times that perception becomes reality. It is assumed that if a CEO has a salary of $10M a year and a pre-arranged termination fee of many Millions, that they didn't "need" the money and therefore were greedy. Let me ask you a question - why is it that on Valentine's day it is soooo much more beneficial to the males of our species if they plan ahead and get reservations at an expensive restaurant instead of going through the Mickey Dee's drive through? I mean come on - the difference between Value Meal #1 and a steak at Ruth's Chris is about three times the beef (maybe $10 a pound for high grade), a scoop or two of cooked veggies (an extra $1.75?) some mashed potatoes (same as the fries, just cooked differently) and throw in an extra $20 for the "share" of extra salaries, rent, ambience, etc. BUT, even getting a "cheap" bottle of wine and the meal at Ruth's Chris runs in the low $100's for two, up to $250 if there are appetizers, extra drinks and a good tip.....They didn't "need" that extra money, right? Aren't they just being "greedy"???
The short answer of course is no. The "long" explanation of this is best given by Ayn Rand in the "money speech" by Francisco D'Anconia in "Atlas Shrugged" - http://www.capmag.com/article.asp?ID=1826. Far and away the best treatise on the events we are facing today. The "medium" answer that your spouse or significant other inherently understands in the paradigm of valentine's is that the free and open market has put a value on effort. They are impressed with the extra effort (over the drive thru) that you would go to in cleaning yourself up, putting on a suit, making reservations, saving your sheckles and taking them to a nice restaurant. The "greedy" restaurant exists because of enough of society values high quality food and "ambience" over the golden arches that they have been allowed to raise their prices high enough to put a true value on their services. Too high, and not enough people would show to make a profit. Lower the price too much and not only could they not feed everyone that shows up (maximum throughput, not to mention no reservations available) but the quality would drop because they wouldn't have enough money after paying employees, suppliers, landlords, etc to buy higher quality supplies.....the free and fair market has placed a value commensurate with their skill and effort at serving food. Concurrently that same market has dictated the acceptable price of a Big Mac.....the difference between those two prices is the "effort and value" theoretically you place on your sweetie.....
So why when it is so easy to understand the folly of taking your wife to McDonald's on Valentine's Day, is it so difficult for the general populace to understand the fact that some companies place an appropriate value on the enormous risk and personal effort that these multinational corporate CEO's must take upon themselves to improve shareholder value????
Friday, February 13, 2009
A time for choosing
http://video.google.com/videosearch?q=reagan&oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wv#It was chilling in 1964, it is terrifying and yet uplifting today. Terrifying from the standpoint that every prediction that Ronald Reagan made in support of Barry Goldwater to be true. Uplifting from the standpoint that we lost that turning point, plunged into a "great society", tried to ignore our social failings with smoke and mirrors of foreign policy over eight or so years, plunged again into self loathing and hatred, only to emerge in 1980 into the most productive, brilliant and great restoration that the world has ever seen. Uplifting from the standpoint that one can possibly hope that this is merely the cyclical self flagellation that we do every twenty or so years, so that the "youth vote" can think that they will change the world and foster harmony...until they look at the price tag in taxes and our freedom.
Reagan was a principled man who spoke to men of principle. Freedom, wealth, prosperity and the pursuit of happiness were real concepts that only came from God and man's labor, not by fiat from government. For lack of a few principled men today, we have to travel through these dark valleys until we can emerge once more from the darkness and re-enter the realm of the "shining city on the hill". The king is dead, the king is dead....long live the king.
I just wish that the once and future king would show himself...
Saturday, February 07, 2009
Canseco was right again
Don't you just hate that guy? That one guy you may work with, or be forced to eat lunch with? That one braggart, brash A-Hole who always is talking about "me, me, me....I, I, I....." You sit there in agony, unable to get a word in, having to listen to his every opinion and rant. Then he drops the proverbial deuce on the table - he says something soooo outrageous and stupid that you see an opening to jump all over him and prove that he is an idiot......only he turns out to be right. Dammit, Canseco did it again. I was listening to the opening show in 2005 when XM first started "MLB Home Plate". Rob Dibble brought on Pete "Charley Hustle" Rose (pre-book, mea culpa, etc) and Kevin Kennedy brought on Jose Canseco. At the time, Canseco's first book was just out and he was getting ANNIHILATED by the press as being sensationalist and a liar. Then Bonds became what he has become, MLB instituted its drug testing program, Roger "The Rocket" Clemens became 'Roid Roger, and one by one our heroes became idiots.....
There were allegations of course, but there were a few hopes and beliefs still out there - A-Rod was still A-Rod. Truly an A-Hole, but amazing talent. Even stories in SI.com and ESPN about how he had sought counsel from Charley Hustle on handling the pressure. He almost had slipped by. He stood as the lone hope to push us past the "steroids era" because Bonds wouldn't be working anymore, and just a few more years with the Yankees and we would have a new HR king.....
I read the story on SI by Selena Roberts and David Epstein. The quote from A-Hole said it all..."When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."
I was quiet - didn't get mad, just frustrated. By that time the show the boys and I had been watching "Man vs. Food" on the Travel Channel (awesome concept - I highly recommend it!) had ended and I had switched over to Fox News to find out how the Senate was going to ruin the country and on what time table.....when the news on A-Rod came out....I saw another hero of a 10 year-old fall. "A-Rod used steroids??" he asked. "Yeah, sorry Aleks - A-Rod is a cheater"......he was quiet for a moment. Then summed up what we all had felt...."I actually thought he was good enough to do all that by himself....."
Yeah, me too....
There were allegations of course, but there were a few hopes and beliefs still out there - A-Rod was still A-Rod. Truly an A-Hole, but amazing talent. Even stories in SI.com and ESPN about how he had sought counsel from Charley Hustle on handling the pressure. He almost had slipped by. He stood as the lone hope to push us past the "steroids era" because Bonds wouldn't be working anymore, and just a few more years with the Yankees and we would have a new HR king.....
I read the story on SI by Selena Roberts and David Epstein. The quote from A-Hole said it all..."When approached by an SI reporter on Thursday at a gym in Miami, Rodriguez declined to discuss his 2003 test results. "You'll have to talk to the union," said Rodriguez, the Yankees' third baseman since his trade to New York in February 2004. When asked if there was an explanation for his positive test, he said, "I'm not saying anything."
I was quiet - didn't get mad, just frustrated. By that time the show the boys and I had been watching "Man vs. Food" on the Travel Channel (awesome concept - I highly recommend it!) had ended and I had switched over to Fox News to find out how the Senate was going to ruin the country and on what time table.....when the news on A-Rod came out....I saw another hero of a 10 year-old fall. "A-Rod used steroids??" he asked. "Yeah, sorry Aleks - A-Rod is a cheater"......he was quiet for a moment. Then summed up what we all had felt...."I actually thought he was good enough to do all that by himself....."
Yeah, me too....
Friday, February 06, 2009
Playing Catch Up
Wow...it never ceases to amaze me how much time can go by, and how many times I can think "I really need to write about that" and never do....So much has happened. Laying wreaths at Arlington in December. Christmas vacation, skiiing again and putting on wayyyy too much weight. Recovering from vacation, travel to Hawaii on business (not a bad gig if you can get it!) and battling the mother of all flu bugs. Not to mention the "our country will cease to exist unless we spend $44M to renovate the Department of Agriculture building" (courtesy of Glennbeck.com) mechanations in progress.
I was listening to a local radio show this morning in the shower - Star 98.7 (local FM) the "T-Bone and Heather" show. Nice folks, somewhat entertaining, AMAZINGLY uninformed and ignorant. Their primary rant on the "stimulus" was that all this money would disappear into another "military" $400 hammer type program. Then they went on a typical rant about "throw the bums out" term limits. It occurred to me that most people have NO concept about how government budgets work with the congress. The pork and corruption are inherent in the system. A quick primer:
A. Term limits / Elected Officials and why the "bums" we need to throw out aren't the problem - The current stimulus package is over 800 pages. Given that there are 435 representatives in the congress, and that this bill started in the house, that means each congressman typed up personally about 1 1/2 pages and submitted them, right? Yeah, sure. I would bet a paycheck that the last time ANY and I mean ANY legislator in congress ACTUALLY penned legislation him/herself, it was on an Underwood typewriter (http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-history.html) in the early 1900's..... Suppose if you will, you decided to run for congress on a homegrown campaign. Your wife was your Public Affairs / Secretary, brother did logistics and planning, Dad was your security, Mom was your treasurer, and sister handled speech writing / policy research. Suppose your little tiny operation got you elected. When you walked into the door of your office at the Rayburn building in DC, you would be introduced to a professional staff, and they would have all of your party's resources / connections / etc to help coordinate your "opinions" with the party, your constituency, and the state party apparatus......in other words we elect figureheads and puppets that direct, manage, and try to wrangle the steer that they are riding into a coordinated direction, but that will never be broken to follow the will of the elected official...(maybe in Ted Kennedy's position, or Harry Reid - those dinosaurs that have been there forever...) Which leads me to my second point
B. Spending bills and government funding. In my current position, I manage the execution of more money than I could make in a lifetime. If I directed that some of that were spent improperly, I could go to jail. For example, I get X dollars from organization 1 to do a project that costs X plus $1Million. I get Y dollars from organization 2 to do a project that costs Y - $1Million dollars. In one project, I am a million short, in another I am a million rich. If I took the surplus from project 2 and spent it on project 1, I would be guilty of misappropriation and could go to jail. That having been said, every government entity (military and non-military) has a budget of projects that are funded, and a list of "unfundeds" - those things that they would like to do, but can't afford (say for example, renovation of the Department of Agriculture building). On a regular basis, there are calls for "unfunded lists" by each department - defense, agriculture, HHS, etc. which get sent to.....(drumroll).....congress! The professional staffers (those people that greeted you as your mom and pop election committee walked into your new office) maintain these lists - especially highlighted on their list are all the unfunded projects that are in your home state or home district. Sooooooo, when the call goes out to "stimulate" the economy, the professional staffers regurgitate their list of spending, and it gets conglomerated into one bill that has ABSOLUTELY FREAKING NOTHING WHATSOEVER IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM to do with stimulating the economy - it is merely a list of what your friendly governement wanted to spend money on, but couldn't justify it by any other means.
Here is a silly little idea...there is what 304 Million men, women and children in the US today? How about they write a one-paragraph "stimulus" bill that takes whatever random number they decide upon...say $900 BILLION as a stimulus and divide it equally....that means every man, woman and child would get a government check for $2960.53. That means our little family of four would net almost $12K. Hmmm....lets see, off the top of my head, that would pay off the loan we have on our Suburban. That would put us in a position where we could use the ASSET value of the car as a trade in and get a new (or better yet slightly used) one for a cheaper monthly payment. Retiring that debt would put more money in Navy Federal's coffers, allowing them to give us (and/or someone else) a new loan, breaking free some of the capital crunch, and based upon the practically world-wide education on the evils of debt and credit cards we are all now gaining would dramatically increase on hand savings and the savings rate in this country. Greater balances in savings accounts means more capital, right? That would help liquidate the bad debt, let the market work out the write off of toxic debt and market correction would be complete.
Funny thing too - a recent CBO report (http://www.cbo.gov/ - compare the comments on the current director's blog for HR 1 to those in the "budget projections" link) shows that if we did NOTHING, we would be better off in 2019 debt wise than if we passed this "Stimulus" package.
But then again, what the hell do I know? I am just a lowly manager that can't begin to understand the complexities of budgets, funding, and government execution....at least that is what they would have us ALL want to believe.
I was listening to a local radio show this morning in the shower - Star 98.7 (local FM) the "T-Bone and Heather" show. Nice folks, somewhat entertaining, AMAZINGLY uninformed and ignorant. Their primary rant on the "stimulus" was that all this money would disappear into another "military" $400 hammer type program. Then they went on a typical rant about "throw the bums out" term limits. It occurred to me that most people have NO concept about how government budgets work with the congress. The pork and corruption are inherent in the system. A quick primer:
A. Term limits / Elected Officials and why the "bums" we need to throw out aren't the problem - The current stimulus package is over 800 pages. Given that there are 435 representatives in the congress, and that this bill started in the house, that means each congressman typed up personally about 1 1/2 pages and submitted them, right? Yeah, sure. I would bet a paycheck that the last time ANY and I mean ANY legislator in congress ACTUALLY penned legislation him/herself, it was on an Underwood typewriter (http://site.xavier.edu/polt/typewriters/tw-history.html) in the early 1900's..... Suppose if you will, you decided to run for congress on a homegrown campaign. Your wife was your Public Affairs / Secretary, brother did logistics and planning, Dad was your security, Mom was your treasurer, and sister handled speech writing / policy research. Suppose your little tiny operation got you elected. When you walked into the door of your office at the Rayburn building in DC, you would be introduced to a professional staff, and they would have all of your party's resources / connections / etc to help coordinate your "opinions" with the party, your constituency, and the state party apparatus......in other words we elect figureheads and puppets that direct, manage, and try to wrangle the steer that they are riding into a coordinated direction, but that will never be broken to follow the will of the elected official...(maybe in Ted Kennedy's position, or Harry Reid - those dinosaurs that have been there forever...) Which leads me to my second point
B. Spending bills and government funding. In my current position, I manage the execution of more money than I could make in a lifetime. If I directed that some of that were spent improperly, I could go to jail. For example, I get X dollars from organization 1 to do a project that costs X plus $1Million. I get Y dollars from organization 2 to do a project that costs Y - $1Million dollars. In one project, I am a million short, in another I am a million rich. If I took the surplus from project 2 and spent it on project 1, I would be guilty of misappropriation and could go to jail. That having been said, every government entity (military and non-military) has a budget of projects that are funded, and a list of "unfundeds" - those things that they would like to do, but can't afford (say for example, renovation of the Department of Agriculture building). On a regular basis, there are calls for "unfunded lists" by each department - defense, agriculture, HHS, etc. which get sent to.....(drumroll).....congress! The professional staffers (those people that greeted you as your mom and pop election committee walked into your new office) maintain these lists - especially highlighted on their list are all the unfunded projects that are in your home state or home district. Sooooooo, when the call goes out to "stimulate" the economy, the professional staffers regurgitate their list of spending, and it gets conglomerated into one bill that has ABSOLUTELY FREAKING NOTHING WHATSOEVER IN ANY WAY, SHAPE OR FORM to do with stimulating the economy - it is merely a list of what your friendly governement wanted to spend money on, but couldn't justify it by any other means.
Here is a silly little idea...there is what 304 Million men, women and children in the US today? How about they write a one-paragraph "stimulus" bill that takes whatever random number they decide upon...say $900 BILLION as a stimulus and divide it equally....that means every man, woman and child would get a government check for $2960.53. That means our little family of four would net almost $12K. Hmmm....lets see, off the top of my head, that would pay off the loan we have on our Suburban. That would put us in a position where we could use the ASSET value of the car as a trade in and get a new (or better yet slightly used) one for a cheaper monthly payment. Retiring that debt would put more money in Navy Federal's coffers, allowing them to give us (and/or someone else) a new loan, breaking free some of the capital crunch, and based upon the practically world-wide education on the evils of debt and credit cards we are all now gaining would dramatically increase on hand savings and the savings rate in this country. Greater balances in savings accounts means more capital, right? That would help liquidate the bad debt, let the market work out the write off of toxic debt and market correction would be complete.
Funny thing too - a recent CBO report (http://www.cbo.gov/ - compare the comments on the current director's blog for HR 1 to those in the "budget projections" link) shows that if we did NOTHING, we would be better off in 2019 debt wise than if we passed this "Stimulus" package.
But then again, what the hell do I know? I am just a lowly manager that can't begin to understand the complexities of budgets, funding, and government execution....at least that is what they would have us ALL want to believe.
Saturday, November 22, 2008
How to deal with the embarrassment of being thanked...
Ok, it happened again. I changed my profile photo on Facebook to one that shows me in uniform - a change of pace if you will. Well, just tonight I got "thanked for my service". A person who knew me back when I was a gangly, 110# teen with a big head and little coordination...came right out of the woodwork and sent me an email - "thanks for your service"....(by the way, if you happen to read this Kris, you are my inspiration tonight!)
I have always had a problem with that. Not that it gets me upset or that I am mad at anybody. It is just one of the few things which makes me embarrassed. I laughed last year when talk of the Draft came up, and rolled on the floor when there was discussion here in the past few weeks about national public service. Both altruistic ideas, but service for the sake of service...or better yet, service for the sake of making yourself feel better about life, or still better yet service for the sake of padding a resume....all concepts that are empty headed, shallow hearted, and just plain demonstrative of a lack of character. I never joined the Navy for the glory of the common good. I went to the Naval Academy to have them pay for my education. Quid Pro Quo. Turns out that the price I had to pay was far steeper than an education, and I needed a better reason to be there. What I found was that for all of the concepts that the military embodies that the left so violently abhor, appealed to me. Hard work yields results. We do more before 6am than most people do all day. Be all that you can be. The few, the proud.... It was an elite club of individuals with honor, integrity, strength and standards - and if you didn't meet them, you were shown the door. There was always a clear idea of "continued strong performance" yielding advancement. Now while in my case things didn't always work out that way, I have come to the point where I look back on my career and see nothing but adventures, escapades, difficulties and good times...but never did I see a time where I felt I made a true sacrifice.
There were times in Iraq where I thought about it. I was never in combat, but the few patrols I did make outside the wire gave pause to examine that. You can't help driving down Route Irish and thinking "what if" and imagine yourself returning fire, helping a downed teammate, or even being on the losing end of a battle. Yes, being away from Shannon and the boys was a sacrifice - but once again, I always felt like I was lucky - I spoke with them almost every night, I came back from the desert in better shape than I had been in years, and Shannon and I were closer in our relationship than we had been in a long time. From my vantage point, I have seen myself be the recipient of wonderous gifts of adventure and freedom - granted I paid a price, but a price that I thought was fair. When you are walking out of a Lowes, does the manager run up to you and take you by the hand to personally thank you for buying that $1.69 wax toilet ring? Of course not - he thanked you by giving you a good that you needed to fix your toilet and in return you thanked him for building the store, stocking the shelves and paying the employees by giving him money to cover the cost of that ring, plus a profit. My profit has been in the man I have become - I am not that scared, shy young man I was at 17. While I am still a little reserved, I don't hesitate to make a fool out of myself in front of Derek - embarrassing teenagers in public is fun!!!
I have always managed to run into those who haven't profited as much as I have. One of the guys I was talking with on Thursday at Scouts is an enlisted Army Communications tech. He did a year in Iraq in the 05 - 06 timeframe. All of his unit were trained as combat medics, and when the dining hall in Mosul took a mortar and over 200 were injured, he and his team responded. He told me that just a few feet from where his team was setting up a satellite dish, he was pulled into the fight to save people - walking around the corner, there were hundreds of bodies on the ground - lined up for treatment, some already covered. He worked as hard as he could for a couple of hours, had some die in his arms, before he had to get up and walk away. The price he was paying was too high for him to go on. I think about Ross - who even over 10 years since he was "in country" so to speak - doing the dirty work that his country asked him to - still wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, in a cold sweat. I think of the you tube clip we all watched - Dear Mr. Obama - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8 He paid a huge price, but strangely, still supported his decisions and the effort of the troops. Lastly, I think about the heroes that paid the ultimate sacrifice. Cindy Sheehan claimed she was fighting for her son Casey, but I seem to think that Casey would have wanted his mom to sit down and shut the hell up. Not that everyone wanted to be there, not that the war was effectively fought, nor that we couldn't learn from our mistakes there. But for the sake of those people like Medal of Honor recipient Jason Dunham who gave his life in smothering an enemy grenade to save the lives of his fellow Marines, the price was immense - I would guess that in that split second he determined that he had profited more in living his life the way he chose, than the price he chose to put on the table at that moment.
It is a selfish view, and for that I am always a little embarrassed. What I did wind up telling Kris however, is that I have always been happy to live this life. But I would gladly accept her thanks on behalf of those who have paid more. I guess this little blog is an attempt to pass her thanks along.
I have always had a problem with that. Not that it gets me upset or that I am mad at anybody. It is just one of the few things which makes me embarrassed. I laughed last year when talk of the Draft came up, and rolled on the floor when there was discussion here in the past few weeks about national public service. Both altruistic ideas, but service for the sake of service...or better yet, service for the sake of making yourself feel better about life, or still better yet service for the sake of padding a resume....all concepts that are empty headed, shallow hearted, and just plain demonstrative of a lack of character. I never joined the Navy for the glory of the common good. I went to the Naval Academy to have them pay for my education. Quid Pro Quo. Turns out that the price I had to pay was far steeper than an education, and I needed a better reason to be there. What I found was that for all of the concepts that the military embodies that the left so violently abhor, appealed to me. Hard work yields results. We do more before 6am than most people do all day. Be all that you can be. The few, the proud.... It was an elite club of individuals with honor, integrity, strength and standards - and if you didn't meet them, you were shown the door. There was always a clear idea of "continued strong performance" yielding advancement. Now while in my case things didn't always work out that way, I have come to the point where I look back on my career and see nothing but adventures, escapades, difficulties and good times...but never did I see a time where I felt I made a true sacrifice.
There were times in Iraq where I thought about it. I was never in combat, but the few patrols I did make outside the wire gave pause to examine that. You can't help driving down Route Irish and thinking "what if" and imagine yourself returning fire, helping a downed teammate, or even being on the losing end of a battle. Yes, being away from Shannon and the boys was a sacrifice - but once again, I always felt like I was lucky - I spoke with them almost every night, I came back from the desert in better shape than I had been in years, and Shannon and I were closer in our relationship than we had been in a long time. From my vantage point, I have seen myself be the recipient of wonderous gifts of adventure and freedom - granted I paid a price, but a price that I thought was fair. When you are walking out of a Lowes, does the manager run up to you and take you by the hand to personally thank you for buying that $1.69 wax toilet ring? Of course not - he thanked you by giving you a good that you needed to fix your toilet and in return you thanked him for building the store, stocking the shelves and paying the employees by giving him money to cover the cost of that ring, plus a profit. My profit has been in the man I have become - I am not that scared, shy young man I was at 17. While I am still a little reserved, I don't hesitate to make a fool out of myself in front of Derek - embarrassing teenagers in public is fun!!!
I have always managed to run into those who haven't profited as much as I have. One of the guys I was talking with on Thursday at Scouts is an enlisted Army Communications tech. He did a year in Iraq in the 05 - 06 timeframe. All of his unit were trained as combat medics, and when the dining hall in Mosul took a mortar and over 200 were injured, he and his team responded. He told me that just a few feet from where his team was setting up a satellite dish, he was pulled into the fight to save people - walking around the corner, there were hundreds of bodies on the ground - lined up for treatment, some already covered. He worked as hard as he could for a couple of hours, had some die in his arms, before he had to get up and walk away. The price he was paying was too high for him to go on. I think about Ross - who even over 10 years since he was "in country" so to speak - doing the dirty work that his country asked him to - still wakes up in the middle of the night screaming, in a cold sweat. I think of the you tube clip we all watched - Dear Mr. Obama - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG4fe9GlWS8 He paid a huge price, but strangely, still supported his decisions and the effort of the troops. Lastly, I think about the heroes that paid the ultimate sacrifice. Cindy Sheehan claimed she was fighting for her son Casey, but I seem to think that Casey would have wanted his mom to sit down and shut the hell up. Not that everyone wanted to be there, not that the war was effectively fought, nor that we couldn't learn from our mistakes there. But for the sake of those people like Medal of Honor recipient Jason Dunham who gave his life in smothering an enemy grenade to save the lives of his fellow Marines, the price was immense - I would guess that in that split second he determined that he had profited more in living his life the way he chose, than the price he chose to put on the table at that moment.
It is a selfish view, and for that I am always a little embarrassed. What I did wind up telling Kris however, is that I have always been happy to live this life. But I would gladly accept her thanks on behalf of those who have paid more. I guess this little blog is an attempt to pass her thanks along.
Thursday, November 13, 2008
A new beginning
Huan told me I should be a writer....Mom said she missed my blogs...I don't know whether it has been the confrontation I had tonight with a pompous idiot "assistant scoutmaster" who is playing God over whether Derek has adequately completed a communications merit badge requirement, or the election, or any one of a number of things, but I have been thinking for quite some time that I need to write again. If nothing else, for my sanity.
In Iraq, I didn't have to search for meaning - purpose and value were abound because every morning you woke up after a night of random incoming shells was a good day. Even the mindless tasks of generating reports served to save lives. Back in the "real world" adults get upset and argue over whether or not a 15 year old has written "enough" of a letter to meet the requirements of a Boy Scout Merit Badge. One could argue that the "real world" is back in the combat zone.
It is why PSTD is such a phenomenon - not that trauma isn't real....it is too real. Winston Churchill (the US Navy officer, not the British PM) once wrote that "there is nothing so exhiliarating as to be shot at without result". It is the meaningless BS that we all insulate ourselves with in order to make it through the day without killing someone who desperately needs to meet their maker. Whether that insulation is self righteous indignation, self importance, paperwork, process or scotch... it all serves the same purpose.
It has been two years ago this month that I finally and permanently returned from the war zone. I am now fifteen pounds heavier, slower, greyer, and older. Age is of course relative - I am so in awe of my sister. Here I am dealing with my minimal problems - the worst of which has to do with 401Ks, retirement plans, where the paycheck will be spent in terms of credit cards, and making sure that the "lawn service" is still within our budget - and after so much pain of miscarriage, she mentioned today that she was able to run two miles at a nine minute pace while dealing with a raging headache. In the meantime, yours truly - the "warrior" Naval Officer, continues to "pass" the Physical Fitness Test, while barely being able to maintain a 10 minute pace on the treadmill for a mile and a half.....
I guess that a piece of me is having to deal with the reasons I stay in this organization. A piece of me will die this January as I am forced to acknowledge "Chairman O" as our commander in chief. Granted, I think his overall performance and success (or failure) will result in the pendulum swinging back to the right and a re-invigoration of the conservative movement. I question however whether or not what I do and where I will leave the Navy in three years will mean anything. The short answer of course is obvious - short of having a ship or building named after you, one's legacy has far more to do with those you leave behind and what you have taught them...even if your career only serves to mark the shoals for others to avoid. The longer answer has to do with your own personal reasons for sticking it out in the long run. I am still wrestling with that. Has there been a purpose to the last 16 years? Am I punching a clock or am I making a difference? Paper or plastic? Do these questions even matter?
In the end, I guess it only has to do with those who know you best, and what they think of the effect you have had on their lives. I am working on that, and have much time to work on that. I cling for the moment to the goals I try to meet - most notably, I will be in better shape (insert definition here - economic, physical, or otherwise) at forty, than at thirty. XM has a new channel - the Margaritaville Channel. Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude comes to mind -
So many nights I just dream of the ocean
God I wish I was sailin again
Oh, yesterdays over my shoulder
So I cant look back for too long
Theres just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just cant go wrong
In Iraq, I didn't have to search for meaning - purpose and value were abound because every morning you woke up after a night of random incoming shells was a good day. Even the mindless tasks of generating reports served to save lives. Back in the "real world" adults get upset and argue over whether or not a 15 year old has written "enough" of a letter to meet the requirements of a Boy Scout Merit Badge. One could argue that the "real world" is back in the combat zone.
It is why PSTD is such a phenomenon - not that trauma isn't real....it is too real. Winston Churchill (the US Navy officer, not the British PM) once wrote that "there is nothing so exhiliarating as to be shot at without result". It is the meaningless BS that we all insulate ourselves with in order to make it through the day without killing someone who desperately needs to meet their maker. Whether that insulation is self righteous indignation, self importance, paperwork, process or scotch... it all serves the same purpose.
It has been two years ago this month that I finally and permanently returned from the war zone. I am now fifteen pounds heavier, slower, greyer, and older. Age is of course relative - I am so in awe of my sister. Here I am dealing with my minimal problems - the worst of which has to do with 401Ks, retirement plans, where the paycheck will be spent in terms of credit cards, and making sure that the "lawn service" is still within our budget - and after so much pain of miscarriage, she mentioned today that she was able to run two miles at a nine minute pace while dealing with a raging headache. In the meantime, yours truly - the "warrior" Naval Officer, continues to "pass" the Physical Fitness Test, while barely being able to maintain a 10 minute pace on the treadmill for a mile and a half.....
I guess that a piece of me is having to deal with the reasons I stay in this organization. A piece of me will die this January as I am forced to acknowledge "Chairman O" as our commander in chief. Granted, I think his overall performance and success (or failure) will result in the pendulum swinging back to the right and a re-invigoration of the conservative movement. I question however whether or not what I do and where I will leave the Navy in three years will mean anything. The short answer of course is obvious - short of having a ship or building named after you, one's legacy has far more to do with those you leave behind and what you have taught them...even if your career only serves to mark the shoals for others to avoid. The longer answer has to do with your own personal reasons for sticking it out in the long run. I am still wrestling with that. Has there been a purpose to the last 16 years? Am I punching a clock or am I making a difference? Paper or plastic? Do these questions even matter?
In the end, I guess it only has to do with those who know you best, and what they think of the effect you have had on their lives. I am working on that, and have much time to work on that. I cling for the moment to the goals I try to meet - most notably, I will be in better shape (insert definition here - economic, physical, or otherwise) at forty, than at thirty. XM has a new channel - the Margaritaville Channel. Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude comes to mind -
So many nights I just dream of the ocean
God I wish I was sailin again
Oh, yesterdays over my shoulder
So I cant look back for too long
Theres just too much to see waiting in front of me
And I know that I just cant go wrong
Monday, May 28, 2007
Memorial Day - Running with friends
Memorial Day can be conflicted and a little confusing. It is especially so for those returning from the war. I chuckle at the radio announcers talking about the long weekend being filled with barbeques and pool parties, because it has to be more than that. I also feel that devoting the day to solemn reflection and prayer is a little overdone - quite honestly, I prefer going to the memorials in DC on off days, or when the tourist season is over - the kind of reflection I crave is a little more personal and private.
That being said, I love parades and celebrations, but I really wasn't in the mood for one - even if this is my first memorial day back from the desert. Today, I started out with a good run - after all, I need to train for the marathon - but it was good - a little cathartic too. There is something about pushing yourself beyond the point of wanting to stop, and actually having a reason beyond personal improvement. Running on memorial day actually turned into my personal tribute so to speak. Not that 4 1/2 miles could ever be sufficient to pay tribute in and of itself, but it gave me a reason to keep going, and allowed me the time to privately honor my fallen comrades.
You see, I have come to view veterans in a few different categories. There are those that live their lives in the shadow of the sacrifice of their brothers. Now, don't get me wrong - I am not beginning to compare the 9 months I spent in Iraq, with the hell that the boys of Pont du Loc went through, however while I loved the movie Saving Private Ryan, but to me the ending was a copout. It made me feel cheap thinking that Private Ryan spends his entire life wondering whether the life he has led has been worth it. I would hope that if that many people die for one man, the guy never has to worry about which direction his life has led, and whether he has been worthy or not. Funny, from the people I have met in my life, especially the ones that I have known to spend much of their professional careers staring down the barrel of a gun, once you have been shot at and lived to tell others about it, one tends to spend far less time worrying about whether or not you are living your life well, one spends far more time LIVING.
The next category are those that never come home - at least in their heads. God bless those who can't get the images of horror to leave. Terror is a evil thing - I can't imagine ever being stuck in one hellhole in my head for the next twenty years. What is frustrating of course, is that while the WWII vets had to just deal with the terror and the anguish for the rest of their lives, resorting to alcohol, drugs, or even suicide to get the thoughts out of their heads, that every idiot out there that has seen a car wreck can now claim "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" on their insurance claims.
Between the two extremes lie the rest of us - those that have participated in "battle" or the modern day version of it. Yes, we have been exposed to incoming mortar and may have been occasionally shot at, but for the most of us, war has been a positive, enlightening experience. You have no desire to go back, nor to foster war in and of itself, but if called yet again we will go. While I endured separation from my family, frustration with the tactics of the enemy, and dealing with my own mortality, never have I been with a group so positive, so motivated....so alive.
That is why I guess the press doesn't get it. Cindy Sheehan has given up and thrown in the towel - http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/28/12530/1525 - because her rallying cries to end war forever and "just get along" didn't work for her, much like they didn't calm the riots of LA when Rodney King made the same appeal. It is tough for the outsiders to understand - maybe the cancer survivors, or those who have in their own way cheated death come to realize, that the greatest gift we have is life itself. When we are willing to lay down our lives for our brothers, our country, or for our ideals and you are not called at the time you walk away with a better appreciation for the gift of life. For that matter, it sheds light on just how desperate and terrified our enemy must be to recruit suicide bombers - that their lives must be so horrible that they would rather die than live.
So, in retrospect, I guess that what this memorial day has been about is living - spent time with the family, took in a movie, cleaned the house in preparation for my folks to visit, and I ran. I ran to prepare myself for the marathon, but also ran to feel the blood pumping through my veins, the sweat pouring down my back, the aches of my legs as I head up the big hill in our neighborhood, and I ran to feel alive, to appreciate what I have been given, and to celebrate what those who are no longer with us have given us - the chance to be alive and free.
That being said, I love parades and celebrations, but I really wasn't in the mood for one - even if this is my first memorial day back from the desert. Today, I started out with a good run - after all, I need to train for the marathon - but it was good - a little cathartic too. There is something about pushing yourself beyond the point of wanting to stop, and actually having a reason beyond personal improvement. Running on memorial day actually turned into my personal tribute so to speak. Not that 4 1/2 miles could ever be sufficient to pay tribute in and of itself, but it gave me a reason to keep going, and allowed me the time to privately honor my fallen comrades.
You see, I have come to view veterans in a few different categories. There are those that live their lives in the shadow of the sacrifice of their brothers. Now, don't get me wrong - I am not beginning to compare the 9 months I spent in Iraq, with the hell that the boys of Pont du Loc went through, however while I loved the movie Saving Private Ryan, but to me the ending was a copout. It made me feel cheap thinking that Private Ryan spends his entire life wondering whether the life he has led has been worth it. I would hope that if that many people die for one man, the guy never has to worry about which direction his life has led, and whether he has been worthy or not. Funny, from the people I have met in my life, especially the ones that I have known to spend much of their professional careers staring down the barrel of a gun, once you have been shot at and lived to tell others about it, one tends to spend far less time worrying about whether or not you are living your life well, one spends far more time LIVING.
The next category are those that never come home - at least in their heads. God bless those who can't get the images of horror to leave. Terror is a evil thing - I can't imagine ever being stuck in one hellhole in my head for the next twenty years. What is frustrating of course, is that while the WWII vets had to just deal with the terror and the anguish for the rest of their lives, resorting to alcohol, drugs, or even suicide to get the thoughts out of their heads, that every idiot out there that has seen a car wreck can now claim "Post Traumatic Stress Disorder" on their insurance claims.
Between the two extremes lie the rest of us - those that have participated in "battle" or the modern day version of it. Yes, we have been exposed to incoming mortar and may have been occasionally shot at, but for the most of us, war has been a positive, enlightening experience. You have no desire to go back, nor to foster war in and of itself, but if called yet again we will go. While I endured separation from my family, frustration with the tactics of the enemy, and dealing with my own mortality, never have I been with a group so positive, so motivated....so alive.
That is why I guess the press doesn't get it. Cindy Sheehan has given up and thrown in the towel - http://www.dailykos.com/storyonly/2007/5/28/12530/1525 - because her rallying cries to end war forever and "just get along" didn't work for her, much like they didn't calm the riots of LA when Rodney King made the same appeal. It is tough for the outsiders to understand - maybe the cancer survivors, or those who have in their own way cheated death come to realize, that the greatest gift we have is life itself. When we are willing to lay down our lives for our brothers, our country, or for our ideals and you are not called at the time you walk away with a better appreciation for the gift of life. For that matter, it sheds light on just how desperate and terrified our enemy must be to recruit suicide bombers - that their lives must be so horrible that they would rather die than live.
So, in retrospect, I guess that what this memorial day has been about is living - spent time with the family, took in a movie, cleaned the house in preparation for my folks to visit, and I ran. I ran to prepare myself for the marathon, but also ran to feel the blood pumping through my veins, the sweat pouring down my back, the aches of my legs as I head up the big hill in our neighborhood, and I ran to feel alive, to appreciate what I have been given, and to celebrate what those who are no longer with us have given us - the chance to be alive and free.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
Welcome to the second coming of the Blog!!!
Hey all -
I have been frustrated, busy and in need of an outlet for a while, and finally remembered how much I enjoyed writing. Kind've awkward now, since I returned home in November - comparatively speaking the guy in the picture has left the building so to speak. I am trying to find him again however - I have registered for the USMC Marine Marathon - 26.4 miles of sheer agony this coming October!!!!
I am up to 9 miles a week - trying for more gradually, but I need a day in between road ventures at this point - took a break off this Friday. Partly because of lack of sleep, partly because I swim the PRT this weekend, and decided to relax for a change. I am shooting for a "good - average" if that means anything to the civilian world. What it means to me is that I can do about 70 situps in 2 minutes, 50 pushups in two minutes (or thereabout) and swimming 500 yards in about 12 minutes. Every year, they seem to raise the standards. I am beginning to think that I will be Captain America by the time I retire!
Anyway, there isn't an urgency to check this blog out - I have thought about various ideas for it, like requesting donations for the marathon - not necessarily for my needs, but for a good cause, but I am not sure about how to work the pledge / not for profit website issue. I don't have a specific idea for a charity, but I had been thinking about a number of ideas, or maybe a collection - Juvenile Diabetes, Fisher House for disabled vets, St. Mary's County Pigskin Football, and something to do with Alzheimer's research. If anyone has ideas, let me know.
In the meantime, I have setup shop so to speak at NAVAIR, where I have been put in charge of Tomahawk Integration (i.e. making the missile work with the ship properly) for the Virginia Class Sub, and in charge of the Torpedo Tube Launched Block IV variant of the missile overall. More to follow with that on a different post - my head is already spinning with the amount of money we spend in the government!!!
Well, thanks for reading - I will post here from time to time - maybe a little less news, and more politics, because I am acutely aware of the lack of spine and occasionally a lack of brainstem action that goes on in the public arena that I can't let lie....
I have been frustrated, busy and in need of an outlet for a while, and finally remembered how much I enjoyed writing. Kind've awkward now, since I returned home in November - comparatively speaking the guy in the picture has left the building so to speak. I am trying to find him again however - I have registered for the USMC Marine Marathon - 26.4 miles of sheer agony this coming October!!!!
I am up to 9 miles a week - trying for more gradually, but I need a day in between road ventures at this point - took a break off this Friday. Partly because of lack of sleep, partly because I swim the PRT this weekend, and decided to relax for a change. I am shooting for a "good - average" if that means anything to the civilian world. What it means to me is that I can do about 70 situps in 2 minutes, 50 pushups in two minutes (or thereabout) and swimming 500 yards in about 12 minutes. Every year, they seem to raise the standards. I am beginning to think that I will be Captain America by the time I retire!
Anyway, there isn't an urgency to check this blog out - I have thought about various ideas for it, like requesting donations for the marathon - not necessarily for my needs, but for a good cause, but I am not sure about how to work the pledge / not for profit website issue. I don't have a specific idea for a charity, but I had been thinking about a number of ideas, or maybe a collection - Juvenile Diabetes, Fisher House for disabled vets, St. Mary's County Pigskin Football, and something to do with Alzheimer's research. If anyone has ideas, let me know.
In the meantime, I have setup shop so to speak at NAVAIR, where I have been put in charge of Tomahawk Integration (i.e. making the missile work with the ship properly) for the Virginia Class Sub, and in charge of the Torpedo Tube Launched Block IV variant of the missile overall. More to follow with that on a different post - my head is already spinning with the amount of money we spend in the government!!!
Well, thanks for reading - I will post here from time to time - maybe a little less news, and more politics, because I am acutely aware of the lack of spine and occasionally a lack of brainstem action that goes on in the public arena that I can't let lie....
Wednesday, November 08, 2006
Lessons to be learned
I sit here early on the morning of the Wednesday after Election Day - various pundits chatting about the surprises - who no longer has a job, how many lawyers will be dispatched to which counties, and where the balance of power will ultimately fall. Several years ago, I would have been crushed at the results - a lifelong Republican, and devoted follower of the conservative agenda, it would seem as if the Iraq war and the animosity towards further involvement in the middle east had turned the tide against the Republicans.
For some reason, I am not that bothered by it. First of all, after having controlled the Senate, Congress and Executive branch for lo these many years, what do we have to show for it on the domestic front? Many bills of massive spending and a departure from the Conservative plank of limited and small government. Maybe a little more gridlock is good. Secondly, it seems as if those elected and the Democratic gains are not of the Barney Frank / Hillary Clinton ilk - Heath Shuler is a perfect example - conservative, evangelical christian democrat. I would be interested in seeing the conservative / liberal balance of power in congress....
But probably the best reason that I am not that worried about the direction this country is headed is exactly this change of power. Many influential, powerful, key members of the former "ruling" party no longer have jobs. Many new members of congress will be reporting for work with their own agendas. Yet, this transition will occur without rioting in the streets, looting, bombs going off, or death squads roaming the streets. I think that many of us fail to realize how lucky we have it here. The very separation of Church and State provided by the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, which has been such a pain in the A@# to us over the last few years in the ACLU's attempts to remove the Ten Commandments are removed from every last public forum also prevent planks of our parties from declaring party affiliation to a particular religious figurehead.
Right now in Iraq, there is a political party affiliated with Moqtada Al-Sadr, the radical Shiite Religious leader with a stronghold in southeastern Baghdad. Legislative debates must include a religious viewpoint as well as political necessities....and you thought the debate in the House was politically charged? When one draws battle lines across religious divisions as well as political beliefs, it is a recipe for much animosity, and little agreement. Death Squads roam the street right now in an obscene twist on our version of "get out the vote" drives......Get out the vote or else....
As we awake to a new political environment, the many millions of us will continue on to work, bring our kids to football practice, and run to the store to pick up groceries for dinner. We may grumble, adjust our stock portfolios, or even begin to lobby for changes in future legislation if we are so actively inclined. I guarantee, none of you will be buying body armor or an AK-47 to protect your families. None of you will be staying up until 5AM every night to make sure that a death squad doesn't invade your home. There will not be a single person in the United States that arranges an escape of them and their family to Canada or Mexico to avoid the political fallout of a change of power (hell, it wasn't even bad enough for Alec Baldwin to leave many years ago, even though he promised!!!!)
And still with all of our political stability and the miracle of Democracy proving its worth once again here, I am amazed at the sheer tenacity and determination of the Iraqi people as they quite literally risk their lives and security to make their fledgling democracy work. If we learn nothing else from this election, it should be to appreciate what we have here in the US, and to continue to support those young democracies trying to carve out their own version of the same. Yes, we will change our stance in Iraq over the next few years - maybe not "cut and run" as some had postulated should the control of the Congress changed, and maybe not "stay the course" as some had predicted if the Congress remained in Republican hands. I believe however that whatever comes of this change in political winds, we should make sure that we support those in Iraq trying so desperately to obtain the same luxury of participating in the political process as we do - in peace.
For some reason, I am not that bothered by it. First of all, after having controlled the Senate, Congress and Executive branch for lo these many years, what do we have to show for it on the domestic front? Many bills of massive spending and a departure from the Conservative plank of limited and small government. Maybe a little more gridlock is good. Secondly, it seems as if those elected and the Democratic gains are not of the Barney Frank / Hillary Clinton ilk - Heath Shuler is a perfect example - conservative, evangelical christian democrat. I would be interested in seeing the conservative / liberal balance of power in congress....
But probably the best reason that I am not that worried about the direction this country is headed is exactly this change of power. Many influential, powerful, key members of the former "ruling" party no longer have jobs. Many new members of congress will be reporting for work with their own agendas. Yet, this transition will occur without rioting in the streets, looting, bombs going off, or death squads roaming the streets. I think that many of us fail to realize how lucky we have it here. The very separation of Church and State provided by the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, which has been such a pain in the A@# to us over the last few years in the ACLU's attempts to remove the Ten Commandments are removed from every last public forum also prevent planks of our parties from declaring party affiliation to a particular religious figurehead.
Right now in Iraq, there is a political party affiliated with Moqtada Al-Sadr, the radical Shiite Religious leader with a stronghold in southeastern Baghdad. Legislative debates must include a religious viewpoint as well as political necessities....and you thought the debate in the House was politically charged? When one draws battle lines across religious divisions as well as political beliefs, it is a recipe for much animosity, and little agreement. Death Squads roam the street right now in an obscene twist on our version of "get out the vote" drives......Get out the vote or else....
As we awake to a new political environment, the many millions of us will continue on to work, bring our kids to football practice, and run to the store to pick up groceries for dinner. We may grumble, adjust our stock portfolios, or even begin to lobby for changes in future legislation if we are so actively inclined. I guarantee, none of you will be buying body armor or an AK-47 to protect your families. None of you will be staying up until 5AM every night to make sure that a death squad doesn't invade your home. There will not be a single person in the United States that arranges an escape of them and their family to Canada or Mexico to avoid the political fallout of a change of power (hell, it wasn't even bad enough for Alec Baldwin to leave many years ago, even though he promised!!!!)
And still with all of our political stability and the miracle of Democracy proving its worth once again here, I am amazed at the sheer tenacity and determination of the Iraqi people as they quite literally risk their lives and security to make their fledgling democracy work. If we learn nothing else from this election, it should be to appreciate what we have here in the US, and to continue to support those young democracies trying to carve out their own version of the same. Yes, we will change our stance in Iraq over the next few years - maybe not "cut and run" as some had postulated should the control of the Congress changed, and maybe not "stay the course" as some had predicted if the Congress remained in Republican hands. I believe however that whatever comes of this change in political winds, we should make sure that we support those in Iraq trying so desperately to obtain the same luxury of participating in the political process as we do - in peace.
Thursday, November 02, 2006
John Kerry's Apology
(Photo copied from the Drudge Report 11/2/06, courtesy of the 1/34th Brigade Combat team currently serving in Iraq. http://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/units/unit_template.php?unit=134bc )
A man meets a gorgeous woman in a bar. They hit if off, and end up leaving together. They get back to her place, and as she shows him around her apartment, he notices that her bedroom is littered with teddy bears.
Hundreds of small bears sit on a shelf near the floor, Medium sized bears are on the next shelf up, and huge bears line the top shelf. The man is kind of surprised that this woman would have so prolific a collection of teddy bears, but he opts not to make mention of it.
After a night of passion, as they are lying together in the afterglow, the man rolls over and asks, smiling, “Well, how was it?” The woman says, “You can have any prize from the bottom shelf.”
(yeah, I know that I am unoriginal, but I will be damned if anyone accuses me of plagiarism!!! Joke courtesy of Maxim online at http://www.maximonline.com/jokes/index.aspx?joke_id=899 )
That, my friends is humor. Unlike our sour puss Senator from Massachusetts. Earlier in the week, Senator Kerry tried his hand at standup by telling the crowd to which he was speaking "You know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq," http://washingtontimes.com/national/20061101-122223-6901r.htm.
While I can't find another quote his campaign said was what was written, I believe what his speechwriter meant to say was something to the effect of - Make the most of your education, for if you are intellectually lazy, fail to do your homework, don't study, or are just plain stupid, you are bound to get us stuck in a war in Iraq - just ask President Bush.
While I disagree with his point, I can see some humor behind his statement. Mildly amusing as are most political jokes, but ineffective and forgettable....until the good Senator "botched" it. He has spent the next several days backpedalling, first refusing to apologize - standing up to the echoes of the swiftboat campaign, and finally after members of his own party registered their disgust, responded with the following: "As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop. I sincerely regret that my words were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended." http://www.johnkerry.com/news/releases/release.html?id=37
And in typical thought provoking, tongue in cheek response, our Vice President responded - "Vice President Dick Cheney devoted much of his speech at a campaign event in Montana to Kerry, capped with an unbotched joke: ``He was for the joke before he was against it.'' - http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601039&refer=columnist_carlson&sid=a5KJC9v8VErE
So where does this sit with the folks in the desert? A majority of us feel much the same as the 1/34th pictured above. There is an old saying - you don't have to respect the man, but you must respect the rank. We are professionals, and should I meet Senator Kerry while in uniform, I would not hesitate to salute the rank. But much like the "botched" joke he told, we feel his support is "botched". Aside from the poor little rich kid attitude, who is upset because he can't have his way and be president after all, there is something unbecoming of a competitor that fails to lose gracefully. For someone with aspirations in 2008, it is even more unbecoming. Botched joke or not, it brings into focus the entire thought process and failing logic of the anti-war left - war is evil, and we must only use our military as a last resort, and only in limited means. Thank God these people weren't more popular sixty five years ago - of course, back then they were called Communists.
Bottom line is that there are many opposed to the war - even here in the desert (I know this from personal research having spent some time reading the bathroom stall walls). Then again, anyone who has spent time in a HMMWV hoping that an IED won't turn you into a bloody mist is generally against any action that could prolong your stay in the "cradle of civilization". But even still, the point is that we are here. One could go back through the annals of history and find fault with nearly every conflict we have ever engaged in - Gulf of Tonkin...did they really fire upon us?, Pearl Harbor - we court martialed Admiral Kimmel because he did not "anticipate" the surprise attack, How many generals did Lincoln go through in the Civil War?
The reality of course is that nearly three years later, and almost 3000 gone, we can never go back and change things. To continue to harp upon "faulty intelligence" and "irresponsible aggression" is stupid, disingenuous, and wrong headed - and it does absolutely nothing for the men and women on the ground, but make us feel like what we are doing is not worthwhile. And in the middle of a war, that is the worst possible thing you can do. Regardless of why or how we got here, there is a gunner in a Bradley, a driver in a HMMWV, and a Truck Commander in a Styker right now, driving through the streets of a place that doesn't really want them there. They are sharp, attentive and motivated. Working as a team, these kids HAVE to believe in what they are doing - any other choice would be suicide.
How many of you, driving to work in stop and go traffic every day hate your job, hate your boss, and want nothing more than to run away? How difficult is that drive? How tough is it to even get out of bed? Now imagine that on your way to work, you must be 1000% attentive, because there are snipers, roadside bombs and angry mobs that will kill you, torture you, and mutilate your body if you happen to lose focus for one second. Makes that drive a little more interesting, doesn't it?
Now imagine that same scenario, only the drive to work never changes - eight hours on the road, seven days a week, 365 days a year (longer in the case of some brigades that got extended), to include even Christmas Day. Imagine that you are anywhere from a boot 19 year old gunner, to a "hardened experienced" 26 year old staff sergeant in command of the patrol. In your kevlar, you have a picture of your girlfriend, wife, kids, whatever. You spend downtime playing PSP, computer games, or chatting online. You carry your M16 with you 24/7/365, cleaning it daily as a reminder of when you may have to use it. Now imagine how much harder this would be, knowing that a growing minority of people out there think that what you are doing is wrong, misguided, and that you should stop,......but you are supported!
The myth that we can support the troops, but that we can be against the war is faulty logic and wrong. Botched joke or not, I call it botched support. It gets down to ground truth out here in the sandbox when the bullets are flying - you either support, or you do not support. You are for the troops or against them. You believe, or you go home a wreck, angry, or in a body bag.
Personally, I don't think that Senator Kerry's performance even rated a prize from the lowest shelf - try again next time chump!
Monday, October 30, 2006
Hope springs eternal
Much to catch up on – too much for this post. Needless to say the past month has been a whirlwind. R&R was great, but not nearly as great to come back and find that my time in Iraq is over. Tomorrow I leave for home. I will try and fill in the blanks at a later time, hopefully with pictures. But for now, I leave this place.
When we moved from industrial Norfolk, Virginia to the wooded area of Southern Maryland, we were convinced the land, the area had an energy to it. Something hit you when you crossed the bridge and began winding your way through the farmlands and tobacco fields. Iraq has an energy too. Not a good one, but not a bad one. An ancient energy. It is the energy of birth and death – of the cycle of flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates. Call it what you will – yin and yang – but it characterizes the seasons of burning sands and bitter cold rains, the sandstorms and the seas of mud, and it characterizes the people.
The people of Iraq exist. They live and they die. This constant cycle of good and evil permeates all in this region of the world, from their world view to their daily lives. “Inshalla” – “If God wills it” characterizes much of their feelings. To the people of Iraq, the war, the turmoil and terror will come and go. They will continue to exist. Not that they accept this blindly, but because it is the way of the world here – it is also why America is loved, feared, hated, and envied.
Much of this land, and much of the world don’t and can never understand us. The energy I speak of back home is a force for good, it is the last of the whirlwind to leave Pandora’s box – Hope. People stream over our southern border filled with it. Those that are angered at our morality and envious of our success cannot comprehend it. And more than any nuclear weapon, mechanized army, or burgeoning economy can embody it, hope is our most powerful weapon.
In the long war, it will not be the American Army vanquishing the evil insurgency. It will not be the rebel uprising overthrowing the imperialist invaders. It will be the people of Iraq living and dying. They will eventually decide which flavor of ruler or leader to follow and how much terror and destruction they will allow before ending the conflict. We have seen this in Vietnam, and we have seen this in Nicaragua. South Vietnam did not have the spirit, nor the beliefs that the North did, and when we lost our will to fight, they drove us away. We have seen this in Nicaragua, where the best efforts of the Sandinistas to program the minds of their people, when it came time for them to step up and make a decision. The same will eventually happen here – it will only be a matter of time before the Iraqi public has had enough.
From my limited vantage point however, the infection has already taken hold. There is hope here. The blind hatred and rage that the insurgency has for us is naught but envy – envy at our success, envy at the fact that we didn’t collapse and leave, cutting our losses as so many other colonial powers did over the past 200 years, envy at the fact that there are still men and women in this armed force that will gladly drive outside the wire hunting them down, and providing the hope of a better life to those Iraqi citizens who wish to work and raise their family in peace. Yes, there are those in the press that say that the average Iraqi was better off under Saddam. From an economic, political and organizational sense that may be true – so long as you did not cross the paths of the Ba’ath party. But from the standpoint of daring to dream of a better and freer life, while things are far more complex and terrifying today, there is hope.
To those like myself, returning home, there is hope that what we have accomplished here was worthwhile and valuable, and we live with a realization that once back in the “real world” every breath we take is precious – we have risked our lives for the hope that we can make the world a better place. Those fighting against us are terrified of that concept. Their world is a bitter and cold place where not only does the meaning and purpose in their lives lie in another plane and level, but their lives become worthless without the express intervention of a higher power. It is terrifying to them because we can find meaning and happiness today – in the here and now. And it is infectious.
For all my brothers and sisters in arms, I wish you well and a safe return to Western shores. To those that left pieces of themselves, or their spirit in this land, I honor your sacrifice and pray that you find hope in the promise that every day brings new life and opportunity to make a difference – if not in your lives, then in the lives of those around you. To those fallen heroes that will not return, I offer my hope and prayers that your sacrifice will have been worthwhile. And to the Iraqi people, I offer my sincere hope that you too can believe in a better future. And if you do chose to allow “our infection” to spread, know that you will always have a brother in arms to the west.
When we moved from industrial Norfolk, Virginia to the wooded area of Southern Maryland, we were convinced the land, the area had an energy to it. Something hit you when you crossed the bridge and began winding your way through the farmlands and tobacco fields. Iraq has an energy too. Not a good one, but not a bad one. An ancient energy. It is the energy of birth and death – of the cycle of flooding of the Tigris and Euphrates. Call it what you will – yin and yang – but it characterizes the seasons of burning sands and bitter cold rains, the sandstorms and the seas of mud, and it characterizes the people.
The people of Iraq exist. They live and they die. This constant cycle of good and evil permeates all in this region of the world, from their world view to their daily lives. “Inshalla” – “If God wills it” characterizes much of their feelings. To the people of Iraq, the war, the turmoil and terror will come and go. They will continue to exist. Not that they accept this blindly, but because it is the way of the world here – it is also why America is loved, feared, hated, and envied.
Much of this land, and much of the world don’t and can never understand us. The energy I speak of back home is a force for good, it is the last of the whirlwind to leave Pandora’s box – Hope. People stream over our southern border filled with it. Those that are angered at our morality and envious of our success cannot comprehend it. And more than any nuclear weapon, mechanized army, or burgeoning economy can embody it, hope is our most powerful weapon.
In the long war, it will not be the American Army vanquishing the evil insurgency. It will not be the rebel uprising overthrowing the imperialist invaders. It will be the people of Iraq living and dying. They will eventually decide which flavor of ruler or leader to follow and how much terror and destruction they will allow before ending the conflict. We have seen this in Vietnam, and we have seen this in Nicaragua. South Vietnam did not have the spirit, nor the beliefs that the North did, and when we lost our will to fight, they drove us away. We have seen this in Nicaragua, where the best efforts of the Sandinistas to program the minds of their people, when it came time for them to step up and make a decision. The same will eventually happen here – it will only be a matter of time before the Iraqi public has had enough.
From my limited vantage point however, the infection has already taken hold. There is hope here. The blind hatred and rage that the insurgency has for us is naught but envy – envy at our success, envy at the fact that we didn’t collapse and leave, cutting our losses as so many other colonial powers did over the past 200 years, envy at the fact that there are still men and women in this armed force that will gladly drive outside the wire hunting them down, and providing the hope of a better life to those Iraqi citizens who wish to work and raise their family in peace. Yes, there are those in the press that say that the average Iraqi was better off under Saddam. From an economic, political and organizational sense that may be true – so long as you did not cross the paths of the Ba’ath party. But from the standpoint of daring to dream of a better and freer life, while things are far more complex and terrifying today, there is hope.
To those like myself, returning home, there is hope that what we have accomplished here was worthwhile and valuable, and we live with a realization that once back in the “real world” every breath we take is precious – we have risked our lives for the hope that we can make the world a better place. Those fighting against us are terrified of that concept. Their world is a bitter and cold place where not only does the meaning and purpose in their lives lie in another plane and level, but their lives become worthless without the express intervention of a higher power. It is terrifying to them because we can find meaning and happiness today – in the here and now. And it is infectious.
For all my brothers and sisters in arms, I wish you well and a safe return to Western shores. To those that left pieces of themselves, or their spirit in this land, I honor your sacrifice and pray that you find hope in the promise that every day brings new life and opportunity to make a difference – if not in your lives, then in the lives of those around you. To those fallen heroes that will not return, I offer my hope and prayers that your sacrifice will have been worthwhile. And to the Iraqi people, I offer my sincere hope that you too can believe in a better future. And if you do chose to allow “our infection” to spread, know that you will always have a brother in arms to the west.
Saturday, September 23, 2006
T minus two and counting
Well folks, I am a mere 36 hours away from leaving on a jet plane...I know when I will be back again...Oh Babe, I hate to come baaaaaack.....
Ok, I don't mean to channel the late John Denver, but it is time to start to get excited. I feel like Santa Claus, because I have a little something for everyone - mostly trinkets and souveniers, but you only get to come to Iraq once....(I hope!!!) So I am bringing back a little something for everyone.
It will be a long trip - can't really go into details obviously, but I have at least one stop until I can catch a scheduled flight out of theater, then on to a "hub" then home. When you realize how many troops here are going home on a weekly basis for R&R, you start to realize just how much money is being given to the airlines to support the operations. President Eisenhower, the old General himself, on leaving office warned of the dangers of a coming Industrial-Military complex where the decisions necessary to go to war will be muddied by profit and industrial pressures. I guess this makes me think of my earlier posts on KBR and Halliburton. We are very well taken care of out here, but it makes one wonder.
Anyways, on to happier thoughts - Aleks just helped his team win in football with two touchdowns in the second half as quarterback. People think I am crazy, but I have another phone call to make tonight at midnight to listen to Derek's game! This season is lost, but I try to continue to be involved in the teams - in a perfect world, I would get out of the Navy and become a full time football coach. At the very least, I am on the hook to keep being involved in the lives of a couple of my players. Mark my words everyone, one day, you will hear the name Shaquan Dyson as a wide receiver....if I have anything to do about it..
Ok, so not the greatest post of all time - rambling and meandering, but I am starting to get excited and antsy, so gimme a break! I will see you all stateside - more to follow!
Ok, I don't mean to channel the late John Denver, but it is time to start to get excited. I feel like Santa Claus, because I have a little something for everyone - mostly trinkets and souveniers, but you only get to come to Iraq once....(I hope!!!) So I am bringing back a little something for everyone.
It will be a long trip - can't really go into details obviously, but I have at least one stop until I can catch a scheduled flight out of theater, then on to a "hub" then home. When you realize how many troops here are going home on a weekly basis for R&R, you start to realize just how much money is being given to the airlines to support the operations. President Eisenhower, the old General himself, on leaving office warned of the dangers of a coming Industrial-Military complex where the decisions necessary to go to war will be muddied by profit and industrial pressures. I guess this makes me think of my earlier posts on KBR and Halliburton. We are very well taken care of out here, but it makes one wonder.
Anyways, on to happier thoughts - Aleks just helped his team win in football with two touchdowns in the second half as quarterback. People think I am crazy, but I have another phone call to make tonight at midnight to listen to Derek's game! This season is lost, but I try to continue to be involved in the teams - in a perfect world, I would get out of the Navy and become a full time football coach. At the very least, I am on the hook to keep being involved in the lives of a couple of my players. Mark my words everyone, one day, you will hear the name Shaquan Dyson as a wide receiver....if I have anything to do about it..
Ok, so not the greatest post of all time - rambling and meandering, but I am starting to get excited and antsy, so gimme a break! I will see you all stateside - more to follow!
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
The purposeful walk
Yesterday, I found myself headed back from a 9am meeting on the other side of base, called Camp Slayer. (yeah, I know that the name was chosen to foster camraderie and good feelings about the forces stationed here....) Three years ago, shortly after the fall of Baghdad, Victory, Slayer, Liberty, and all the other Camps under the Victory Base Compound (VBC) were seperate islands with their own security. It used to be that one had to convoy between them. Now they are all open and heavily travelled. The road back to Victory goes through a short tunnel under the road to the airport, after which you are faced with a decision - travel along at 10 MPH stopping every 100 yards at another intersection, or go the long way around, albeit without any busses, construction, or other things slowing you down. At this particular time of day, it was a no-brainer.
So about a quarter of a mile down the road, I see this army clad figure walking along. Not ambling, but head down, striding with a purpose. It is about 1030 - 1100 am, with the temperature climbing towards the high 90's, low 100's. Now the only logical explanation of how this person could be out here was that he had to have left the palace about 10 - 15 minutes before, and headed down this dusty empty side road of the base because he needed to go somewhere and didn't want to wait for transportation.
The next thing I noticed is that he was unarmed. Strangely enough, the brain recognizes changes in patterns, and this was a big one. Most of the senior officers only carry their 9mm weapon - either in a shoulder or leg holster. Almost all of the enlisted carry their M16 or Machine guns slung around their torso. This figure had neither. The longer I slowed and watched this person trudging along, the louder the voice in my head told me that I needed to stop and offer him a ride. And that is when I offered the Chaplain a ride.
Chaplain Major Charles Herring has a bi-weekly column in the
"Victory Times" - the camp newspaper. His picture that is usually posted with his column is the perfect face of a Chaplain - full of life and spirit. It embodies the man as well - active and talkative from the moment he jumped in the truck. Granted, our ride was only a few minutes down the road - another mile or so, that would have cost him another 20 minutes and a gallon of sweat. But not a moment during that ride was lost to silence or thought. Even in those few minutes, I got the image of someone who is so totally dedicated and completely energized that it was infectous.
As I dropped him off, he quickly strode away focused once again on his mission. I have been caught up thinking about him since our brief ride together. Not so much from the time we spent, but from his attitude. I am positive from listening to him and reading his column that there was never any expectations from him that he would get help or hitch a ride - he had a job to do and getting there was part of the deal. So totally focused on the goal, he had ignored any paltry trivialities that the walk near midday might cause. It is clear that he never asked for, nor expected a ride. But one has to wonder whether or not the long line of busses going along the slow route were put there for a reason? Maybe the Big Guy just likes to look out for his folks from time to time....
So about a quarter of a mile down the road, I see this army clad figure walking along. Not ambling, but head down, striding with a purpose. It is about 1030 - 1100 am, with the temperature climbing towards the high 90's, low 100's. Now the only logical explanation of how this person could be out here was that he had to have left the palace about 10 - 15 minutes before, and headed down this dusty empty side road of the base because he needed to go somewhere and didn't want to wait for transportation.
The next thing I noticed is that he was unarmed. Strangely enough, the brain recognizes changes in patterns, and this was a big one. Most of the senior officers only carry their 9mm weapon - either in a shoulder or leg holster. Almost all of the enlisted carry their M16 or Machine guns slung around their torso. This figure had neither. The longer I slowed and watched this person trudging along, the louder the voice in my head told me that I needed to stop and offer him a ride. And that is when I offered the Chaplain a ride.
Chaplain Major Charles Herring has a bi-weekly column in the
"Victory Times" - the camp newspaper. His picture that is usually posted with his column is the perfect face of a Chaplain - full of life and spirit. It embodies the man as well - active and talkative from the moment he jumped in the truck. Granted, our ride was only a few minutes down the road - another mile or so, that would have cost him another 20 minutes and a gallon of sweat. But not a moment during that ride was lost to silence or thought. Even in those few minutes, I got the image of someone who is so totally dedicated and completely energized that it was infectous.As I dropped him off, he quickly strode away focused once again on his mission. I have been caught up thinking about him since our brief ride together. Not so much from the time we spent, but from his attitude. I am positive from listening to him and reading his column that there was never any expectations from him that he would get help or hitch a ride - he had a job to do and getting there was part of the deal. So totally focused on the goal, he had ignored any paltry trivialities that the walk near midday might cause. It is clear that he never asked for, nor expected a ride. But one has to wonder whether or not the long line of busses going along the slow route were put there for a reason? Maybe the Big Guy just likes to look out for his folks from time to time....
Sunday, September 17, 2006
Chief Petty Officer Induction
September 15th is a special day every year in the Navy – while it is a payday, it doesn’t have much to do with money. Every September 15th, the Navy promotes those selectees who have spent the previous month going through initiation and awards them the rank of Chief Petty Officer. For these senior enlisted personnel, it is time for them to cast aside their working dungarees, and don the Khaki uniform of the Chief.
Chiefs are a different breed. They are experts in their trade, and selected for their leadership and steady guidance. The rank was created 113 years ago, formalizing a tradition that existed of
having the senior, most experienced rated sailors as the “Chief” sailor – that individual designated by the Captain as the one in charge of his peers. Since then, it has become much more than just being in charge. Officers must learn to fight the ship and the strategies to engage the enemy. But do you really want the tactician and strategist with a wrench in his hand in some bilge trying to fix the ship? Chief of the Boat, MMCM(SS) Robert Bentley was my first COB – the senior enlisted man on the USS HELENA (SSN-725). He was also head of the Chief’s Mess, lovingly referred to at the “Goat Locker”. I had been aboard all of about ten minutes when he pulled me aside, shook my hand, stared me in the eye and told me – “Ensign, I want you to understand one thing – Officers fight the ship, Chiefs fix the ship – find yourself a good one and have him teach you what you need to know.”Rather than a trip down memory lane however, the purpose of this blog entry is to relate how strange and wonderful it was to attend the Chief’s Pinning Ceremony this past week. Here we were in Baghdad, next to a lake created by Saddam to give the appearance of a Mediterranean Oasis in the middle of a desert. Half of us are wearing Army uniforms, and haven’t been aboard a ship in over half a year. Yet, we had a ship’s bell ringing aboard RADM Van Buskirk (a submariner none the less!) and the rest of the honored guests. Each Selectee was introduced, their old rank was removed, their anchors were pinned on and they had their covers put on by their fellow Chiefs. Then, the bell rang, the Bosun’s whistle piped them aboard and the sideboys saluted as the announcement of “Chief Petty Officer – Arriving” was made. For at least a brief hour, we were transported back aboard a ship, with the sea breeze in our faces, reliving our Navy heritage.
So much these days is lost in the sand, the dust, the “high tech equipment”. We speak of Network Centric operations, GPS positions, and satellite communications. We have airborne
unmanned aerial vehicles, stealth fighters, and billion dollar submarines. The thing we lose sight of however is that none of it matters without the people. We have amazing sailors stationed out here in the middle of the desert, away from their training and “comfort zones” – some of them in the line of fire. They have integrated into the Army, even to the point of wearing their uniform. But something makes us unique and different. Maybe it is the tradition of not being able to rely on stateside “experts” when you are in the middle of the ocean. Maybe it is the reliance on your fellow shipmate that is ingrained in you from your first few days of indoctrination into the service. For these sailors however, it was the camaraderie, heritage, and exhilaration brought about through participation in the uniquely Navy tradition of the Chief’s promotion ceremony. Congratulations to these sandbox sailors, and to all the new Chief Petty Officers the world over.
Thursday, September 07, 2006
Get ready to get choked up
Hey folks -
A friend just sent me an email about the story of Audie Murphy - the most decorated combat soldier the military has ever seen (Combat Infantry Badge, Two Bronze Stars, Two Silver Stars, and the Congressional Medal of Honor) - 247 enemy soldiers killed in WWII having only been 16 years old when he enlisted. That man did a lot of growing up quickly.
Interestingly enough, it came from a website that I would like to pass on - http://patriotfiles.org It is one of the most current, timely and connected websites full of stories which will make you laugh, cry, and get mad enough at some of our "leaders" to take action. Needless to say, Cindy Sheehan doesn't visit here often.
It echoes a lot of what I have seen here - people anxious and happy for our service in Iraq, not wanting us to leave, an enemy on the run and desperate, while the broader public and media are desperately trying to paint the picture that the war is failing. It really gives you a sense of just how bold and loyal a President we have. If you were only to watch the American Media, you would think him to be a simple fool that is blindly committed to a failing enterprise. From intelligence, discussions with locals, and most importantly talking with the AMAZING 22 - 26 year old soldiers driving the vehicles outside the wire on a daily basis, the battle is being won. Our technology is making it harder for them to plant IED's, our troop's committment and dedication is extremely high (based on exceeding retention goals in the "demoralized" army that the media portrays), and the sense of purpose and committment you feel around here just talking with people.
You won't be able to cover this site in a day, or even many days. But please browse, peruse, and arm yourself with what might be an "alternative" to what you see on TV - the Truth.
PS - Thanks again Gary!
A friend just sent me an email about the story of Audie Murphy - the most decorated combat soldier the military has ever seen (Combat Infantry Badge, Two Bronze Stars, Two Silver Stars, and the Congressional Medal of Honor) - 247 enemy soldiers killed in WWII having only been 16 years old when he enlisted. That man did a lot of growing up quickly.
Interestingly enough, it came from a website that I would like to pass on - http://patriotfiles.org It is one of the most current, timely and connected websites full of stories which will make you laugh, cry, and get mad enough at some of our "leaders" to take action. Needless to say, Cindy Sheehan doesn't visit here often.
It echoes a lot of what I have seen here - people anxious and happy for our service in Iraq, not wanting us to leave, an enemy on the run and desperate, while the broader public and media are desperately trying to paint the picture that the war is failing. It really gives you a sense of just how bold and loyal a President we have. If you were only to watch the American Media, you would think him to be a simple fool that is blindly committed to a failing enterprise. From intelligence, discussions with locals, and most importantly talking with the AMAZING 22 - 26 year old soldiers driving the vehicles outside the wire on a daily basis, the battle is being won. Our technology is making it harder for them to plant IED's, our troop's committment and dedication is extremely high (based on exceeding retention goals in the "demoralized" army that the media portrays), and the sense of purpose and committment you feel around here just talking with people.
You won't be able to cover this site in a day, or even many days. But please browse, peruse, and arm yourself with what might be an "alternative" to what you see on TV - the Truth.
PS - Thanks again Gary!
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