Veterans

I got this in an email and did a bunch of editing.

The average age of the military man is 19 years. He is a short haired, tight-muscled kid who, under normal circumstances is considered by society as half man, half boy. Not yet dry behind the ears, not old enough to buy a beer, but old enough to die for his country. He never really cared much for work and he would rather wax his own car than wash his father's, but he has never collected unemployment either. He's a recent High School graduate; he was probably an average student, pursued some form of sport activities, drives a ten year old jalopy, and has a steady girlfriend that either broke up with him when he left, or swears to be waiting when he returns from half a world away. He listens to rock and roll or hip-hop or rap or jazz or swing and a 155mm howitzer. He is 10 or 15 pounds lighter now than when he was at home because he is working or fighting from before dawn to well after dusk. He has trouble spelling, thus letter writing is a pain for him, but he can field strip a rifle in 30 seconds and reassemble it in less time in the dark. He can recite to you the nomenclature of a machine gun or grenade launcher and use either one effectively if he must. He digs foxholes and latrines and can apply first aid like a professional. He can march until he is told to stop, or stop until he is told to march. He obeys orders instantly and without hesitation, but he is not without spirit or individual dignity. He is self-sufficient. He has two sets of uniforms; he washes one and wears the other. He keeps his canteens full and his feet dry. He sometimes forgets to brush his teeth, but never to clean his rifle. He can cook his own meals, mend his own clothes, and fix his own hurts. If you're thirsty, he'll share his water with you; if you are hungry, his food. He'll even split his ammunition with you in the midst of battle when you run low. He has learned to use his hands like weapons and weapons like they were his hands. He can save your life - or take it, because that is his job. He will often do twice the work of a civilian, draw half the pay, and still find ironic humor in it all. He has seen more suffering and death than he should have in his short lifetime. He has wept in public and in private, for friends who have fallen in combat and is unashamed. He feels every note of the National Anthem vibrate through his body while at rigid attention, while tempering the burning desire to 'square-away ' those around him who haven't bothered to stand, remove their hat, or even stop talking. In an odd twist, day in and day out, far from home, he defends their right to be disrespectful. Just as did his Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather, he is paying the price for our freedom. Beardless or not, he is not a boy. He is the American Fighting Man that has kept this country free for over 200 years. He has asked nothing in return, except our friendship and understanding. Remember him, always, for he has earned our respect and admiration with his blood. And now we have women over there in danger too, doing their part when our nation calls them to do so. God bless them. Happy Veteran's Day!

URINE OR YOU'RE OUT

I wish I had come up with this one. Although I cannot take credit for this idea, I'm all for it and I think these drug tests would be a good use of my tax money. I too must pass random drug tests.

"Like most folks in this country, I have a job. I work, they pay me. I pay my taxes and the government distributes my taxes as it sees fit. In order to get that paycheck in my case, I am required to pass a random urine test (with which I have no problem). What I do have a problem with is the distribution of my taxes to people who don't have to pass a urine test.

So, here is my question: Shouldn't one have to pass a urine test to get a welfare check because I have to pass one to earn it for them? Please understand, I have no problem with helping people get back on their feet. I do, on the other hand, have a problem with helping someone sitting on their ass - doing drugs, while I work... Can you imagine how much money each state would save if people had to pass a urine test to get a public assistance check? I guess we could title that program, 'Urine or You're Out'."

Personal Responsibility? Government Responsibility? Pure Craziness. It obviously won't buy enough votes.

The Supreme Court -- Do You Care?

A smart person once said, "I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character." The speech in its entirety can be found here: http://www.americanrhetoric.com/speeches/mlkihaveadream.htm

Take away the man who spoke those words. Take away his amazing oratory skill. Take away the man's color and the fact that he's a man. Take away the fact that he was a Baptist minister. Take away the backdrop of the speech. Take away the times in which he spoke. Is the text any more or less true and timeless? Shouldn't this be everyone's dream?

Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor was sworn in today. Congratulations go out to her. She attained the second highest office her career offers, the highest being Chief Justice.

The Supreme Court is made up of 9 people. There are now 7 men and 2 women. I don't care. There are 7 "whites", 1 "black", and 1 "hispanic." I don't care. There are 6 Roman Catholics, 2 Jews, and 1 Protestant in a majority Protestant country. I don't care. http://www.adherents.com/adh_sc.html. Some major US religious groups have never been represented on the Supreme Court. I don't care. There are 3 justices in their 50s, 1 in his 60s, 4 in their 70s, and 1 in his 80s. I don't care and none of this should matter.

Justice is supposed to be blind. The statue of Lady Justice holding the scale and a sword is blindfolded for a reason.

Here are the oaths taken by Supreme Court Justices: (http://www.supremecourtus.gov/about/textoftheoathsofoffice2009.pdf)

“I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

“I, _________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will administer justice without respect to persons, and do equal right to the poor and to the rich, and that I will faithfully and impartially discharge and perform all the duties incumbent upon me as _________ under the Constitution and laws of the United States. So help me God.”

I hope our new Supreme Court Justice lives up to these oaths and administers the law as written, not what she thinks the law should be. I have a dream that all our courts act that way.

Cash for Clunkers... Are You Kidding Me?

I'll give you $4,500 I don't really have for your paid-for asset. Then, you can take out a loan you may or may not be able to afford for something to replace it. Didn't we do this with houses just a few years ago?

What's worse is the genius government is destroying these vehicles. Most of them work just fine. What does the destruction & dumping cost? Is the government really shelling out $6000 per vehicle?

Why aren't we taking these vehicles to the third world and dumping them on the market for $1500 each? We'd at least pay for the shipping and make a little money back. Those places would benefit by having more affordable transportation... for a while anyhow. Transportation would be more available too. Our car parts makers would get more orders for years, making us more money. The European mob figured this one out. Read this: http://news.yahoo.com/s/time/20090807/wl_time/08599191525000

The other problem is inventory. Dealers and car makers have a high inventory right now. This program will, no doubt, ease that burden and save some jobs right now. What happens in two or three years when many of the Cash for Clunkers people were going to replace their cars anyhow? They won't need a new car and we'll be back in the same boat.

Cash for Clunkers will slightly upgrade the fuel efficiency of the cars on our roads, and I'm all for keeping the environment a little cleaner, but there must be a better way.

I don't blame people for taking advantage. If I were in the market for a new car, I'd take advantage of the government "acting stupidly" too.

Change the Name of the Capital

If we are going to keep DC as our Capital, I propose a name change to honor George Washington. I think we should rename the Capital "District of Columbia" and drop the "Washington" part. Personally, I try to use the name "Washington" as little as possible when referring to the city. I just call it DC.

If he were able to see the city and know what goes on there (locally and federally), the man would be embarrassed by the city and horrified by the evil that comes out of it.

Free Puerto Rico!

For those unaware, Puerto Rico is an island in the Carribean about 1000 miles from Miami, FL. We acquired it as a colony from Spain after the Spanish-American War in 1898. It is slightly smaller than Connecticut and has about 4 million inhabitants. All Puerto Ricans became US Citizens in 1917 and can freely travel back and forth to the US mainland. Many Puerto Ricans have bravely fought and died in the US military since 1898.

From WWII until the 1970s, Puerto Rico did quite well for itself. With some tax incentives, the economy grew at an admirable rate as did the islanders' education levels. Then, the handouts started. The US and Puerto Rican governments ruined the territory. Please read this article called "Trouble on Welfare Island" (The Economist, May 27, 2006): http://www.puertorico.com/forums/politics/20539-trouble-welfare-island-article.html

That article sums up how we once encouraged the inhabitants to prosper, then ruined them. It is horrible that more Puerto Ricans live on the US mainland than in Puerto Rico itself. That should tell you about conditions and opportunities there. Nothing short of a complete overhaul will turn that island around. This needs to be done by the Puerto Ricans themselves, without our meddling. The feds have done enough.

I fully support the Puerto Ricans who want to vote for independence. If they ever vote for independence, I say "God speed and good luck to you." Other than the Puerto Ricans who live on the mainland, I don't see what that island gives us. The "Welfare Island" is a sucking chest wound. I do NOT support statehood. Of course, I don't think Hawaii should be a state either (geography).

One foreseeable problem with independence will be the US citizenship of the Puerto Ricans. They'll just have to cut it off after a certain date (i.e. nobody born after the independence vote, or similar). You may also see mass immigration to the US mainland before they get cut off from federal programs. That's their right and there's no stopping it.

Here are some other useful links for Puerto Rico information: https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world-factbook/geos/RQ.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Puerto_Rico

Thoughts on setting Puerto Rico free?

Atheists

I don't believe in Atheists.

Flag Burning and Free Speech

I firmly believe that a person has a right to burn the US or any flag as part of a protest as long as they are safe about it. People have a Constitutional right to free speech and I think this is a form of it.

I also believe I have the right and possibly the duty to kick the living crap out of you if I see you do it.

Thoughts?

Ben Stein's Final Column -- Celebrity Worship

People who fawn over how beautiful Angelina Jolie & Brad Pitt's latest bastard child is need to have their head screwed back on straight. Ben Stein put it much better than I can below:

"How Can Someone Who Lives in Insane Luxury Be a Star in Today's World?

As I begin to write this, I 'slug' it, as we writers say, which means I put a heading on top of the document to identify it. This heading is 'eonline FINAL,' and it gives me a shiver to write it. I have been doing this column for so long that I cannot even recall when I started. I loved writing this column so much for so long I came to believe it would never end.

It worked well for a long time, but gradually, my changing as a person and the world's change have overtaken it On a small scale, Morton's, while better than ever, no longer attracts as many stars as it used to. It still brings in the rich people in droves and definitely some stars. I saw Samuel L. Jackson there a few days ago, and we had a nice visit, and right before that, I saw and had a splendid talk with Warren Beatty in an elevator, in which we agreed that Splendor in the Grass was a super movie. But Morton's is not the star galaxy it once was, though it probably will be again.

Beyond that, a bigger change has happened..? I no longer think Hollywood stars are terribly important. They are uniformly pleasant, friendly people, and they treat me better than I deserve to be treated. But a man or woman who makes a huge wage for memorizing lines and reciting them in front of a camera is no longer my idea of a shining star we should all look up to.

How can a man or woman who makes an eight-figure wage and lives in insane luxury really be a star in today's world, if by a 'star' we mean someone bright and powerful and attractive as a role model? Real stars are not riding around in the backs of limousines or in Porsches or getting trained in yoga or Pilates and eating only raw fruit while they have Vietnamese girls do their nails..

They can be interesting, nice people, but they are not heroes to me any longer. A real star is the soldier of the 4th Infantry Division who poked his head into a hole on a farm near Tikrit, Iraq. He could have been met by a bomb or a hail of AK-47 bullets. Instead, he faced an abject Saddam Hussein and the gratitude of all of the decent people of the world.

A real star is the U.S. soldier who was sent to disarm a bomb next to a road north of Baghdad. He approached it, and the bomb went off and killed him..

A real star, the kind who haunts my memory night and day, is the U.S. soldier in Baghdad who saw a little girl playing with a piece of unexploded ordnance on a street near where he was guarding a station. He pushed her aside and threw himself on it just as it exploded. He left a family desolate in California and a little girl alive in Baghdad.

The stars who deserve media attention are not the ones who have lavish weddings on TV but the ones who patrol the streets of Mosul even after two of their buddies were murdered and their bodies battered and stripped for the sin of trying to protect Iraqis from terrorists.

We put couples with incomes of $100 million a year on the covers of our magazines. The noncoms and officers who barely scrape by on military pay but stand on guard in Afghanistan and Iraq and on ships and in submarines and near the Arctic Circle are anonymous as they live and die.

I am no longer comfortable being a part of the system that has such poor values, and I do not want to perpetuate those values by pretending that who is eating at Morton's is a big subject.

There are plenty of other stars in the American firmament..the policemen and women who go off on patrol in South Central and have no idea if they will return alive; the orderlies and paramedics who bring in people who have been in terrible accidents and prepare them for surgery; the teachers and nurses who throw their whole spirits into caring for autistic children; the kind men and women who work in hospices and in cancer wards.

Think of each and every fireman who was running up the stairs at the World Trade Center as the towers began to collapse. Now you have my idea of a real hero.

I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters This is my highest and best use as a human. I can put it another way. Years ago, I realized I could never be as great an actor as Olivier or as good a comic as Steve Martin or Martin Mull or Fred Willard--or as good an economist as Samuelson or Friedman or as good a writer as Fitzgerald. Or even remotely close to any of them.

But, I could be a devoted father to my son, husband to my wife and, above all, a good son to the parents who had done so much for me. This came to be my main task in life. I did it moderately well with my son, pretty well with my wife and well indeed with my parents (with my sister's help). I cared for and paid attention to them in their declining years. I stayed with my father as he got sick, went into extremis and then into a coma and then entered immortality with my sister and me reading him the Psalms.

This was the only point at which my life touched the lives of the soldiers in Iraq or the firefighters in New York. I came to realize that life lived to help others is the only one that matters and that it is my duty, in return for the lavish life God has devolved upon me, to help others He has placed in my path. This is my highest and best use as a human

Faith is not believing that God can. It is knowing that God will.

By Ben Stein"

Illegal Aliens

Illegal Aliens are called Illegal Aliens because they are criminals who aren't from here. If you don't like that, change the law so they aren't criminals (please don't).

People who call Illegal Aliens "Undocumented Workers" or "Undocumented Immigrants" are politically spineless. Call them what they are until the law is changed.

Question: Are elected leaders who don't enforce the law and/or prevent others from doing so criminals themselves?

Make English the Official Language of the USA

The US doesn't have an official language because there were so many German speakers in the country at the time of our founding. The Founders deliberately chose not to address the subject. Our hatred of the British lasted through the 1800s. In fact, there was considerable debate during the early part of World War One about which side we'd enter... English or German. We should have stayed out of that one for a variety of reasons. I believe that event was the start of our downfall, not our ascendence.

Back to the subject! Immigrants to the US through the 1800s and well into the 1900s spoke a variety of languages and settled in neighborhoods with their own countrymen. They continued to speak their various languages, but most learned English and forced it on their kids. They were smart enough to know their kids would need it to succeed here as Americans. They were also proud of their kids as they picked up the language. Total immersion works!

I am all for various people keeping their religions, customs, and languages. My ancestors came here before 1776 and the Germanic ones kept their religion and their language. They still speak German today. They also speak English better than most people they'd call "English." I highly encourage foreign language speakers to keep speaking their language, but you have to learn English too.

Luckily, at the time of this posting, 30 states have passed English-only laws, often by popular referendum. There is some sanity out there. Oklahoma will probably vote this way in 2010. It looks like popular referendums are the only way to get this done since our elected representatives are usually too spineless or too stupid.

Bi-lingual education is a joke. Many believe bi-lingual education is the best way to assimilate people. The trouble is, many don't want to or think they don't need to assimilate. Bi-lingual education does nothing but hold kids back because there is no incentive to learn English. There are kids who grow up in several areas who might go their whole lives without being fluent in English because they aren't forced to learn it. That is borderline criminal negligence. Those kids will be disadvantaged for life. Those parents might as well cut off one of their kid's hands. It would have the same effect.

I fully support H.R. 997 - The English Language Unity Act of 2009(http://www.usenglish.org/view/575). If the present US Congress has any guts, they'll pass this bill into law. It'll be challenged by some ACLU commie lawyer who needs a real job and some commie judge will overturn it. The law will make it to the Supreme Court and we'll see what those people are made of.

FYI to everyone who is born here. You are an American, nothing more. You're American, same as me. Deal with it. The only hyphenated Americans who have a right to be hyphenated have dual citizenship.

FYI #2: There is nothing rascist here. I'm looking out for the non-English speakers, no matter what country they came from (preferably legally).

Thoughts?

Poetry

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

Author Unknown~
-------------------------------------------------------------
It's the Military, not the reporter who has given us the freedom of the Press. It's the Military, not the poet, who has given us the freedom of Speech. It's the Military, not the politicians that ensures our right to Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness. It's the Military who salutes the flag, who serves beneath the flag, and whose coffin is draped by The flag.
-- Father Dennis Edward O'Brian

Goldwater-Nichols Act Part II is Needed

This post probably won't make sense unless you're a veteran or have dealt with the Armed Forces.

The Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 reorganized the armed forces in an attempt to quell inter-service rivalry. You can read about it here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goldwater-Nichols_Act . Basically, the result is that you had a General Schwarzkopf in charge of all forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Foreign) in his area to free Kuwait. He had command & control and could assign the right force to do the right task. The buck stopped with him.

This act solved many severe operational problems. The four services now play well together when doing operations, BUT what a pain it can be when a person in a joint operation (or school) still needs administrative actions from each service. We all wear different uniforms (with uniform buying needs), we all have different paperwork for the same stuff (i.e. leave)... some is web-based and some is still on paper. We all have different computer systems with different email needs. And, of course, we all have different comm systems. We've made great strides in the comm world, but there is still room for improvement. All of this can create unnecessary chaos when setting up and executing an operation.

Here's a solution proposed to me from an Army friend. A Goldwater-Nichols Act Part II would create the United States Defense Forces. We would still have an Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard. We could still have our annual fights over budget items. Here's the change: We would all wear the same utility uniform (I prefer the Army's Multi-cam), while keeping our specialized ones. All our admin troops would go to the same school and learn the same systems. A form is a form is a form, no matter what service, the same form would do the same thing and any admin person from any service could process the needs of somebody in a different service. All our systems would talk to one another (you can't even get that within the Army). Joint operations would truly be joint.

There are a million things that could be standardized while still keeping service identity and tradition. I believe that once the painful part is ironed out, this standardization would complete the work started by the Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 and joint life would be much easier for all of us in the military.

Thoughts?

Change or Make Two National Anthems

Our National Anthem is "The Star-Spangled Banner." It was written by Francis Scott Key (a lawyer) after his experience on a British warship overnight as the British pounded Fort McHenry outside Baltimore during the War of 1812 (September 13-14, 1814 A.D.). The bombardment went on for 25 hours. In the morning, Mr. Key was relieved to see our flag was still flying, meaning we hadn't surrendered. The poem, now our National Anthem, is four verses long, but we usually only get to hear the first verse before football games, etc. The poem was originally called "The Defense of Fort McHenry." It was widely published in the US and someone decided it fit the tune of the British drinking song, "To Anacreon in Heaven." The poem was later renamed "The Star-Spangled Banner" and became our national anthem in 1931. I highly encourage everyone to read the full poem. It's a great work.

Like most other Americans, I well up with pride when I hear the national anthem and see a flag waving, in particular if I'm in uniform outside and saluting. It's a great feeling.

What is my problem with this song? I have four. First, it was never meant to be a song. Second, the part we always hear (first verse) is just about the flag, not the country. Third, the tune it's put to is a British drinking song with march music. It sounds far too imperial, especially when compared to others I hear at the olympics. Fourth, it was written by a lawyer.

Other countrys' anthems are about how great the country and its people are. What kind of songs do we have that compare? Well, three great alternatives are out there, "God Bless America," "My Country 'Tis of Thee," and "America the Beautiful."

These are all ideal, but "God Bless America" couldn't pass muster these days since we're not allowed to mention God anymore (Commies and their lawyers) and He's right up-front in this song. Those who oppose such a thing should read the fourth verse of "The Star-Spangled Banner." It's all about Heaven and God.

"My Country 'Tis of Thee" is a great song, BUT it's tune is "God Save the Queen [or King]." That is the anthem of the British Empire... no good, especially when done instrumentally on an international stage.

"America the Beautiful" is perfect. The tune is soft, the words are easy to remember, and it talks about the country, not just the flag. It mentions God in the words, but so does "The Star-Spangled Banner" (fourth verse). Therefore, I propose we change the national anthem to "America the Beautiful."

There have been a number of movements over the past 50 years to get the song classified as the National Hymm or as A national anthem equal to "The Star-Spangled Banner." It's time to make it happen.

Thoughts?