For Cryin' Out Loud!

Hebrew Messiah Bold

2010-10-29T04:02:00.002Z

So is this beer one whose name is total hot air? Well, maybe a little, since they aimed THAT high. This is a great beer, though. It's like a milder, smoother, version of Guiness with hardly a hint of bitterness. I think the flavor is just a tad 2-dimensional, but I will try another six pack to see if this is a batch issue. Bottom line: nobody who likes thick, rich brews will be all that disappointed.

More Oktoberfest Marzens

2010-10-28T19:59:00.002Z

I keep trying to find Warsteiner's Marzen, but no dice this year. I wonder why.
What I did find were Marzens from Linenkugel's and Paulaner.

The Linenkugel was my favorite this year. It tastes a lot like Warsteiner. The Paulaner is sweeter and yeastier, still good though and better than the Sam Adams.

Sam Adams Octoberfest

2010-09-24T03:59:00.001Z

Beer is amazing. Let the brevity of that sentence speak volumes!

I have just had a Sam Adams Octoberfest (sic) and I liked it. It was not the best Oktoberfest/Marzenish thing ever, but good. Why write about? I need to keep track. This beer is one of a few the tastes better in the bottle. My wife reminded me that this is the second time I said that, but neither of us recall what I said it about... so here it is, a way to keep track.

Whoa

2010-09-12T21:58:00.002Z

Life's been a little crazy lately and it's all I can do to stay in the loop. We just had our first child, actually.

My wife bought a book for the occasion, one that you can put things in like footprints, photos, and newspaper headlines. That last one just about stopped me cold.

When I was born, Skylab was falling. Iran was revolting. The economy was in tatters. Global cooling was going to freeze us all to death. The Doomsday clock was just shy of midnight.

Well, how little things change. NASA has been castrated, the former space pioneer now relegated to supporting dogmatic pseudo-science and making a group of people who have not made a significant scientific advance since the Dark Ages feel good about their contributions to science*. Iran is still revolting, just back the other way while the world once again forgets about the plight of the people there. The economy is in tatters again, and like last time, the government is largely to blame. Global warming is supposedly going to drown us all and to stop it, we are supposed to use toxic lightbulbs with cold, soulless light and drive cars with toxic battery packs made in a nation that promises war with us. The Doomsday clock will soon be on our minds again as Russia gets harder line in the hands of her old puppeteers and Iran gets the bomb... and as the nation that sells us toxic battery packs gets more restless as the world economy continues to fall.

Why did my wife and I bring a child into this? The same reason my parents did. It's always hopeless. Life is always hell. Still, I became not some helpless victim of the world, but a man of principle who fights to keep what's good intact. I have not been bought, I have never bowed, and nobody tells me what to do. I use this freedom to make the world better through my kindness and my opposition to tyranny. This is what I hope my son does as well. I will teach him as I was taught: to tell the truth always, even when it hurts. To do the right thing, even when it means you get nailed to the wall. To protect those who can't protect themselves. To be kind to all and to help people in trouble. To reject the bait that the material world waves in front of us and to instead pursue the unchanging wisdom of times past. To build instead of destroying. To conserve instead of consuming. To remember the past and remind those too stupid to study it of what the future will be. ...and most of all, to oppose tyranny of all kinds wherever it rises regardless of the cost.

Some will say I have a hero complex and that I doom my son to the same... whatever. I have made a small difference already. I will try to make a bigger one. I hope he makes a bigger one still.

Puzzling

2010-08-09T21:17:00.002Z

I have asked this before, but where is the outrage from Western feminists at Sharia law? I would think that anyone who believes that women are equal to men would be beyond enraged by any attempt to spread or even continue Sharia law anywhere in the world. Why is it that so many are silently accepting this?

More puzzling, why is it that when real feminists like Michele Malkin and Laura Ingraham criticize Sharia law, they are criticized as racists, crusaders, bigots, worse?

I believe in religious tolerance... to a point. I think most people agree with me. But there has to be an ultimate standard of what is and is not acceptable. Religion can not be a license for cruelty, crime, or intimidation. Religions that do not hold people equal to each other are not acceptable. Religions that advocate violence are unacceptable. Religions that persecute others are unacceptable. I'm not talking about putting all religions on trial for all crimes since inception, but I do think that we as humans need to stand against and, if necessary, fight against religions that are hurting people today, and I mean really hurting people. It is not hurting anyone to say that homosexuality is wrong, for example. You may not like that sentiment, but how are you really hurt? I have told you how I FEEL, I have not FORCED anything on you. However, if I demand that my wife mask her identity from the world, I have crossed a line. I have forced an equal to my will and I have denied her a basic right, identity.

So all you left wingers... do you believe in freedom for all? Are you unwilling to criticize Sharia because you think that cultural values trump supposedly universal human rights? What do you really believe? You must choose, for if you silently consent to the horror of Sharia law, you are just as bad as those who practice it. But if you believe in freedom and equality, you have an obligation to speak up for those who are denied it. If you spent half the effort trying to end the barbaric treatment of women at the hand of Sharia adherents that you did trying to make gay couples use the same institutions as straight couples do, perhaps the world would be a better place. I will always speak against Sharia. Why don't you join me?
"But there is another kind of evil which we must fear most, and that is the indifference of good men."

Why?

2010-07-16T19:12:00.003Z

Why did the President's administration reject the Dutch skimmer ships the day after the BP spill? If they had come on scene from the beginning, the spill would probably be over 90% contained.

Why is the Jones Act still in force in the Gulf right now?

The answers to these questions are important. The fact that we have to ask them shows either gross incompetency of the Administration from DOT, EPA, DHS, and the Executive branch or calculated destructiveness. There is no other angle here. Why would you reject help in a situation where you are thin on resources, causing one of the worst environmental disaster in American history?

Any buyer's remorse yet?

Why do we even have the Jones Act, by the way?

What's Going On Here?

2010-07-13T17:52:00.002Z

By "here", I mean there...
A FELONY? Really? No closeups, I guess... I will be waiting to see which reporter is arrested first.
There something more to this, though. You will find it here. Connected? Maybe, maybe not. Either way, we are inching closer to a world with no First Amendment.
Check it out. Dig in. You have only your freedom to lose.

A Dilema

2010-06-23T16:21:00.004Z

I think I know how Gen McChrystal feels. He should not have made comments that disparaged his chain of command to the press. However, the comments he made were not not made to the world at large. This is not like Gen. MacArthur's infamous press release. Now, I'll grant that saying anything in front of a reporter is probably a bad idea when you have that many stars, especially if said reporter works for that shining light of journalistic excellence, Rolling Stone.

Now for the biggest "but" of all: Somehow, all we soldiers are expected to keep or mouths tight in the face of this administration? To elaborate, we have to deal with ROE that get in the way of completing missions. We have to face people with intent to kill us with kind words unless the situation is really bad. We have to purge areas of Taliban, but we are not allowed to chase them back to their holes. We have to listen to people who just three years ago were accusing us of being terrorists ourselves tell us how to do our jobs. We have to put up roller coaster manning levels that erode our knowledge base, disrupt logical program progression, and sap morale. We have to live with the idea that our Commander in Chief is cozy with people who have attacked the Pentagon, for crying out loud.

I understand where General McChrystal is coming from. He is a soldier. He's working for a "community organizer", whatever that is. That's the problem: a leader working for a sycophant.

We'd be better off with one McChrystal than a thousand "community organizers". He's a man who does something worthwhile for a living. I'm still struggling to find anything that the President has done that could be construed as worthwhile.

Mass Misunderstanding, Mass Incompetence

2010-06-21T17:04:00.002Z

Round about 60 days or so ago, an explosion destroyed an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico. Since then, one of the biggest loads of BS I've even seen has been swallowed by the the American people, if I can trust the polls.

Most people seem content to demonize BP as if they did this intentionally. They cheer as BP has 2 billion extorted from it. They become enraged when Mr. Hayward goes yachting. They swoon as the President tells blatant lies.

Where is the outrage over our President's appalling failure? I'm not making political hay here! What is it called when an offer from the dutch of four large skimmer ships is turned down without comment? Those ships could have damn near kept up with the leak! Just those four... and our President turned them away. This offer was made three days after the spill... where is the outrage about that?
Where is the outrage over the fact the Governor Jindal's request to barricade the Louisiana wetlands against the spill is still pending on Capitol Hill? Where is the outrage that the U.S. Coast Guard help back several boom ships? Where is the outrage over the President ordering BP to cease use of chemical dispersants?

People are content to slam BP and cheer as they are hauled up before congress, but they say nothing about the fact that all other drilling in the American Gulf waters are now still. They do not notice the hit to their own pension and investment funds. They let the President get away with saying that the only oil we have left is five miles down when Alaskan land has something like three times more that OPEC.

I've written the truth now. You can ignore it and join the mindless mob or you can search it yourself, verify that it is true, and join me in an effort to hold the U.S. government as culpable for the continued disaster as BP was for getting sloppy and letting it happen. You tell me which is the bigger crime, though.

The L-word

2010-05-28T14:14:00.004Z

No, not that one. I'm not talking about anything remotely amusing. Recently, Richard Blumenthal, candidate for Senator from Connecticut, was accused of misrepresenting his military service. In fact, the term "misrepresented" gets tossed around a lot in politics. I don't like it at all. There is a far simpler word, one that carries the full meaning of the act: Lie. I don't like this spin. I think that the word "misrepresent" is used to dull the impact of one of the worst things a human can do. Let's call things what they are stop with the sugar coating. When you say something that is not completely true, whether by omission, exaggeration, minimization, or outright fabrication, that is called lying. You are no better by saying that you misrepresented something or that you misspoke... in fact, you're worse, because now you refuse to take responsibility for what you did.

I'm really disturbed that Blumenthal's numbers did not tank. He got caught lying and nobody cared. What kind of Twilight Zone episode am I in? A guy lies to me and he's done. Why are people so cool with this? Why do we not take offense when people who want power from us lie to us? Perhaps we deserve our lying leaders... only thing is, I never vote for or support liars, so I think I deserve better.

The Ice Cream Truck

2010-05-27T15:00:00.002Z

It's finally looking like winter has let go. All kinds of animals are showing up after long winter's naps and trips to Mexico. Birds, prairie dogs, ice cream trucks...
For some, the ice cream truck is a fond memory of childhood or a tasty slice of Americana. I am not one of those people.

My first real exposure to an ice cream truck came in May of 2003. Yes, that's right. I only had fleeting contact and dim awareness before then. I grew up in northern Vermont... I lived on a dirt road that at one time connected on little village to another little village. When I lived there, it lead from a one little village to a sight that said something to effect of "U.S. Army Installation. Keep out. We shoot big guns here all the time." The sign was not really needed since you could hear the Vulcan 20mm cannons burping away and 120mm HE rounds whumping the hell out of the hills. That's where we lived. If we wanted ice cream, we'd walk to the general store. It was nice, I liked it. Now you see my perspective.

In May 2003, I was in Texas... San Antonio... Lackland AFB. It's where all Airmen get their basic training. The Air Force calls it BMT. In BMT, aspirant Airmen get to spend a lot of time marching, standing, and exercising on a vast expanse of asphalt and concrete called a drill pad. It is not a place feels much like any kind of pad, but there is definitly a lot of drill going on. Now, when you are standing in the middle of a pack of fifty-odd men, it's not comfy. Add dark uniforms, superconducting boots, blazing sun, and little wind and it's miserable. Put all that on either mirror-like concrete or burning charcol-like asphalt and really sucks. Did I mention that it's also really humid? So I'm standing there, not used to Texas weather at all, sweating my nuts off, when I hear it...

I'd heard an ice cream truck once or twice before. I'd been at my friend's house in Colorado Springs when I heard a loud, poorly tuned, music box with a bit of a warble to it. It was playing something really intensely irritating. I asked what the hell it might be and my friend told me about this wierd truck that was loaded with ice cream and that kids would go buy from the driver. It struck me as creepy even then... and I had not even seen the driver...

...I'm out there, bored out of my skull, mad as hell at most of my flight for being so dense and slow, irritated at my weak-minded and ill-tempered TI, miserable in the baking heat with basting humidity, and I hear the ice cream truck. It was playing a super slow, extra crappy version of "The Entertainer." It sounded like something from a killer clown flick... but I knew what the cargo was. Cold... sweet... creamy... It could have been Good Humors or crappy knock offs, just the thought of some nice, cold, ice cream... it began to drive me nuts. That truck was patrolling just the other side of the fence, seemingly never leaving the one street that was nearest... taunting... tantalizing... Yeah, I'd have braved killer clowns for some ice cream about then.

The next day, at 1500, it was back... It was there every day I was out on that pad, its sweet cargo taunting me, its obnoxious and creepy music driving me nuts... Some say that in BMT, you'll like any music you get to hear because it's music. Well, to a point. I liked the country our good TI kicked when we were folding clothes... and I HATE country. I liked the raps that some guys in the bay did... and I LOVE country compared to rap. THIS music, though, was not nice in the slightest. It was awful. I began to fantasize about the effects of various projectiles and bombs on a thin-skinned ice cream truck. How long would it take for me to destroy it with an M60? Where would be good spot to hit it with a grenade? How cool would it be to watch it play chiken with an AT-4 rocket? Yeah, I was bit disturbed.

BMT seems like a lifetime ago. Now I'm married, long gone from the dorms, and I live in a tasteless subdivision... at least I bought when the market was cratered... there are no less than six distinct ice cream trucks that prowl these streets. SIX! Each has its own annoying song, each has a unique "Chester Molester" van with kid bait theme... and the drivers are all creepy looking, like they are trying too hard to appeal to kids. I don't think I'd let my kid anywhere near them. Fortunatly, that's not an issue at the moment.

In 2003, I couldn't spend a miserable afternoon of drill without being tormented by the damned ice cream truck. Now it's 2010 and six of them pester me while I'm doing yard work.
Lovely.

Terraforming Earth

2010-05-24T17:19:00.002Z

I wonder how much water it takes to keep my neighborhood green to the HOA spec. Seriously, we live in Colorado, and just so you know, only a few places near Cheyenne Mountain actually look anything like the in town shots from SG1. No, Colorado is a dry, dry place. It's very windy and the humidity is low. The end result is an environment hostile to most plant life, especially lawns.
So I live in a subdivision with an HOA. They like us all to have lush, green lawns so passers by will think, whoa, that's a nice place. I wish I lived there. The HOA also runs the water company. In that capacity, they tell us to conserve water and not to water every day... for crying out loud, which is it? I'm getting ready for some xeriscaping... but most native plants are not allowed. Where are these HOA types from, anyway?
At very least, I've learned that HOA's are bad. In a few years, the Air Force will move me to other projects and I'll never live under an HOA again.
In the mean time, I think it's time to take a hard look at where we all live and landscape accordingly. A lush lawn is not something that belongs in the American west, for example. This is not Virginia.

Fight For Your Right...To Deficits?

2010-05-05T21:13:00.002Z

Oh for crying out loud, I can't believe this. People protesting and getting killed... they are upset over the fact that the Greek government is cutting spending. Whoa... The Greeks have to cut spending because they have too much debt... Far out! So their creditors and other voices of sanity are demanding some fiscal changes... Radical!

Why the hell are people protesting this? Why do people think that their government should spend money it doesn't have? Why are they so attached to having deficit spending? This is life in the big city, folks. There is no magic fairy to give you everything you want. Life's been pretty good in the Western world. Perhaps we've become accustomed to spending in our own lives and by our governments that is unsustainable today. Like the tech boom, it was only a matter of time before the crazy ride we all just fell off of came to an end...

So here we are... we all have a certain amount of money and then all that we want to do with it. When the money runs out, do we sit down like adults and suck it up, realizing that we can't have all that we want, or do we act like a bunch of whiny little spoiled brats and throw what amounts to a tantrum over the fact we don't get any more candy?

Grow up, people.

What is Better?

2010-04-30T14:35:00.002Z

The nation that prevents people from helping their neighbors or the place that rewards such behavior? To sum up, in Doncaster, GB, three people burned to death while police watched and detained volunteers who wanted to rescue the then-living fire victims! In Colorado Springs, USA, two people were hailed by the fire department as heroes when they saved two people from a burning house. The COSFD is looking for a third person that they would also like to thank publicly.

Okay, what's going on here? What's the difference between these two cultures and governments? I like Great Britain and revel in many aspects of their culture, the culture that spawned the one that I now enjoy and defend. But what happened to them? What happened to the plucky people that stood fast against the Armada, Napoleon, and Hitler? What happened to the place that gave us the SAS and the Royal Lifeboat Service Institution? Take your country back from these bastards who now run it, Great Britain!

And here in the USA, don't get complacent. How many times have we heard of rising government idiocy here? Look across the Atlantic if you want to see the future, when bravery and service to your fellow man will be forbidden by swarms of police. This is our fate if we do not turn back.

Be brave, help your neighbors, and let nothing stop you. I think I would have tried to brawl with those police to make a gap so the rest could get through. Even if I failed and went to jail, I'd have done the right thing.

READ THE BLOODY THING!

2010-04-30T02:19:00.002Z

Read this before you criticize the state of Arizona. You want cliff's notes? Sorry, I haven't gotten to it yet.

Back to Work

2010-04-22T16:17:00.002Z

Not that he ever left, but PO1 Huertas has been cleared. This means that he can continue to do his job, which, by the way, is to protect you by killing or capturing terrorists and others who'd do you harm. Let us hope that his comrades are also cleared. These men are soldiers, not constables. They deal with people who kill Americans. Don't expect them to use kid gloves.

This is a surreal world I find myself in, and I wonder when (not if) the day will come when I get in trouble for doing my job. Until that day... I'll just keep on doing what needs to be done.

For crying out loud: an SUV that rolls over

2010-04-20T01:05:00.002Z

The Lexus GX 460 is a monster car. It's huge. It's heavy. It's an SUV. So uh... why is ANYONE surprised that it can roll?

This is madness. High ground clearance = higher center of gravity = easier to roll. Duh. So don't drive it like a Mini.

I saw some of videos of what it took to roll that thing on flat pavement. Anyone who drives any SUV, truck, van, or crossover like that gets what's coming to them. I guess it's just that today, in this era of "it's not MY fault", car companies have been forced to save us from our own stupidity. I bet I could kill myself in my own car if I tried hard enough. That is not in any way the fault of VW. It's my fault, and I submit that 99% of people that roll SUVs were doing something they should not have been. I've seen how people drive them, as I said, like Minis. You want a car that doesn't roll? Go buy a Lotus or settle down and drive like a sane person. Leave the makers out of it. That means you too, CR. SUVs roll. Maybe you should just put that in your buying guide OR do a uniform test to see how fast a car can take a cloverleaf before it rolls.

For further reading: A Nice Morning Drive. Man, this guy has some insight into the human mind.

Perish the Thought

2010-04-20T00:28:00.002Z

I never thought I'd say this, not as long as I live. Everyone, especially you who debated with so energetically in poli-sci so many years ago... I miss President Clinton.

I miss the guy that, while he lacked the balls to do much about it, at least called brutal dictators what they were. I miss the guy that launched cruise missiles instead of appeasements. I miss the guy that was my ideological opponent, but still was somewhat sane in a fiscal sense.

Good 'ol Billy, 42nd president of the USA. I'd trade him in a second for the madman we have now.

R.I.P.

2010-04-11T14:29:00.000Z

Live Free or Die

2010-03-30T15:54:00.002Z

Does that not say it all? What is the point of living if you can not be free? What, then, is freedom? Freedom is leave to do whatever you wish without stepping on the toes of others. It is the ability to rise or fall on your own merit. It is enjoying the fruit of your own work. If you can't have that, why live? But do not go to your death quietly. After all, you want to live. All life does. So put your survival instinct to the cause of your own freedom. Do not ever give your freedom away, for what is of equal worth? Fight for it!

However, don't fight like these bozos. It is not yet time for violence and there is no excuse for killing a random policeman. It is beyond contempt to attack a funeral. No, now you have to write to you congress critters, vote, and most of all, reject the notion that anyone owes you anything.

The Smith

2010-03-24T08:17:00.002Z

I have learned something about myself. I have described myself in the past as too much an artist to be a good engineer and too much an engineer to be a good artist. There is a name for that. They were called smiths in times past. A smith makes things, often without a pattern or even much forethought. They make things for a purpose, then for an aesthetic, at least that is how I see it when it's all said and done. That's about how I operate. I was in the basement last night, making a knife. I had an idea of what it should be, but no idea how to get there. I just did it. I just put things together and shaped them. I can work from a plan, but my best work is done without them. I can make pretty things, but my best works are the ones are the ones that are built to be nothing more than what they are. They are the ones that last.

This is how liberty dies...

2010-03-22T14:12:00.003Z

...to the sound of thunderous applause.

Sorry... I'm a nerd. Star Wars must be referenced whenever possible.

Seriously now, only a fool can believe that a nation with the most advanced medical system in the world, as in the system with the best survival rates, most new medicines, best technologies, etc, can be improved by imitating systems with worse performance. Perhaps even a fool can see that. No, this is the realm of the insane.

Too, only the insane can believe that forcing people to buy something is still freedom. The federal government has never done that before, have they? I have some documentation that says that they can't do that, documentation that I have sworn to defend with my life.

Where does this leave me? I hope this unlawful act is struck down.

And now, a closing word from a man who is now spinning in his grave faster than GE turbofan...

If you love wealth more than liberty, the tranquility of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, depart from us in peace. We ask not your counsel nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you. May your chains rest lightly upon you and may posterity forget that you were our countrymen.

Take your socialism and depart to places that already practice it. Leave America for those who still value liberty. You make me sick...

Making stuff

2010-03-19T23:33:00.003Z

I love making stuff. It's sometimes even better than doing stuff going places. To be honest, I'd rather be boarding today, but that's not in the cards. Instead, I'm making some soda bread for St. Patrick's and doing some machining. I know St. Paddy's was earlier this week, but I never got a shot at it with old work-sleep-work going on. Today is therefore catch-up day. Have to go before this turns into cat blogging now as both cats are stumping for pets and doing the keyboard waltz.

Ding dong, the which is... retired...

2010-03-17T14:31:00.003Z

I had to fire my phone after it pocket dialed 911 the other day. It was the last straw in a string of abuses. See, I used to have an LG Shine. It was great! It was perfect for Tetris and it did the usual phone things very well. However, it had a close encounter of the wrong kind with a Mag-Lite and that was the end of that. I had insurance on it, so AT&T sent me a replacement.

The cellular phone industry may be the one place where winds change faster than fashion and where obsolete is defined as anything over six months old. There was no more LG Shine, so AT&T sent me what they assured me was even better, an LG Xenon. Touch screen, slide-out full keyboard, the whole nine yards. Cool, right?

EPIC FAIL!

I can't use touch screens. I'm too old and have lost too much of my soul. That's how they work, right? Soul detection? Like in the Simpsons where Bart sells his? Anyway, I could not get the phone to behave. I'd reject calls I wanted answer, pocket dial people, turn the alarm off without touching the phone... it was bad. I pulled my "prehistoric" Nokia brick phone out of storage and used that until the bright, shining, moment that I got my Sony 905.

It's a camera with a phone on it. Awesome! It has the usual Sony headaches, but I love it. It's about time such a device was sold here in the US.

Anyone want an AT&T Xenon in really good shape?

German Food

2010-03-17T14:26:00.002Z

I went to a German restaurant last night. I've never tried explicitly German food before, but now I have and I have to say it is delicious. There was some sweet red cabbage dish that I did not care for, but everything else was fantastic. On the way home, I delivered the woman in whose honor we had gathered and she threatened to show off the two dishes that she remembers from growing up in Germany. I anticipate with eagerness.

Ninjas?

2010-03-15T02:53:00.002Z

My wife and I are pregnant. This is so cool! Anyway, we have both hoped for twins so we can have two kids in one pregnancy and then call it quits. Well, the ultrasounds don't look good: just one kid in there...

UNLESS: how cool would it be if we had twins after all and we didn't see the other one because it was a ninja? Ninjas are born that way, right? Right?

Oh, well. I can wish. Seriously, I hope it's a girl. We shall see.

Man are from Mars, Women are from Venus

2010-03-09T01:34:00.002Z

EXHIBIT No. 939876:

Women are used to a temperature of 460 C. That's why they are so often cold here on earth.

Men are used to minus 46-ish C. That's why I wear t-shirts in December.

Freedom

2010-03-05T01:47:00.002Z

Frank J. over at IMAO has been writing some serious work for a while at Pajamas Media. He wrote one this week that blew me away. It's about freedom, that most important and most precious of all things... yes, more even than life. Life without freedom is not worth living because to live in cage or in chains is to live for somebody else. We are people, not ants. Anyway, here is the link.

Don't Do It!

2010-02-19T16:23:00.003Z

A commission in Finland is recommending that all automatic pistols be banned and confiscated. The reason given is that two mass shootings have been committed by criminals wielding such arms.

Don't do it, folks!

First off, how will that help? It is folly to believe that a moral issue can be turned into an equipment issue. The real problem here is that two people wanted to kill many others. An autopistol is merely a means to that end. The true weapon is the human mind. A person who wants to kill will not be stopped by any equipment shortage. Some of the proof is in the fact that a person who is bent on killing is already in violation of laws against assault and murder. If a person is willing to murder, they will be willing to obtain illegal weapons.

Let's suppose that the world suddenly had no guns, then. Bombs can be made easily. Propane and a match are sufficient. Knives, bows, match head pipe bombs, fertilizer-fuel bombs, fuel-air bombs, improvised firearms/projectile launchers, swords, axes, machetes, fire, sledges, and mauls are all lethal and expedient weapons. So are cars and airplanes. It is not possible to remove the means of a killer to kill. You have to convince the killer not to kill or stop them through dissuasion, detention, or destruction. Those are the only ways.

Is that not enough? What about the Tokyo subway attacks? The Khobar Towers? The World Trade Center? How many times have vehicles been turned into weapons?

You will not gain security by giving up freedoms. Finland is a very safe nation and I applaud any effort to make it more so. However, banning automatic pistols is folly because it will not have the intended effect. I suggest efforts similar to what the U.S. Air Force has done to reduce suicide. Suicide and mass murder have something in common. Both are acts where the people who commit them will not be dissuaded by any rule or law. The USAF has pushed the idea that people should look out for those around them and watch for signs. Another thing that murderers and those who commit suicide have in common is that their actions almost never happen in a vacuum. The warning signs are almost always there. How many of these mass shooters just up and killed a bunch of people one day after they just decided to, for no reason at all? I will not say that it never happens, but I have never seen it.

Don't do it! If liberty is restricted for the sake of security, both are lost, moral issues are not solved with the addition or removal of equipment.

Clever little things

2010-02-17T05:03:00.002Z

I took my wife out to fondue for Valentine's day. It's our tradition and always results in both of us rolling home satisfied, but not really wanting to eat anything for a few days. However, this time was different. She had a big test to study for and studying was not going well at all. After a great deal of frustration, she announced that she wanted more fondue. There really wasn't anything I could do, was there? It was late and the stores were closed, plus I am not experienced in the making of fondue. I decided to let her work things out while I cleaned and organized the house. In doing so, I discovered a small collection of those mini kits that you can buy at Barnes and Noble... tiny little things for the growing of bonsai, learning about "spycraft", or making fondue. I took out the fondue kit and opened it. A tea light, a tiny, ceramic dish, and flimsy, wire, stand, and a tiny manual spilled out. A mental inventory confirmed that we had some Alaska Winter in the house as well as some Gruyerre, so I set it all up, cubed an apple, and presented my with with whole thing.

Epic Win!

Seen It Before

2010-02-01T15:09:00.002Z

I do not have much time, but this is worth mentioning.

The Colorado state government is preparing to institute a tax on sugar.

Um, I've seen this show before. As I recall, it ends with a really nasty war.

Seriously, though, this is becoming more and more like a really bad dystopic future book. These taxes are insane! When will there be an end? When will people in this nation finally say "enough" and kick these greedy bastards (I'm sorry if any of their parents are/were decent folk) out of power? Look at all these taxes! What ISN'T taxed? We are taxed when we die, for crying out loud! We are taxed on money that we earn from corporations that are also taxed, only to lose more of what is not taxed as income to taxes on things we buy, things we own, and even our own deaths! If we want to invest our money, we get taxed on the returns! What's next, a birth tax? I'm sorry in advance if just gave some shyster lawmaker an idea.

What right does the government have to take all this? God only asks for ten percent. Last I checked, I lose about 25% of my income to taxes. I am an enlisted man with under a decade of service, so that will tell you just how filthy rich I am, not that wealth should matter anyway...
If God asks for ten, just who the hell do these lawmakers think they are? Why do they need all this money? I'm sure there are things that our government can do without. For example, the City of Colorado Springs has just turned off a large number of street lights and discontinued trash removal service to many city parks so it can save money. At the same time, the city is running ads on television to publicize some senior activity center. At the risk of sounding like Scrooge, what is the city doing running activities for anyone? At risk of sounding like a "traitor", what is the city doing taking out TV ads when they are turning off lights to save money? Our taxes at work...
The government needs some money. I know this well as the U.S. government pays me to keep bad stuff from happening on this planet. There are things a government needs to do, but just like any citizen, the government must operate on a restrained budget, fitting expenditures to income and not the reverse. Expenditures must be harshly examined and only approved if they are genuinely justified by the Constitution. For example, no government has any business funding art. Art will survive just fine with out looted funding. It predates government, actually. Paying farmers to grow or not grow crops is another thing that no government has any business doing. So is running media outlets, taking out advertisements, and funding "community organizations".

Too much is taken by the state. They have no right to so much and they have no right to take it in so many ways. Are we not taxed enough already? How is taking yet more money from the working man or the business mogul going to help anything? It is immoral and it will only lead to bad things. Taxation can not lead to prosperity.

There is an election coming up. I suggest taking a critical look at your incumbents. See if they voted for tax increases. If they did, vote with vengeance and vote for somebody who is not a thief. If you like high taxes, move somewhere that already has them. I understand that many European nations will cheerfully take huge chunks of your hard-earned money. Leave America to those who would keep what they work for.

Diesel: Greener and more Regulated: the WTF Files

2010-01-07T00:30:00.002Z

I drive a diesel VW. It gets 43 city and 48-49 highway. That's pretty green, right? Yes, it is. That's nipping at the heels of the Prius and Insight without a huge battery that wears out in 5 years...that's made in China in some hell-hole factory that respects no environmental principles at all... By the way, my car is five years old. It's still sipping diesel and has absolutely no need for a new battery pack.

So, if it's so green, how come I have to shell out an extra 50-100 bucks at every registration to get an emissions test at some shop that usually does big trucks when some guy in an Expedition or a Hummer gets a free pass? My car is cleaner than nearly any gasoline burner. I get better mileage than just about any car in America that isn't a hybrid... and I'm not far behind the hybrids. The hybrids get a tax break. I get to pay extra money and waste morning in the diesel shop.

WTF?

Watch Closely

2010-01-07T00:23:00.002Z

So... Gov. Ritter, Sen. Dodd, and Sen. Dorgan are not running for re-election. Watch what they do next. Just watch, taking careful note of who hires them. They all know that they will face a hard fight to stay in office... that happens when you sell out your constituents... so they are bailing out early. The question is: what roles will they play now? I strongly doubt that they will truly retire. Men like them are addicted to power and it seems suspect that they willingly give it up. Also, what's up with the nearly simultaneous announcements? That is also more than a tad fishy.

Watch closely and do not fall for misdirection.

Nuclear Power FAQ

2009-12-26T20:48:00.003Z

Since 2 December 1942, we have been living in the nuclear (nu-kli-ar, Mr. President!) age. That was the date when Chicago Pile 1 achieved criticality. This is not about weapons, though, this is about reactors. There are many grave misconceptions about nuclear energy and these misconceptions are all that stand between us and abundant energy.

What is nuclear energy?
Nuclear energy is potential energy stored within the nucleus of an atom. It is possible to split an atom (fission) to release this energy in the form of heat.

Any old atom?
Yes, but it's far easier to do with certain ones, all of which are heavy and and radioactive.

What's radioactive?
Certain atomic nuclei are not stable, like a rock at the top of an incline. These nuclei seek stability by losing energy in the form of cast off sub-atomic particles or electro-magnetic radiation. This radiation ranges from nearly harmless to fatal if exposed for too long.

If radiation can be fatal, why use radioactive stuff?
Nuclear reactors are designed to hold radiation, just like your oven holds high temperature air in. There are lots of potentially fatal energies that we rely on daily, like gasoline vapor explosions, household electricity, and microwave radiation. These things are only dangerous if left uncontained and the benefits of using these things outweigh the risks.

Can a nuclear reactor explode?
Explode like a nuclear bomb? Absolutely not. While both devices use an atomic fission reaction, a reactor uses a more stable radioactive fuel than a bomb and its design forces a slow reaction. For a nuclear reactor to explode like a bomb would be like your car suddenly turning into the Space Shuttle. Reactors and bombs are just too different to act like each other.
Now, it is possible for coolant in a reactor to be violent, just like the coolant in your car can pop the radiator cap if things go wrong. However, modern nuclear reactors are built with failsafes to contain any coolant breach.
No, nuclear reactors can't explode.

What about Chernobyl and 3-Mile Island?
Chernobyl was an example of hubris, incompetence, and bad engineering. That could not have happened in a Japanese, French, or American reactor. The Soviets cut corners and flouted common sense to build that thing. The man operating it at the time of the disaster was not very well trained and he deviated from safety rules.
3-Mile Island was caused by insufficient fail safes and unsafe operational procedures, but you'll notice people can still live near it, unlike Chernobyl. Also, nobody died. Some may dispute that claim, but I stand by it. If a dam broke, the disaster would have been far worse.

Could something like that happen again?
Anything is possible, but nuclear reactors are very evolved compared to 3-Mile Island or Chernobyl. They are far safer and most can shut down automatically if there is any sort of problem. You are more likely to be hurt by a meteor or lightning.

What about nuclear waste?
That is the biggest danger of nuclear power, but it is manageable. There are some very deep holes in the earth that are suitable to store the stuff. After all, every last gram of radioactive material that is used in a reactor came from the earth. Natural does not always mean safe. Bury that stuff deep enough and it will never trouble anyone, back where it came from.

That doesn't sound right. How much stuff are we talking about here? Isn't that just like sweeping dirt under a rug?
Yeah, there is a lot of radioactive waste. There is also a lot of underground real estate in the Nevada desert... you could drive over a disposal site and get less radiation than you would from a bucket of coal. Also, over time, radioactive waste loses its radioactivity. This can take a VERY VERY VERY long time, but it WILL happen. Also, a Japanese company has recently had some success in recycling reactor fuel. Too, the waste from nuclear reactors is dwarfed by chemical waste and coal smoke as an environmental hazard.

But this waste is still a problem!
Yeah, and the world needs energy. Let's run down what we have to get it:
Coal: as much as the technology has improved, coal contains radioactive elements that are released when it burns. Coal releases 100 times as much radiation as a nuclear power plant, watt for watt. Even with improved technology, it's still very dirty and if you don't like carbon emissions, coal is your arch enemy. Needs constant fuel supply.

Hydro: very clean, but destructive to fish populations and some riverside habitat.

Wind: only works when the wind is blowing. Very expensive to build and maintain, bad for birds, takes massive amounts of real estate.

Solar: only works when the sun is shining. Very expensive to build, very inefficient dollar for dollar. Needs lot of real estate. Works well as supplemental power, not a primary power source.

Oil: really?

Natural gas: large infrastructure required, high carbon emissions. Needs constant fuel.

Geothermal: infant technology that shows some promise. Requires massive digging operations that may destabilize seismically active pieces of land. Overall, not here yet.

Oceanic/tidal: not here yet. No viable working models yet.

Nuclear: waste is toxic, but the amount of waste versus the amount of energy generated is tiny. Plants can be very compact, posing the smallest impact of all to the environment of any available technology. Only needs fuel periodically.

You want power? You want small environmental impact? You want sustainable, clean energy? Nuclear leads the way. If France can get this right, why can't we?

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-26T06:47:00.000Z

Yep...

XX Lessons

2009-12-18T22:56:00.003Z

I have moved. I have learned somethings in the process:

I. Never listen to MPF staff. That overseas checklist that should not apply to CONUS to CONUS moves...does... so a bunch of other stuff they said did apply. Get a list in writing. When they deviate, call in their Chief. It's pretty funny to watch sometimes. If you are IN MPF, quit telling people things that aren't true! There is a word for that! If you don't know, say so, then find out!

II. I have too much stuff.

III. Living on a 3rd level apartment is great. Moving stuff out of it by yourself is not.

IV. U-Haul does not like to rent trucks to people. They also do not like it when their trucks are returned... at least that's how I interpret the lack of enthusiasm and the ludicrously long waits that I encountered.

V. Truck scales are not open on Sundays.

VI. Dogs are no fun to move.

VII. HOAs are PITA, illogical, non-sensical organizations that, like unions, are way more trouble than they are worth.

VIII. Don't PCS or move at Christmas. Everyone has parties and they generally occur when you need to do business. I'm looking at you, 460th MPE! Who was a Christmas party on Tuesday at noon with a a waiting room full of customers?

IX. Get the truck the next size bigger.

X. Appliance dollies > all other dollies... for nearly anything! They do stairs and can be worn like a backpack to move them quickly on unladen trip legs.

XI. Chik-fil-A has reheatable trays of food.

XII. Lowes > Home Depot

XIII. Kwikset locks are full of fail.

XIV. OSS holsters work... barely, but they work.

XV. Cats love the kitty city that is a room full of boxes.

XVI. My friends Lix and Bird plus my brother and sister are the bomb... Thanks, guys!

XVII. Pack the tools with the furniture.

XVIII. Pack the Cat V, the router, the modem, and the coax in the same box.

XIX. The best neighbors are no neighbors, but a close second is a retired Army officer.

XX. DITY moves are possibly not worth it.

I have a massive backlog of posts, but the next will almost assuredly be a Nuclear Power FAQ. In honor of Copenhagen and the deplorable lack of knowledge on the subject, I will draw on some of my awesome Air Force technical training plus a smattering of physics to set a few things straight.

So little time...

2009-12-11T01:08:00.002Z

I am leaving my post for a new assignment... and I have finals... and I have to move...

I need to go sit in the woods for a while and look at trees.

Sorry, Gov.

2009-12-11T01:03:00.002Z

Gov. Mike Huckabee did not release the guy who shot four Washington Police Officers. He commuted a very long sentence to a long one. He's still wrong on some others and far too lenient, but he is off the hook on this as far as I am concerned.
The former Governor explained himself on the Sean Hannity show. I got to listen after being asked very nicely by some men with assault rifles to stay in my car... it was all cool, they were doing their job... and I got some nice radio plus nap time.

The Evil That Men Do

2009-11-30T17:40:00.003Z

...sing it with me, you know the words...what does it do?

People can change. They do it all the time. However, some don't and some do not deserve the chance to prove that they can. I am a proponent of fast (not to be confused with rushed) and harsh punishment for criminals. This is because crime is a choice and because I believe that once a person harms another without justification (i.e., self defense), the game is over and that person no longer has the right to live with the rest of us. If a person can not leave their fellow man be, I want them in chains, making big rocks into little rocks, or in a pine box.

In 2000, then Governor Mike Huckabee commuted the sentences of several violent criminals. I felt that this alone made him unfit for presidency. The violent criminal can have no mercy. If there is a demonstrated capacity for violence in a person, young or old, they can't live with the rest of us any more. This was shown when Wayne Dumond, a serial rapist, raped somebody after he was released from jail with Gov. Huckabee's approval. Gov. Huckabee said that he could not have known the results of releasing a serial rapist from prison. I disagree. I think the behavior of a serial rapist is quite predictable.

Yesterday, another one of Gov. Huckabee's misguided mercy cases murdered four police officers. He walked into a coffee shop and shot them. First off, it's stuff like that that led me to go nearly everywhere armed. Secondly, this guy should not have been walking around with the rest of us. He went to jail in 1989 for aggravated robbery. That, for the record, means that he stole by force or threat of force. I will denounce the Jean Valjeans of the world, but I understand them on some level. They do not use force. The Maurice Clemmonses of the world do not have my sympathy on any level. They are willing to kill and hurt for the stupidest things. They don't deserve to breathe free air.

So why was Maurice Clemmons breathing free air? He violated his parole the first time we let him out of jail. He was reincarcerated for that one, and we let him go again after a while. More recently, he was charged 8 felony counts including assault on an officer and rape of a child. He was out on bond for those charges when he murdered the police officers yesterday. Out on bond with child rape in the wings? Seriously? With a past history of violence? Our mercy has been turned against us. Our willingness to give second... third... fourth chances has been used as a weapon. Why do people tolerate such injuries?

This is why I do not believe in separate charges for juveniles, parole for the violent, and why I do believe in the death penalty. When a person harms another or even threatens harm, why should we let them be free? They could change, but I don't think that we can afford that chance. Crime is a choice. Nobody is forced into it. One can always decide not to harm others. If a person is so defective that they can't help but harm others, then they still can't be allowed to be with the rest of us. Those who harm others must not be tolerated. Toleration of that kind of thing can get you killed. I may forgive, but I will never forget.

Tina Griswold
Ronald Owens
Mark Renninger
Greg Richards
RIP

Simple Rules: Small Bullets and Big Cars

2009-11-23T18:57:00.002Z

When handling firearms, there are four simple rules. If you follow them, you will never hurt anyone or yourself, barring acts of God...

Always assume a firearm is loaded.
Do not point a firearm at anything that you are not willing to destroy.
Know your target and what is behind it.
Keep your finger outside of the trigger guard until you are ready to fire.

I like to add a few more, like wear eye and ear protection, perform all operations positively with determined follow through, and don't be a dumbass.

Why am I writing about this now? A while back, I used to regularly shoot a range just outside Colorado Springs/Manitou. I stopped because people there were not following proper safety rules. People waved guns around, carried guns to and from the firing line with fingers on triggers, and few regarded firing line protocol and would simply open fire without telling anyone. Also, the place was trashed. People did not follow pack it in/pack it out and I always felt obligated to haul away what trash I could, but I got really sick of cleaning up after other people.
I stopped going, and a while later, a man was killed. His "friend", and I use the term loosely, had his finger on the trigger of a loaded pistol. He swept the victim with the muzzle (as in pointed a gun, albeit in passing, at a person) and the gun either discharged accidentally or the man who was holding put enough force on the trigger to fire. One man lies dead because of some dumbass.

Moving on, a friend of mine also had a recent firearms accident. He, however, is not a dumbass, so nobody was hurt, but his experience is another illustration of why you must follow the rules without exception when you are dealing with anything that can concentrate or deliver energy. He was function checking some new ammunition is his Kahr CW45. What he didn't know was that his firing pin had caught on another part of the gun and was stuck forward. When the slide closed on the round, the gun fired. Fortunately, this guy is religious about safety. The gun was pointed in a safe direction, so the bullet plowed through the wall and buried itself in the gravel drip course outside. A bit of spackle, some sealant, and some fresh paint and all was well.

You see the difference in these two cases? Anything that concentrates or delivers energy is potentially lethal, whether it's a gun, a car, or a hammer. Think first always. We are surrounded by people these days and we all have responsibilities when handling powerful things. When you have a gun, follow the rules because your life and the lives of others do depend on your actions. Same for cars. You may think that you don't have a gun, so how can you endanger others? A car can deliver way more energy to a human body than any gun. Treat your car as such and maybe there will be fewer collisions. The way I see folks slinging their cars around, especially when it's icy, leads me to believe that people really don't think that they are piloting a three-ton bullet and that they have no regard for the lived of others. If pressed, these people will not admit to any desire to endanger their fellow man, it's just that they have not thought about it and don't realize the power that they have to destroy.

Think and be safe.

Remember...

2009-11-09T19:11:00.002Z

I remember where I was 20 years ago. I was playing with the old Hammerlund shortwave set in the living room that night when I heard a broadcast from somewhere in Europe. The speaker was excited, talking about how The Wall was coming down. I didn't need clarification. I became excited too. I imagined all kinds of pomp and circumstance that must have been happening over there. I wanted to party myself. A few days later, I saw the pictures. One in particular sticks in my mind, and that's what looks like a gaggle of metalheads (100% denim, the Metallica kind) swinging hammers and looking as if they were ready to tear up that cursed concrete with their bare hands if needed.

I'd grown up scared to death of the Soviets. I remember watching F-4 Phantom fighter jets screaming eastbound over my house on full afterburner... and coming back sometimes with fewer missiles. I saw the photos of the bombers that the ANG pilots snapped on their scrambles... they showed them off in the barber shop... I had read the U.S. War Machine and knew what the triad was, what MAD was, and the precise effects of a 22 kT tactical warhead detonated at 300 meters AGL. I knew about the Soviet political prisoners, the Iron Curtain, the secret police... those people scared me and I felt so bad for the average Joes that had to live with it. I wondered when the nightmare would end, only I thought it would end in holocaust.

Instead, The Wall came down. That was one of the best moments of the last century. I rank it ahead of Armistice day, V-J day, and V-E day. The forces behind the Iron Curtain are responsible for far more death and mayhem than the World Wars combined, but when The Wall came down, they seemed unraveled.

There are still walls today, though. The Koreans have been waiting for their wall to fall. The Chinese and Iranians have virtual walls that cut off a lot of information and box them into to certain narrow behavior. We as free people need to do what we can to bring down those walls. No human really likes to be caged and those of us who can freely act need to do so until all the camps are empty and all the walls are look like the one in Berlin: a memory, an artifact, an obsolete tool of a tyranny dead and gone.

Good enough for me...

2009-11-06T22:05:00.005Z

...is good enough for "them".

I will state this as simply and politely as I can: When I have insufficient money for all I want and need, I have to cut spending. I hate doing it, it sucks, but I have so much money and it goes so far. When it ceases to go, I stop. I don't buy what I can't pay for in reasonable terms.

Let's contrast this with the various governments out there. It applies to nearly all of them, unfortunately. When, say, the State of California runs out of cash, they write IOUs or just go out and take it. In this case, taking it.

As seen in the L.A. Times, The State of California will withhold even more from people's paychecks. The taxpayers had no say. This sounds like theft. It is claimed that the extra withholding will be repaid in April. Wow. That makes it all better. Meanwhile, If I want extra money that I repay in April, I get charged interest. I will be very surprised if Californian taxpayers will be reimbursed with interest. Back to the analogy of myself, if I need a loan, lenders loan to me at their discretion. Nobody asked the Californian tax payers, they are being forced.

The State of California is unwilling to live within its means, so taxpayers there are about to get a reduction in take home pay. That could affect their budgets. What about this isn't criminal? If I need money and take a few bucks from my neighbor, I am a thief. Even if I give it back, I'm still a thief because I did not ask. Just because a government is a government, it does not have the right to arbitrarily take money from taxpayers on a whim. At very least, this should have been voted on by the taxpayers. I really don't care how good the cause is, this sort of behavior is unethical.

I must live within my means and while I may earn more, I may not take it. Any State should do the same. We are all taxed more than enough. Our belts tighten, the State's should too. I prioritize and budget, the State should too.

Finally, remember how nobody voted on this? In a very indirect way, people did. When we elect people that believe that the government is there to manage the people, this is what we get: a graby, greedy, gluttonous, insatiable beast and we lose our freedom and money. Next election, try voting for the people that believe that the government serves the people... not the ones who say that, but the ones who actually mean it. Remember slights like this and vote the bums out into the real world where the rest of us have to live.

11/10/09

2009-11-06T21:39:00.002Z

I guess that's how most Americans would write yesterdays date. We tend to remember dates associated with trauma and yesterday will be remembered for that reason. A man decided to kill a lot of people and made fair progress toward that goal. Such is the evil we all live with. I am referring to Maj. Hasan at Ft. Hood, TX.

Something very unusual happened, however. The culprit is alive. Usually, mass killers kill themselves or LE does it for them. An LE type did shoot this guy, but did not kill him. I am very interested to see what this guy has to say for himself. I expect that it will be the usual tripe about how horrible all those innocent people were to him or how horrible the U.S. is, but I'm hoping for real insight into a mind that gave in.

Meanwhile, my thoughts and prayers are with the Ft. Hood and Killeen communities.

Now meanwhile, is there something in the water? Some guy in Orlando just shot a bunch of people. This is one of those increasingly frequent times that introduces the thought into my mind "why do I bother?". It is hard to work hard to try to keep people safe and then to hear news like that once I'm back out under the sun. I still keep on, but this stuff is frustrating.

Sick Call

2009-11-04T17:46:00.000Z

Sick Call

So my base finally has a sick call because people were a bit angry that it was generally faster to just get better than it was to get a doctor’s appointment… for those of you who have not experienced “free” heath care yet, you’ll get what you pay for… So now we have Sick Call. Again, for the non-military, let me define: Sick Call is a walk-in clinic where one can be seen immediately for illness, but it only operates in the early morning and generally those considered well enough to make it there are considered well enough to return to duty.

I went in there this morning and the doc told me, “yeah, you’re pretty sick… still contagious, in fact. Stay away from people and wear this mask at work. Here’s 5000 dollars worth of drugs, have fun with ‘em.”

….riiiiiiiiight…. my fellow Airman are already aware of the situation and are trying to leave before I arrive so they don’t catch anything. This is so amusing in a dark Shakespearean sort of way.

Just amusing…

Stay healthy out there… I recommend kombucha. I should have been drinking it before I got sick.

Open for Business

2009-11-04T17:33:00.002Z

I'm back. I had to do some interesting things to get into my old account, but I figured it out.

Anyway, I have decided to pick this up again. I have changed a lot in three and half years and so has my life. I'm married, have a house, two cats, and a dog. I'm driving my almost dream car (VW Jetta TDI... 45 mpg and runs circles around the Smart, Prius, and Insight) and am a responsible NCO type. Life is very different.

Some things have not changed. I'm still working on the stargate, though in a much different capacity, and I have become involved with some R&D down at Black Mesa Research Facility. I'm still a rabid right winger, though I have repented of being a Republican... the rat bastards sold me out.

My wife and world events convinced me to write again, so here I am. It's good to be back. I wonder if Liam will return... not only did he read a good chunk of this blog, but I enjoyed his comments.

Headlines

2006-07-15T02:13:00.000Z

Hamas declares all out war on Israel? Um, okay. Nothing new there. Let's look at some other headlines of similar vintage:

Bush wins over Dukakis

Severe Drought Raises Questions About Environment

Terrorist Bomb Downs Pan AM 103

Dodgers Win World Series

Space Shuttle Flies For First Time Since Challenger Disaster

Life

2006-07-10T03:39:00.000Z

I'm not dead... in fact there is life where there was once a wasteland. The switch has been thrown. I just hope it stays that way.

Heads on pikes

2006-06-27T22:08:00.000Z

Yeah, looks like the NYT did indeed get a hold of classified info and did indeed publish it.

I want heads... on pikes!

Does anyone know what would happen to me or my brothers in arms if we pulled a stunt like that? We'd be put in a very deep hole where nobody would see us again. Still, I've seen some people even go so far as to defend this leak... okay, this is no leak. This is treason. Anyway, it's WAY too easy for people sitting around in their living rooms and offices to make light of this. We don't look out the windows and see the war that has been on us for the last 30 years or so. We see America. Everything else seems so far away. Well, it isn't. Just because you don't have to subsist on rationed gasoline and paltry allowances of sugar and butter does not mean that our nation is not engaged in a struggle with an enemy that will kill you if you do not bow to them.

These secret programs, the secret program that the NYT aired for the world to see, these things are here to protect us. They are here to give us an egde on an enemy that does not fly a flag, wear a uniform, or even claim a nation as home. They are secret so they can be effective. They are secret so the enemy does not see them coming!

Sometimes, I wish this war was a lot more obvious and that it would be fought in the open, with conventional weapons, in the U.S., if only to show people that there is indeed a war and that what individuals do can harm or help the effort... and that the success of the war effort directly relates to the safety of all Americans.

Heads on pikes, folks. This sabotage of our war effort should not go unpunished. Such arrogance should not go on without a decisive blow against it. Let's fire some people send them to the deep, dark, hole where all traitors belong.

Just so you know...

2006-06-26T23:18:00.000Z

If I believe what I read, there are some disturbing things going on outside of my windowless room, which ought to be redesignated 'my windowless world' in light of recent work habits...
Anyway, what's this I hear about classified information getting out by way of the NYT, LA Times, and WaPo? Is this true? I'd totally believe it from the NYT...
Don't 'they' shoot people for giving classified information to any enemy (publishing it in a newspaper is just that)? Isn't that treason? A better question, though, is who told them? They can't publish what they don't know... so who told them? If this thing about classified info is true, I want that man/woman's or those peoples' head(s) on a pike! I don't need to explain why classified information is classified or why it's release is so damaging.

Rest assured, though. In a world where classified, sensitive, information is leaked and published, there are some people (yours truly) who will never give away the classified information that we are entrusted with. There are some people who take seriously the promises that they made, as in the promise that anyone etrusted with classified information makes which says 'I won't give it up'. Most, maybe all, of us in the military, at least in my end of the rabbit hole, see things this way.

I stand partially corrected

2006-06-21T22:49:00.000Z

AI came through on the condemnation. I'm surprised, but pleased.

Watch for it

2006-06-20T23:12:00.000Z

I am pissed. I am enraged. I am disgusted.
I wonder if the same 'human rights' groups that have decried/decry the treatment of the prisoners at Gitmo will have the same reaction to the grissly, brutal, inhuman, downright demonic treatment suffered by American soldiers this week. Personally, I strongly doubt it. Said 'human rights' groups were utterly silent about the abuses perpetrated by the Baathists. They were silent about the Taliban. They continue to be louder about Guantanamo Bay than about any of the hot spots in Africa. They are silent about the prison camps of North Korea. They do not stand up for the Falun Gong, at least not like they stand up for the rat vermin that are incarcerated at Gitmo. They say nothing about the Christians that are subject to systematic kidnapping and murder in southeast Asia. They say nothing of the PLO/Hamas bombing of civilians... women... children. No, I do not think that it is reasonable to expect them to do anything about a group of people that think it's okay to chop off the body parts of other humans, to cut those humans, to maim them, to remove their organs, and finally to behead them. They are too busy trying to 'spotlight' the 'abuse' that the Americans heap on some lower than life pond scum that for some reason are getting better fed than their guards and enjoying a greater budget for care than the men who leave their families and the comfort of their homes to sit around in a tiny section of a hostile island.. men who have done nothing wrong.

I rambled there... that happens when I'm pissed. But for crying out loud, just who's side are these 'human rights' watchdogs on, anyway? It's a world upside down, I'll tell you what. Maybe, as I pointed out about those fruits and nuts that were going to storm the White House back in March, they are chicken. They want to fight for human rights, they really do, but they are too cowardly to take on the real abusers because those abusers tend to kill people who disaggree with them. China and North Korea have entire camps full of people who's only 'crime' is disaggreement. The U.S., on the other hand, is an easy target. We are fasionable to hate, we don't shoot dissidents, we have no prisons for people who like yoga and yin-yangs, and most of all, we are fighting against an army that has no country and that likes to exploit our good nature for their own ends. Because this army has no country, it's easy to portray our fight with them as tyranny and cruelty. Because this army takes advantage of our good nature, it's easy to portray us as the baby killers... even when it's our enemy that kills the children and even uses children in places that they know they will die... just so they can blame us for a crime that they have no compunctions whatsoever about committing.

I hope I'm wrong, but I say there is a 99% chance that Amnesty International and their ilk will say nothing to condemn the tactics, the cruelty, the ghoulishness of this nationless army. I can guarantee with near certainty that they will not act. They don't have the guts. That's why they condemn a place where prisoners get three squares a day while ignoring a place that sometimes feeds out cabbage laced with chemical warfare agents... when they are not starving people to death (Mr. Kim Jong Il's worker's paradise, if you didn't know).

Top Washington Leaders Call for Pullout.

2006-06-16T21:37:00.000Z

June 16th, 1944.

Many leaders in Washington are demanding a pullout of American troops from France, citing examples of how badly the war is going. The situation has been described as a quagmire, unwinable, and many are questioning why American troops were sent into France in the first place. Further, the attack on England a few days ago by a cruise missile shows that the French don't want us in their country. In fact, many of the French are working for the Germans. They must want the Germans there. It's their way of life.

Every hedgerow is a killing field, making progress imposible. We have failed to make it even as far as as Cherbourg. We have failed to make it to Caen. We can never make it to Paris.

We've broken into France, now it's up to the French to kick the Germans out. As American casualties climb, it is more and more a reminder that we have to pull out.
Pull out, pull out, pull out, for God's sake pull out! We can't win! President Roosevelt's policies for France have failed and we need to rethink... pull out... can't win... Americans dying... can't win... quagmire... policies failed...

62 years later...
Pull out, pull out, pull out, for God's sake pull out! We can't win!
SHUT UP! This last week has been HUGE for free people in Iraq and DEVASTATING for the terrorist forces. We have broken Al-Qaeda in Iraq's (AQiI from here on out) leadership, gathered large ammounts of paper inteligence generated by Al-Qaeda at Large, killed a few hundred terrorists, and captured almost a thousand more. AQiI is complaining that they are ineffective, that they are failing. They are lamenting their poor communication and many in their ranks are now saying that their cause is lost.

You can't plan events like this. You can only work toward them with constant effort. The U.S. House seems to get it, at least. Others are not as in-touch: there is an American congressman (his name escapes me... I'm sleep deprived) who described the total... TOTAL accomplishments of the American and free Iraqi troops as 'not much'. Nancy Pelosi says that the Iraq policy has failed...

Well, if this is 'not much' and a 'failed' policy, I want to see even less! I want to see dismal failure in all policies! It's the third quarter and we're ahead by, oh, about 50 points. Yeah, let's throw the game: we can't win.

Oh, Please...

2006-06-15T01:36:00.000Z

Bullets do not kill people. Guns do not kill people. Bombs do not kill people. While some are tempted to think of such tools as weapons and as the causes of death, this is not true. The only weapon that a man wields is the mind. People kill people, the mind is the weapon. The tools will be whatever is at hand. When people don't have guns, it's true that they don't shoot other. That's when they start using machetes, fire, screwdrivers, bare hands, and even famine as the tools of the death trade. Exhibit A: Pretty much any of the African genocides... entire villages hacked to bits or starved.

I do not at all like the escapist notion that the world wold be a peaceful place but for these things called (guns/bullets/grenades/tanks/bows/arrows/knives/chemical blister agents/atomic bombs). I reject it out of hand, but I also hate it because it's an attempt to go around a problem, take the easy way out, not face it and go through. I think that to believe that man is not the root of evil and the cause of his own suffering is to live in a fantasy land, but it's such a nice fantasy to live in. Believing as such, you would never have to confront the difficult problem of what to do with a person that has decided the life of another is there for the taking. You would not have to face the demons that live in your own heart, and never have to be put in the position of realizing that eutopia can never come. Wake, dreamer.

Albert Einstein once said something to the effect of that he did not know what sort of weapons would be used to fight World War 3, but that he knew that World War 4 would be fought with sticks and stones. The mind is the weapon, it is the only weapon. The mind is what makes matter subservient to human will, and it is the mind that takes life. When men run out of bombs and bullets, there will still be death. There will still be murder.

Take the step to address the evil within the human mind, and you will do more to end war than if you could somehow, magically, make all the guns, bombs, bullets, and blades go away. You can try to do the latter, but you will fail. The 'Bullet Trade' will never leave us. You have a chance if you go with the former.

Aside: I have personally used over 250,000 rounds of military grade ammunition. I have not once taken a human life. Bullets do need to be fired at people.

Meanwhile, elsewhere on the planet...
I was not aware that the U.S. was planning to attack Venezuela... We, after all, have intergalactic wars to start.

Hmmmm...

2006-06-09T17:16:00.000Z

DeLay (R, TX): Presumed guilty, if only by association with some unsavory people.
Jefferson (D, LA): Presumed innocent, despite the massive wad of cash in his freezer and the bribe caught on tape.

Just saying...

Lived and died by the bomb...

2006-06-09T16:55:00.000Z

Of course, the collateral damage of the U.S. Air Force's smart bombs (pair of 500 pounders, dropped one at a time) was near zero. Musab al-Zarqawi's style was collateral damage. Jordanian weddings, anyone? His days of beheading people, gunning down people as they go to work, blowing up children, and killing people for voting are over.

I don't want to meet the person that misses this guy.

06 JUN 06

2006-06-07T00:41:00.000Z

I realized from listening to the radio what today's numerical designation was... hmm... six-six-oh-six... or just 666. People are acting wierd. By that I mean a bit wierder than usuall because people always act wierd. Side note: If people always act wierd... that would mean that my view of wierd is normal and that I'm wierd. Oh well, it's my show and I say that people are acting wierd.

For an example of wierd, there were some mothers that tried to either induce labor yesterday or hold out until tomorrow because they are afraid of the date.

So much for a modern, enlightened time. I guess superstition never dies.
In my arrogant oppinion, today is just a day. I mean, it's D-Day, but other than that, it's just hot day in June... just like yesterday or tomorrow. Also, whose calendar is the right one? Today is also 10 Sivan(3) 5766. You could say 9 Jumaada al-awal(5) 1427 with equal credibility. So we have 6-6-06, 10-3-66, 9-5-27, 2453892, 3-16-28... I could go on. It's just a day, a number is just a number, even when it's a clever/really dumb marketing device for yet ANOTHER remade movie.

666 does show up in the Bible as a number connected with some really bad stuff, and being a believer in that book, I have to take what it says seriously. What I don't take seriously is the idea that today somehow belongs to Satan or any other such nonsense.

The number itself is as insignificant as any other. If you insist on believing that the day now called 6-6-06 is bad, consider this: God beat Satan twice. Once when he kicked him out of heaven and again when Jesus came back to life. On top of that, God is winding up for the hat trick that is the aftermath of the end of days. If you don't believe in God, well then believing in Satan is a few meters past too stupid to live. So what are people afraid of?

I sit back, observe, and am ammused and confused. The only significance I give this day is the D-Day 62nd aniversary.

For some fun with the number 666, see NRO and IMAO, and doutbless about 10% of blogs in general.

Canada, of all places

2006-06-06T22:13:00.000Z

Canadian police have just foiled a plot to detonate somthing like 3+ tons worth of fertilizer bombs in several Canadian cities.

Now, my first question is WHAT THE HELL? Is there a nicer, more laid back, less intrusive, less offensive nation than Canada? What did they do to incur this? Haven't they bent a long way towards appeasing the Sharia types?

On some level, I can understand why Islamic crusaders (would lunaders be the more appropriate term? Or is the crescent of Islam related to something other than the moon? Anyway...) would attack the U.S. We're big, we're loud, we're successful, our culture seems to be infectious, we are very un-Muslim as a nation, yada yada yada. But why oh why attack Canada? COME ON!

Okay, now I'll be serious. I know exactly why they got targeted. They are a free (mostly) nation and they have not bowed to Sharia law. The entire world faces this, this crusade that says 'convert or die'. The crusaders are not open to negotiation. Convert or die. It's much like the Inquisition's treatment of Jews. It is much like the behavior of some other religeons years ago. They were rightly condemned by modern man.

This just goes to show why we fight the wars we fight. Those who would not live as peasants under tryanical hands administering unjust law have three choices. We concede, we die, or we fight until there is nobody left willing to crusade against us. I don't like any of those options, but living at letting live is not an option when some nut job decides that since you are not worshipping his god, you must die. There is no way to negotiate with that. I can't concede to such injustice, I don't want to die, and I don't want to kill people. I want everyone to live in peace, but no ammount of hope or even example can stop a merderous crusade. So, I'm left with and we should all be left with the conclusion that the sort of people who tried to attack Canada, the sort that attack Israel, the sort that have blown up people in Spain and England, the sort that tried to blow up the WTC and who later crashed planes into it... they must be fought until they are all dead or they quit killing people who disagree with their concept of god.

If Canada is not safe, nobody is.

D-Day

2006-06-06T17:26:00.000Z

62 years ago, a force of American, British, and Canadian soldiers assaulted the beaches of Normandy, France, kicking off the campaign that would bring the end of the Nazis and their Third Reich.
A lot went wrong 62 years ago, and legion men died... men from literally all over the world. But ultimately, tenacity won the days.
Remember that our successes in the past were long fought and hard won, won by perseverance and a refusal to concede. No significant victory has ever been easy or ever will be easy, but we are better for these victories and sacrifices today. We are all better for what happened 62 years ago today.

The wisdom of Glenn Beck

2006-06-01T23:20:00.000Z

"Will Wal-Mart hire more or less people if they are forced to pay higher wages?"

Duh!

That's why I listen to him... okay, I listen because he's funny AND smart.

American Idol sucks!

42

2006-05-30T17:10:00.000Z

Okay, forty-two does not quite cover this one, but it is an age old question laid to rest by science.
I came across it via Israellycool.

So... Chicken or egg? Which was first? Drumroll, please...
Forty-Two

Second thought

2006-05-30T06:34:00.000Z

Okay, I'm not going to post it, but the poem 'And Death Shall Have No Dominion' by Dylan Thomas never fails to ... get me. I link it for those of you who have not read it.

Someday, I'm setting that to music.

Memorial Day

2006-05-30T05:50:00.000Z

I was going to post a poem by Dylan Thomas or Robert Frost, but I thought the better of it because the dead at least rest. The living who knew them and the living torn up are the ones who pay now and the ones I pray for. So, I found an address by the Air Force Chief of Staff, General Moseley. I know it's addressed to Airmen, but up it goes. after all, my view is that of an Airman, but we can all appreciate General Moseley's thoughts from this Memorial Day address.

"To the men and women of the United States Air Force:

In a time of peace and prosperity, we remember those who gave their lives in service to our country. In a time of war, these memories are sharpened by the selfless service of those defending our freedoms daily.

This Memorial Day, we pause to honor our fallen Airmen -- active, Guard, Reserve and civilian -- who answered the call and paid the ultimate price for our country. Remember also the Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Coast Guardsmen, patriots all, who displayed the resolute courage that has defined our country through the generations.

We also remember the families of those who served so well but did not come home. We hope that these families draw strength from the fact that their loved ones served a calling greater than their own self-interest. Likewise, we come together today to stand with the families of those who continue to serve, as their unconditional support is our true source of strength.

We remain a nation at war, and an Air Force committed to upholding the charge presented in the Constitution to 'provide for the common defense.' This Memorial Day, we affirm our gratitude for those who fought and made the ultimate sacrifice so that others could live and enjoy freedom in abundance. We will never disappoint their legacy of service before self."

Amen. Today was not about barbeque. To those of of you who did, though, I sincerely hope that you enjoyed yourselves. Had I not been on duty, I would have included such a great American tradition in my observances. I do ask you all, though, to remember what this is about, and to remember that we are at war and will be at war for a long time to come. When we stand in our yards at the grill or sit in our living rooms by the T.V. (for those of you who are into that sort of thing), you will probably not feel that others are fighting for you. Remember them, remember what they have done. Not to make you feel guilty or small, not to ellicit any charity from you, but to be sure... damn sure... that you know that your way of life is not in any way guaranteed. It is not defined by any right that you have, it is not secured by the fact that you have it now and want it to continue. It has been earned in the past and is secured today by people like General Moseley described.

To anyone who attended any of the many ceremonies today, I thank you. I love it when civilians come to experience just about any military observance. Please come again!

No one and nothing forgotten.

Lessons Learned

2006-05-27T04:39:00.000Z

It is possible to lubricate an M-16 too much. I just found up the hard way. I never knew, I just assumed that lots of silicone lube would, like in the civilian firearms I've used, keep the rifle working smoothly and reduce fouling.

WELL... M-16s can do something called grease lock when excess lube rides into the chamber. When the round detonates, it forms a near perfect seal somehow and will not come out after firing is complete.

I was merrily shooting some control drills when I heard the gun make an odd sound. It was the sound that usually means that the bolt did not make it all the way and that a spent case is now all I have in chamber. Only thing was, I felt the rifle cycle. I went through the good old SPORTS drill and got no farther than O. I Observed that there was a case stuck in the chamber. It would not come out for anything, so the gun had to go to the Undergound Armory of Death where dark rituals had to be performed to remove the stuck case.

Here's the funny thing: I used the large ammount of lube because certain people that I need to listen to had been on me to keep my rifle cleaner. Clean apparently means not just no dirt, but THIN coats of lube. I have learned.

Even though I was the best shooter on that line (by a narrow margin, but best is still best), it did no good since my rifle went down because of me halfway through the exercise.

In Country

2006-05-23T18:22:00.000Z

I've been, I guess you could say, 'in country' for the last while. It's been craziness. I think it's over, but I'm not entirely sure. Perhaps I'll finally get around to my long-planned post about equality, originally intended for *cough* February *cough*. I had some thoughts, imagine that.
New pics, too, these are getting old, except maybe the asbestos one. For some reason, I like that one.

The Critics

2006-05-17T20:01:00.000Z

Seems many critics hate the Da Vinci Code... which makes me actually want to see it.
I mean, the pros must HATE this one, Rotten Tomatoes has it a 0%! The NYT reviewer apparently liked, and REALLY liked it, but he is a minority.Interestingly enough, I don't see any middle ground at all so far.
I'm a pretty contrary person (I'm getting better, though) when it comes to a lot of things, and the unbelievably negative coverage has me thinking that this must be a gem.
Incidentally, I have not read nor plan on reading the book. My reading list is far too long already...
I have a stack of books that I bought last year that I have yet to open, for example.
Hopefully I can shoehorn this film in somewhere between all the other stuff that's going on... say, isn't X-men 3 coming out soon? Hmmm, I may need to spend an afternoon at the theater...

Too Funny

2006-05-09T06:57:00.000Z

You know all those annoying IQ test sites? Here's the answer!
Enjoy.

I'll see your 128...

2006-05-04T06:49:00.000Z

A woman in El Salvador has just reached the age of 128, apparently (via Reuters). That is truly amazing. it's even more amazing when you consider the history of El Salvador for the last 128 years.

I got a good century ahead of me to catch her, but I'll give it a shot.

To life!

Asides

2006-05-02T21:52:00.000Z

Florence King has an increadible piece in the last National Review It's not comedic like I'm used to from her, but that's so irrelevant in the face of how smart it is. She writes about people who have no health insurance and how the natural tendancy of humans to take what ever they can get has driven health care and health insurance costs through the roof. I can pretty well sum up the artical in one sentance: A good idea applied to all will usually go bad. I didn't notice it on the general section of NRO, though. Sooo, go get National Review.
I just tried this meat seasoning called Tiger Sauce, made by the Reilly Foods Company in new Orleans. It's a spicy sauce/marinade/seasoning that has a slight sweetness to it. it's almost Cajun, but has some definite oriental flavor as well. For something tasty and different, I highly recomend it. I'm hooked and it does wonderful things to fish and tofu. I have not tried it on turf-critter meat yet.
I was too lazy to buy anything yesterday to counter protest the declared festivities. Also, I didn't really need anything. Oh well. Traffic seemed less dense, though. I enjoyed that. I hope there are more of these protests if they have this effect on traffic.
Spring showed up this week, like God went 'zap' and ended winter. That fast, I do not kid. It's also possible that I didn't notice until now. In fact, that seems mmore likely.
Time to swap the snowboard for the mountain bike... there shall be pictures. It does not look like I'll make Moab this year, though. Bummer.
From my Dad... Check this out. It's called Day by Day, a comentary cartoon on politics, but also life in general. I like it. Sunday's was especially on point.
Ever been walking in the rain at such an altitude that if you stepped up even five feet, you'd wind up in snow? It was as beautiful as it was surreal. It's amazing to have a snow line that you can bounce across at will.

Raison D'être

2006-04-25T22:45:00.000Z

I was talking to another Airman about the price of oil and his final point to me was this: People need gasoline just to work, so it should be cheap. Of course, as he told me this, he was living well over 20 miles from base and driving some kind of Pontiac YankTank... Yaris, anyone?

Well, well, well...

Nobody should exist for the sake of another. That is tragic. What is criminal, though, is that people expect others to exist for their sake. This is not an attack on selflessness or charity, mind you, but states the basic premise of individual liberty. Selflessness and charity can be practiced by anyone at anytime, but it must be voluntary.

Oil companies do not exist to serve anyone but those who are the company. They have a good, they want money for it. No money, no good. How else would you have it? Oil is not refined by goodwill. It is not transported by charity. Fuel is not an entitlement.

The minute that anyone or anything (like a company) is forced to exist solely to serve another, that entity will wind down, becoming inefficient, producing poor goods, doing sloppy work... at best. And why not? Why should the slave be proud of his work? Why should he do more that the barest minimum? At worst, the entity will simply fade away, producing nothing, serving nobody.

Existance for another's sake is slavery. It destroys the spirit of a person, and it guts a company, reducing production and quality. There is also another name for this, the source of my knowlege of what could happen: Communism. Look at the Soviet Union: Companies were told what to make and prices were fixed by the government. There were constant shortages, quality was poor, and in the end, everyone came up short.

You must be true to yourself, whether you are a person or a group of people who form a corporation. You should not exist for the sake of anyone, and it must never be that anyone exists for your sake.

Profit Margins

2006-04-25T22:44:00.001Z

Now, for my next little educational bit in defense of capitalism, I'll explain the concept of profit margin, how it applies to oil companies, and how it proves that oil companies are not raping the consumer.

First, the concept. This is really elementary, I know, but if you hate oil companies because of how much money they make, you need to read this.
Let's say you sell somebody a dozen eggs from organically-fed, free-range, hormone-free hens. You sell those eggs for a buck fifty. Now, how much money did you just make? You did not make $1.50. You made less than theat because you had to pay for a building to shelter the chikens at night, some hormone-free chicken food, some oyster shell calcium suplement, etc... it costs you a certain amount of money to produce those eggs. If you divide your total cost or production by the number of egg-dozens that you sell, you get your cost of operation. Any money that you get in excess of that figure is profit. Your profit divided by your cost is known as profit margin.

Consider the following: In 4th quarter '05, Exxon Mobil* posted a profit of 9,900,000,000 if i recall correctly. In that same quarter, their income, or total sales, were 100,000,000,000. So that's a profit margin of about ten percent, right?
Consider the profit margins of other American industries and companies for the duration of 2005:

Pacific Gas & Electric, 14.7%
IBM, 8.3%
Clorox, 25%
Pfizer, 15.8%
ITT Educational Svcs., 15.9

I picked some shining stars for that one, the average of all American business is, I hear, about ten percent. So what's the big deal about an oil company posting a profit of about ten percent?

Exxon Mobil is the largest corperation in the world. It is only reasonable to expect astronomical profits. In fact, the shareholders (individuals that invest in the company in return for influence and a share of the profits) would throw fits if the margin was too low. Note that most of us are shareholders, whether we know it or not: mutual funds, retirement accounts, etc... but that's off topic at this time.
The main point is this: To make money, you must spend money. To keep 9.9 billion on one quarter, Exxon Mobil had to spend one hundred billion. That ten percent profit margin has not really changed all that much, either. As oil price rises, something that IS NOT controlled by the likes of Exxon Mobil by the way, the price of all petrochemicals rises. Also, as Exxon Mobil grows, so do their profits because they are doing that much more business.

So simple. So misunderstood. For crying out loud, this is not complicated. It blows my mind that anyone expresses outrage at this.

Next time: I'll address the argument of 'but I need gasoline to go about my life, so it sould be cheaper.'
*I see Exxon Mobil taking more heat that just about any other petrocorp... so I use them as my example... Plus, Esso sponsored some scientific research of coral reefs done by my relatives way back when.

The Pitfall of Windfall

2006-04-25T22:44:00.000Z

So you want a winfall tax? You want some magic number, a profit figure at which a huge tax kicks in? Really? If you do, you are probably one of the folks that didn't make it to class the day that the teacher was lecturing on economics. I say this because it's almost axiomatic that anytime a corperation is taxed, the tax is simply included in the price of whatever goods or services that the corperation sells. So, let's say that windfall tax gets slapped on Exxon Mobil. It now costs them more to do business. How will they compensate? By charging more for their products. Duh.

Go ahead and ask for that windfall tax. You're the one that's going to pay it... oh, well, you and everyone else including me.

I think that the whole concept of windfall taxation comes from the Marxist idea of class warfare. Those who propose it do not seek to better anyone's life, but to pit 'average' citizens against another group of citizens that happen to sell petrochemicals. To what end, I can only speculate, but it would be a natural extension to assume that eventually, these people (tax proposers) will use such means as a way to centralize industry. Those who support the tax are not guilty of such sinister intention, but are badly misguided in their thought and have fallen victim to the us-versus-them mentality. They can't see past big numbers and their own pettiness, most most disturbingly, as evident by their behavior, believe that they are entitled to things by virtue of existance.
If there is a third group that supports this idea, they are awfuly quiet. I can only see the pre-Marxists and the foolish with extended hands.

What really bugs me is how many Republicans seem to be leaning toward the Marxist end of this whole oil thing. I'm not a Republican so much, but I vote for them because they are, or at least were, that much farther away from Communism and Socialism than the Democrats.

Obscene Profits

2006-04-25T22:24:00.000Z

Per unit (can't recall if it's dollars or gallons, but it's irrelevant) of unleaded, oil companies get about seven cents profit. $0.07...
Per unit of unleaded, the various U.S. Governments get about sixty nine cents. $0.69...
These figures shamelessly ripped off from Glenn Beck...

.69 is about ten times .07...

Oh, but there is more!

Oil companies pay taxes...
Oil executives pay taxes as well, and in the case of a certain recently retired CEO, taxes will likely be in the 50% range... HALF!
You'll note that their product is heavily taxed as well...

Taxes are not levied by oil companies, are they?
I got your obscene profits right here! Why is anyone upset at oil companies?
I have a far better target for investigation on 'obscene profits': it's housed in a huge, marble, building in Washington, D.C. It has a dome. It's on one end of the mall, NOT the side.

It is Washington that has kept new refineries from being built.
It is Washington that has prevented drilling in ANWR.
It is Washington that has created the fuel shortages on the east coats by not letting the remaining MTBE treated fuel be sold.
It is Washington that has not cut taxes on fuel.
It is Washington that has not allowed the expansion of offshore drilling.

I want to scream endless explanations and exhortations until I stop hearing loud voices that either don't understand a simple situation or that wish to exploit that mass missunderstanding for political gain... but what good would it do? I'm hopelessly outgunned.

Next up: How a windfall tax would be paid by US.

Perspective on Fuel Prices

2006-04-23T21:05:00.000Z

Time for a rant. Oh yes, I love a good rant. They are so relieveing... detoxifying... even cathartic... Since you get to read my rants and not my elations, I must seem like a pretty dark and stern person. Oh, well, so be it. Here I go!

I've about had it with all the whining, moaning, and even instistance on probes into the oil companies. I do not like paying three bucks for a gallon (of fuel and corn-derived ethanol in my case), but I roll with the punches, suck it up, and thank God that I bought a Ranger with a 3 liter engine instead of an F150 with a five liter chipmunk cage.

Here is my earth-shaking perspective:

Many are upset at the 400,000,000 (I like to write out the zeros for perspective) retirement package that Exxon-Mobil CEO Lee Raymond just got. Oh by the way, it's closer to 398,000,000 dollars, but if you think that's a small difference, ask yourself what you could do with 2,000,000 dollars.
To continue, people I've spoken to are even angrier at Exxon-Mobil's recent profits. For my example, I'll choose the net profit from the third quarter of last year, since that was the the quarter that started most of the whinefest: 8,300,000,000 dollars. That comes out to $1.58 per share. It's also worth noting that 23,000,000,000 dollars were paid to shareholders in one form or another for all of 2005... anyway...

If Lee Raymond was to give away his entire retirement package to the American people, each person would get about 1.33 dollars, leaving himself 1.33 dollars to retire on after a long career as the head of one of the most successful global corperations. One and a third dollars... how would you spend it? Might I remind you that this leaves him with one and a third dollars as a retirement package? If you can't figure out why he has $1.33 still, you should never comment on anything to do with money ever again.

Let's zoom out a step now and look at the world. Exxon Mobil is a global company. They opereate in nearly 200 nations according to their website. The U.S. recognizes 192 nations worldwide, so I think it's safe to assume that Exxon Mobil pretty much does business everywhere in some form. Why is this important? Because it means that we Americans are not feeding all of that 8,300,00,000 dollar profit. The world is, but some of the world less than others. So, for that sake of argument, say that half the people in world buy from Exxon Mobil... shoot, say that one third are buyers.
If Exxon Mobil operated at no profit at all, 2,000,000,000 people would become four bucks richer every quarter at current profit levels. This leaves nothing for expansion beyond what is already happeneing and more importantly, nothig for the shareholders to whom the company is accountable.

Get the picture now?

Do not be upset that this company is successful. That's just petty jealousy and I dearly hope that we all got over that sometime in kindergarten or grade school. Because somebody has does not mean that he or she stole from somebody else. Get that straight!
I think that if I can be at peace with oil profits driving what I drive (Late 90s Ford Ranger if you care to look up fuel economy) and making what I make (Examine the Airman pay grades for the first few years of service and you'll have a clue), you can too. I'm not rich and I've had to change many of my habits to accomodate fuel costs, so I know of what I write.
It's not convenient to have fuel prices high when so many of us have lived for so long with cheap fuel, but our ancestors have ridden out times like these. We can too. Last, shut up about that $5.33 that you don't have if you are one of the ones moaning about 'obscene profits'.

Wow, rants feel good. That one had its caustic moments... and at the risk of seeming like I too well enjoy seeing myself in digital print, I'm off to smell the roses... or whatever is blooming at the moment!

Earth Day

2006-04-22T05:30:00.000Z

It's Earth Day... not as exciting for me as Arbor Day, which today happens to be in this state.
I have not a thing for it, though... too bad really, this state needs many more trees as far as I am concerned. Granted, I'd plant trees in the ocean if I could... okay maybe not, but a few Perelandra-esque floating tree island would be neat.

Alas, I have no land on which to plant, though I suppose that trying to make forest invade arrid grassland is not the most ecologically sound idea. I think I'll just hold out for the day that I can move to someplace with many trees, and trees that are not carnivorous like the ones out here tend to be.

I had no point with this, I just thought I'd point out how much I like trees, and it was Arbor day so it will less like the ramblings of an Airman who sees far too little daylight.

Gratuitous Green Link.

Also, if you are into trees, look up cathaya some time. That's my most recently learned-of tree and it's an interesting story.

Support the... Michelle Malkin?

2006-04-21T17:23:00.000Z

...Way cooler than I.

She has my back, I have hers so far as I can. I've long agreed with her and think that she provides a positive contribution to the internet's content.

I know it's all window dressing for the most part, but I have aswered this call. I guess it's like those little 'Support the Troops' signs on cars: not really meaningful in the grand scheme of things, but why not?

Michelle Malkin rules!

I love the Air Force

2006-04-20T19:45:00.000Z

I'm bad, haven't posted, all that... It's spring and that means that I sometimes go out and do stuff to try and grasp at that mythical thing that some people have refered to as 'life'. That, and the Air Force has been keeping me on my toes a bit more than usual. That's okay, I love the Air Force... a lot... I mean that I like it so much that I end some weekends wanting to go back to the ops area early, and not just the crappy weekends, either.

Let's see, what's been going on?

Iran sucks. Israel a threat? Projection, anyone?
Michelle Malkin rules. I support her fully in the face of recent unpleasantness.
CENTCOM rules. They opened an all-girls school in Afghanistan to help spin up girls that were left behind by the last system.
Rep. McKinney sucks. Still. I hate people who do things to cops becaue, well, I love cops.
Immigration protestors suck. As comedian Carlos Mencia says, 'if you want to be treated like an American, don't wave a Mexican flag'... or something to that effect.
Anti-Oil whiners suck. Where were you when so much of the oil industry went under? And where have you been every time taxes have gone up? Quit whining and suck it up like the rest of us that actually understand economics. Profits = good.
Bush is riding the fence between sucking and ruling. He needs to be a lot more decisive, imho. At least He's defending himself... mostly... does he know that this an an election year? Time to stand up straight. His enemies will never be appeased, but his friends can easily be alienated.
Israel rules. Still standing tall and up for what's good through another savage round of attacks from the 'peace-loving' Hamas.
Hamas sucks. They get elected to power and, well, nothing changes. They will never be happy until every last Jew is dead. "This ain't negotiations! These guys are playin' for keeps!"
China sucks. Still pounding her people into the ground. I hope that this wrong can be righted soon.
Duke LaCrosse team... rules? Am I the only one that smells a rat in the DA's office? This situation reeks of something along the lines of the DA not liking the team/coach/school for reasons purely personal.
Tornados suck. No explanation required.
Polls suck. What people think is not news. What people do is.
NBC sucks. Trying to paint NASCAR fans as bigots to make a story where there is none is just dirty.
Fox sucks. They took Firefly off the air! (old news, but I still hate them for it.)

Air Force rules. No explantion required.

And now, your moment of zen:

Wow. Profound.

Mile 100

2006-04-09T22:16:00.000Z

The Ironman is over. It was fun while it lasted, but it's nice to have weekends free of the effort of scheduling a five mile run around snowboarding or other all day activities... of course, I ought to find more to do around here because all this driving is using way too much fuel.

Way to Go...

2006-04-07T19:26:00.000Z

Some people just can't leave well enough alone, for example, the person who wrote this piece that has been dubiously passed off as news.
Nice downspin on an up event. Success is bad, mmmkay? That's what I got out of it, at any rate.

Google goes Extraterrestrial

2006-04-06T18:38:00.000Z

Check it out! Start scoping out your space ranches now!

Mile 85

2006-04-06T00:49:00.000Z

I saw my first rainbow of the year, a full triple, as I ran.
I'm so ready to end this, but I feel so much stronger than I did eighteen days ago. This Ironman, as we call it, is a great way to dust of a body that's stagnated over the winter.
I still can't get over my new shoes.

Distance: About five miles.
Time: About 40 minutes.
Playlist: Linkin Park
Feeling: Fine.

Mile 75

2006-04-04T01:26:00.000Z

Some kind of flying insect is infesting my track, taking the form of thick swarms that leave one covered in little bugs when run through... they don't seem to bite, at least.

Distance: somewhere under five miles.
Time: something under 40 minutes.
Playlist: Mortal (stuff from all the albums except Wake and NuEnJin)
Feeling: like I'm ready to not run five miles a day.

Some are shot...

2006-04-03T23:26:00.000Z

When law enforcement says stop, YOU STOP. I think that certain people, who shall remain nameless, ought to be aware that LE is there for our protection, and in places like Federal buildings, they are on one the frontlines against terrorism among other things. Now, in a House of Representatives office building, I expect tight security. I expect anyone not bearing the correct ID to be detained until their identity is verified. Appearences be damned, I would never want anyone admitted on their face alone.
Now, some places I know of, you'd be shot for failing to stop at the order of on site security. Shoot, they'll put you on the concrete at gunpoint if they see you hanging around the same spot for five minutes. God help you if you try and get past them. Some people should feel lucky that the House offices are not one of those places and further, should appologize if they tried to waltz in without ID and then hit a cop who was simply doing what he was orderd to in order to keep, say, the repsentative from Georgia, safe.
When LE says, stop, STOP. Don't be that guy who doesn't.

Mile 55

2006-04-01T08:09:00.000Z

Boba milk tea is a great pre-run breakfast. How Californian of me, I know. Also, I think that the 2006 Mizuno Wave Alchemy 5's are better than last years by a fairly good margin even if they don't look as cool. Now, I thought last year's were just about perfect... these new ones are just amazingly comfortable. I got the 2006 models right before this Ironman began...

Distance: 5.3 miles
Time: somewhat less than a hour, that's all I know. I really should buy a watch... but then I'd have to wear it.
Playlist: King's X (stuff from Dogman, Ear Candy, King's X, and Gretchen Goes to Nebraska)
Feeling: euphoric. I had an endorphine rush like no other since... that's another story.

Side note: It's been a while since I listened to King's X. I won't say that I forgot how awesome they are, but the reminder was a nice kick in the teeth. Those guys make very original and inspired music that really rocks.

Mile 50

2006-03-31T06:41:00.000Z

I ran on base today... but today has been happening for a very long time, so depending on how you define a day, I may have run twice today and only once of those two time was on base. There were airborn distractions of the afterburning variety. Jet noise is cool.

Distance: 5.1 miles.
Time: not really sure.
Playlist: Unchanged
Feeling: I'm through the wall. I even got some sprinting in.

Wishes are not Fishes

2006-03-29T23:12:00.000Z

Could somebody please tell this to Harry Reid?

He and his fellow congressional Democrats have promised to 'provide resources' to hunt down Osama Bin Laden. Wow. Yeah, just pull that one out of thin air. Wait! What is going on now? The U.S. war machine, the CIA, and several other alphabet soup types are all hunting Bin Laden. We have the resources. The Democrats thinking that somehow they can speed the bughunt up is childish at best but more likely just dirty, pandering, politics. Of course, no suggestions about how to speed up the hunt have been made, save the pie in the sky notion of 'doubling of special forces' and increasing the number of spies.

Let me describe the attributes of special forces, because I've seen way too many people suggest that the U.S. simply get more of them. Special forces are very well named. This is not just me stating the obvious, special forces are a special breed of man. They do not grow on trees, they are the epitome of uncommon. Not only must they be able to turn into creatures of superlative endurance and strength, but they have to have an absolutely indomitable spirit, a sharp mind, and an uncompromising nature. Most people with the body for special forces do not have mind and most with the mind do not have the body. The ones who have both are very rare. Nobody can just double the number of these men. It is not possible, nor is it possible to reduce the requirements to get more men into special forces. The requirements that these warriors must meet are far from arbitrary, but formed based on battlefield needs and experiences. Just like a man unable to lift 50 pounds is unfit for construction work, men unable to meet current standards for the special forces are unfit for such duty. There is no way to double these forces. Increases are possible, but only small ones. We are speaking here of units with insane washout rates... and these are men who met the entrance standards!

As for the spies, all I can say is that the Democrats eviscerated our HUMINT assets in the 1990s when all this mess was brewing. They had their chance. To try and evade responsibility for that by suddenly changing minds, all the while making it look like this has been their belief all along, is just plain pathetic. Maybe I should be happy that they are finally coming around on this, but I have a hard time believeing their sincerity.

I had a better idea: if the Democrats want to help with the Global War on Terror, how about getting out of the way? We (the U.S. Armed Forces) can get our assigned jobs done. However, it would be easier without the opposition to military spending that seems to be a plank in the Democrats' platform. It would be easier without putting up with the garbage from the Cindy Sheehan camp and from schools that won't let recruiters on campus. It would be easier if certain people in power stopped trying to cut us down. It would be easier if fewer media outlets lied about how the War on Terror is going and the action of our Forces. (How I perceive the mass media as somehow connected to the Democratic Party, I'll never know... )

To close, this war will not be won by Democrats. It will not be won by Republicans. It will be won by the men and women of our military. Washington has loosed us upon a set of objectives and unless they reel us back in, our success or failure will be of our own doing. Washington can help us or they can hurt us, but as long as the U.S. military is allowed to pursue our objectives, we will accomplish them. If Bin Laden is alive, we'll find him. If given the time, we will build nations for free people. If given the chance, we will pursue organized terror and eliminate it. We have never failed except when forced to.

It's time to stop whining, to stop wishing, to stop bickering, and to meet the challenge at hand.

Mile 40

2006-03-29T23:06:00.000Z

It was a gorgeous day out, temperatures in the 70s and a nice breeze that shifted direction and velocity often. The city is tearing up the north end of my running track, so I was forced into doing some loops in a small forested (well, what passes for forest out here) area.

Distance: about five miles.
Time: about forty minutes.
Playlist: Kidneythieves ...because it was partly cloudy.
Feeling: I am at the wall. This is the hard part and only gets easier from here.

Public Service Anouncement

2006-03-28T17:57:00.000Z

Kids, running 15 miles and snowboarding just don't mix...

There's hope yet

2006-03-26T22:39:00.000Z

See here the case of Abdul Rahman.
His case has been dismissed for a lack of evidence. I however, would like to a see a world where no faith is a capital offense.

Now for less conciliatory words: religeon of peace, my ass. It is my hope, though, that this time is to Islam what the middle ages were to Catholicism. I also hope that it will end soon.

And now for something a bit more incendiary...

2006-03-26T22:09:00.000Z

Immigration. Specifically, the plan to make illegal immigration a felony. How the hell can anyone say no to that?

Is it so unreasonable to demand that a few simple procedures are followed? Is it unreasonable to make sure that our Government know who is moving in to the country? Certainly, in this day and age, this sort of knowledge is a necessity.

Somehow, though, those that want to see people follow the rules are now being painted as racists and oppressors. This is libel. There is nothing racist about this entire immigration debate. Nobody, at least nobody with ant credibility, is asking that immigration stop. The only thing that anyone is asking for here is and end to illigal immigration. How is is this view racist? How is it oppressive?

A better question would be: 'who has a stake in seeing the unfettered continuation of illigal immigration, but who would be harmed by lawful immigration?' Answer that question and you will quickly find out what is behind all this controversy. Thousands of protestors espoused just that postion this week: they seem to want to be able to come and go from this country like people caome and go from neighboring towns... oh, and collect benefits here. Some of them have called all opposition to this practice 'racism'.

Meantime, I support the plan to make illegal immigration a felony. My ancestors worked very hard to come here, they worked hard to naturalize. I work hard to keep this place safe. You better believe that I want anyone willing to exploit this nation punished severely. Is that xenophobia? Is that racist or oppressive? No, it isn't.

Miles 15-35

2006-03-26T22:03:00.000Z

I'm a bit ahead of schedule now. Today, after a fiarly marginal end of week performance, I ran 15 miles in just over two hours. It was mostly on winding dirt trails in the woods, so the time positively flew by. Too bad those woods are so hard to get to from my home, or I'd run there exclusively.

Distance: about 15 miles over varied terrain, relatively flat.
Time: 2:10
Playlist: Tamplin, Lanny Cordolla, Petra, Dakoda Motor Co., Michael Tait, Fold Zandura.

Feeling worn out, but not as much from running. I hope I can make it to the ski slopes tomorrow. The season is closing.

Note

2006-03-26T09:30:00.000Z

New entry in daily reading... It's not daily reading, but I wanted near the top. Go click it.

Mile 10

2006-03-21T23:30:00.000Z

Approximate distance: 5 miles.
Approximate time (I don't own a watch): 40 minutes +/- 1 minute.
Playlist: same as yesterday. What can I say? Not only is Nightwish the best band ever IMO, there is little more appropriate for jaunts through ice and snow.

It was bloody cold out and the track was pretty icy... nothing I couldn't handle. I still feel fine. The wall doesn't usually come until day seven.

Mile 5

2006-03-20T16:47:00.000Z

The AFTAC Ironman is back... it's a fitness campaign that happens every spring in my command. This year, I'm supposed to run five miles a day every day for 20 days. Also, I get to throw in some pushups and situps to the tune of about 100 a day. HQ says that three miles of biking counts as a mile run, but I think that's to be avaoided if possible. This used to be a pure running event.

Here's the breakdown for today:
Time: 42:53 (5.0 miles)
Playlist (gotta have tunes!): all Nightwish, nothing but the hard stuff (Dead Gardens, End of All Hope, Siren, etc... ) Very good running music, especially when it's cold out.
Feeling fine. I don't want to run on the treadmill again, though. It was, however, that or the blowing snow.

For What it's worth

2006-03-20T03:01:00.000Z

I just realized that this stupid little corner of the internet has been here for 366 days now... and, just like a birthday, I niether feel nor percieve anything differently. I still have a lot to say and still, for some reason, won't. One thing I do want to change in the upcoming times is to be less reactionary, but at the same time, the world is dynamic and I am not yet one who creates situations. I am only capable of responding. That doesn't mean I have to like or blindly accept it, though.

Thanks to everyone who still reads this.

Before I'm Dead

2006-03-19T19:46:00.000Z

What am I saying, I could do this for fun for the rest of my life! Click on the little pics for big and beatiful views.
I gotta try that... add it to the Headwall of Tuckerman's Ravine and a Scandinavian cross country ski tour.

Wusses

2006-03-17T06:54:00.000Z

The moonbats over at united for peace and justice are nowhere to be found... okay, they didn't storm the White House, at least. Bummer. I could use some entertainment. Hopefully, this lack of action will give security forces at 1600 time to buy extra bean bag rounds... or extra extra bean bag rounds... and maybe some more bean bag rounds, just to be sure. Does anyone make a belt-fed bean bag gun? I'm pretty sure the answer is no, so perhaps I should invent one.

What could possibly go wrong?

2006-03-17T06:47:00.000Z

Forgive me for bomb-throwing.

Gay people vs. Muslim people... in a soccer game... a game which spawns the most violent of fights... and it's supposed to reduce tension. It could work, I guess. It's just nonsensical enough to possibly do so.

You're not under arrest...

2006-03-11T19:25:00.000Z

But please go with these fine, helpful, gendarmes... You have freedom of speech, we just want to talk to you... downtown.

A spectator at the World Baseball Classic was... spoken to... for waving a 'down with Fidel' sign. The State in Cuba has called this sign cowardly...

Oh, inverted world.

Made in Sweden

2006-03-10T20:42:00.000Z

It still counts for something, unlike with some cars.

I was out at the range a few days ago and witnessed an accident of sorts. I needed to bring back a target, so I dumped the mag, locked my bolt open, and set the rifle down on my rifle case. Off I went to get the target.
A huge gust of wind came out of the hills with some colorful expressions from my friend. When I got back, I discovered that my rifle had been blown off the table. It fell four feet to the ground, where the Aimpoint sight, under the weight of the rifle, hit a rock...
Scopes break right? This one didn't. The rail it was on though, was mangled. So, the Aimpoint, made in Sweden, came out fine. The rifle, made in America, was fine. The iron sights didn't even lose zero. The scope rail is done, though, I mean DONE. It's all bent up now. Where am I going with this? Aimpoint rules. Oh, and leave guns UNLOADED, like I did.

Unleash the press gangs!

2006-03-07T04:09:00.000Z

Yep, that's right: colleges that receive ~~federal~~* American taxpayers' money may no longer exclude military recruiters. Now, the military's elite search-and-recruit units will be able to stalk America's campuses (Campi perhaps? That just looks wrong.), snagging unsuspecting students from the Lover's Lane... and maybe even the student development center... and forcing them to fight in Iraq. It will be chaos as students are rounded up into huge transport aircraft to be shipped directly to a gruelling seventeen month training camp where they will be turned into robot-like killing machines, their hearts and souls surgically removed with a rusty can opener! Parents will be frantically searching for their missing offspring, only to find that all the new recruits look the same and only respond to the name 'Private'! Yes, all is lost now that the recruiters are on campus!

Seriously, why were recruiters barred from some campuses... campi... campususus... ?
Oh, some people don't like some of our policies... like 'don't ask/don't tell... yeah, that one's a real doozie. It makes life such hell. Others think that what we do is too dangerous. What a crappy attitude! Dangerous is what life will be like for everyone should we, for some reason, go away.

I see a serious disconnect here: most people expect college students to make decisions for themselves. I guess that the decision to defend this nation and her allies is one that college students just can't be trusted with in the minds of some.

*There is no such thing as federal money. Federal money is YOUR money that gets spent by the Federal Government.