Today at UW-Platteville there was a flag raising ceremony to dedicate new flag poles on campus to serve as a Veterans memorial. The ceremonies started at 11am (in honor of the original Armistice Day); there was a color guard, bugler, some speeches, a moment of silence and lots of applause. The best part? There were probably a couple hundred people in attendance today. (There’s usually about twenty). The interim Chancellor stated that students would be excused from class to attend, so perhaps that’s the reason for the big turn-out…regardless, there were a lot of people there, and it made me feel good inside to see that; Veterans deserve your initial respect. As the flag was raised, and then lowered to half-mast, I felt my eyes getting wet. It wasn’t because I love my country right or wrong (kinda like saying “my family, drunk or sober”), it’s way more than that. It’s because of the sacrifice I know something about that comes with signing a piece of paper and being thrown into the world of the military…that some 20 year-old kid from Greenbow, AL is sitting on a dirt mound in Afghanistan (as I’m safe at home watching the flag of my country at half-mast) and hasn’t had a shower for the past three weeks wondering if that farmer walking toward him has a weapon.
It’s been very PC the past eight years to put a magnetic sticker on your car that proudly proclaims “I SUPPORT OUR TROOPS” and then feel like “well, I’ve done MY part”. Only to forget the fact we’ve been fighting two wars over eight years. Women and men are having their lives threatened daily with a big target on their back.
Put up or shut up: You either donate money to the USO, send care packages (Copenhagen, Energy Drinks and Maxim Magazines are always appreciated), shake the hand of a Vet and tell them “thank you” or you don’t. It’s as simple as that. Did you know there’s an all volunteer welcoming committee (mainetroopgreeters.com) at the airport in Bangor, Maine that for (at least) the past eight years has been there to greet and send-off every military division to go through there on their way to (or home from) the front lines? Did you know some of those planes land or take-off at 4am? What does it take to motivate someone to get out of bed at 3am to do something that you know will get absolutely no recognition for yet means SO MUCH to a small few? That kind of sacrifice means WAY more than a sticker on your car does…
I’m a Veteran of the first Gulf War, enlisted in the US Navy from 1990 to 1994. We went to General Quarters (Battle Stations), twice, as Yugoslavia was going through their shit-storm and future war crime atrocities would soon be committed but I will be the first to admit that I have no fucking clue what it’s like to see your buddy get killed or be pinned down under fire behind whatever cover you can find. My service doesn’t measure-up to a Marine or Army combatant.
Veterans Day is for me, and others like me, who at one time put on a uniform (it doesn’t matter the reason) and wore a big target on their back. As a Veteran I have no “special” rights that non-Veterans don’t have. I don’t get a Xmas card from the President telling me “Thank you for your service”, I don’t get more free speech than you get, I don’t get to pursue life, liberty or happiness any more than non-Vets do. As I write this from the comfort of my sister’s basement some Veterans are homeless, others have no job to support their family, and still others have no means for medical care. (The V.A. Hospital doesn’t treat every Veteran, me included, FYI). In addition, there are tens of thousands of families living in a constant state of worry (just under the surface of their day-to-day rituals) that they’ll get bad news delivered by the State Department couriers of the US military. Marriages are failing, suicides are happening and lives are being changed forever every day this nation is at war.
DON’T FORGET THAT.
I’m a supporter of the graphic images and reminders of war: Movies like “Saving Private Ryan” and “Taking Chance”, pictures of flag-draped coffins returning from war (shame be upon H.W. Bush, himself a WWII Vet, for banning the practice) and pictures of soldiers (unidentifiable, of course) that are KIA. Americans need to know that “dithering” or “kill ‘em all” statements come at a very real and very personal cost to someone (99% of the time the person who says such things has never served themselves I’ve found…fuck them for speaking of which they know nothing about). A picture is worth a thousand words. One of the best bumper-stickers I saw related to war was the following quote printed over a Vietnam Service Ribbon: “Combat. Unless you’ve been there, shut up about it.” Word.
I served this country. I appreciate it when someone says “thank you” when they find out I’m a Veteran. It might seem awkward to you, but PLEASE do it if you get the chance! It means a LOT, trust me.
How do I feel about Veterans Day?
*Federal employees get the day off (with pay), what do Vets get on Veterans Day? Nothing. (Mail doesn’t even get fucking delivered!)
*Voting should take place on the 11th, not the 3d of November. Voting should take place on the same day that commemorates the people who died to give you the right to vote!!!! (If you disagree with this, please delete yourself from my facebook friends list…)
*For four years I served to give you the right to bitch about this country. You bitch about it, I EARNED the right to bitch about it.
Whether you’re for or against the war, support the people serving “over there” because they sure as hell don’t wanna be there.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Friday, November 6, 2009
GUNS
Guns…
I own guns; I’m going to own more. I’ll own some ammunition too once the Glen Beck rednecks in TX stop buying all of it up worrying that Obama is coming to steal their guns in the middle of the night. (Actually it’s not fair to pick on TX only. How about any state below the Mason-Dixon line ;). I subscribe to the tenet “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”; does a valid argument against this statement even exist? (READ: Morons shouldn’t own guns).
I think gun ownership is a good idea. I also think gun registration, mandatory waiting periods and background checks, mandatory gun TRAINING for first-time owners, periodic compliance checks and licensing for gun owners are GREAT ideas. Mental health record? History of battery? Criminal record? NO GUN. I do NOT think the 2d amendment (what document is that found in again? ;) should be interpreted by dipshits who think owning a gun is a god-given (sic) right.
Here it is (from Wikipedia, sorry):
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Do you know how to define “militia”? When it refers to a “free State”, what “State” are the drafters referring to? How would YOU interpret this sentence? It’s probably one of the most abused and misunderstood amendments to the U.S. Constitution, but that’s just my opinion.
It should be difficult to own a gun. When I write “difficult” I am implying the level of difficulty (at least how it used to be) to get a driver’s license. You should have to possess a license, that needs to be renewed, to own a weapon. Sadly, it’s way too easy. Here’s a personal example: I bought a “stripped lower receiver” for an AR-15 assault rifle (Google it) some time ago. It’s just a piece of aluminum: No trigger, no bullets, no ANYTHING that resembles a gun (Google it). But…it can be made into a hand-gun (so some dipshit gang-banger can represent), hence, there was a 24hr waiting period. The punch line? I could’ve bought a fully assembled and functional AR-15 (and Ammo, but those damn Texans…) with NO waiting period. Hmmmmmm. (COROLLARY: If you are used to driving a Dodge Neon and subsequently buy a Dodge Viper…you need to have lessons before your foot touches the gas pedal; there’s a reason why people that fly Cessnas need to have training before flying a 747).
Now we have two mass shootings in as many days. Have my gun-owning views changed? No way. Morons still shouldn’t be allowed to own guns.
The sad part? Watch FOX “news” and listen to any right-wing talk-radio show the next few days…already they’ve got “experts” scaring people about terror cells in the military, etc… Whatever. Americans are too easy to panic. If you don’t believe me, go back to the last time gas prices jumped 0.30 cents in one day…or the last time the power went out for more than a few minutes…remember Y2K? How many of you stocked-up on food, gas, etc?…or, 9/11 and the bullshit invasion of Iraq…
The REALLY sad part? I would hate to be a Muslim in the military (or any part of America) now. Muslims will be ostracized and given even more abuse than they used to (by good, god-fearing christians, of course). I have a dear friend who has a half Middle-Eastern son…I wonder if he will now be exposed to worse treatment than normal in elementary school and only because of the panic Americans always seem to fall for.
What these tragedies should show us (in my opinion) is that decisions to go to war, send troops on multiple deployments, fear people that aren’t “like us”…all have consequences.
For those of you that read this (if I have any readers) and think of me as un-American, whatever THAT means, I’ll respond this way: I served four years in the military. That’s my license to bitch about anything I want to wrt this country. If that’s not good enough, you can bite me.
I own guns; I’m going to own more. I’ll own some ammunition too once the Glen Beck rednecks in TX stop buying all of it up worrying that Obama is coming to steal their guns in the middle of the night. (Actually it’s not fair to pick on TX only. How about any state below the Mason-Dixon line ;). I subscribe to the tenet “guns don’t kill people, people kill people”; does a valid argument against this statement even exist? (READ: Morons shouldn’t own guns).
I think gun ownership is a good idea. I also think gun registration, mandatory waiting periods and background checks, mandatory gun TRAINING for first-time owners, periodic compliance checks and licensing for gun owners are GREAT ideas. Mental health record? History of battery? Criminal record? NO GUN. I do NOT think the 2d amendment (what document is that found in again? ;) should be interpreted by dipshits who think owning a gun is a god-given (sic) right.
Here it is (from Wikipedia, sorry):
“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
Do you know how to define “militia”? When it refers to a “free State”, what “State” are the drafters referring to? How would YOU interpret this sentence? It’s probably one of the most abused and misunderstood amendments to the U.S. Constitution, but that’s just my opinion.
It should be difficult to own a gun. When I write “difficult” I am implying the level of difficulty (at least how it used to be) to get a driver’s license. You should have to possess a license, that needs to be renewed, to own a weapon. Sadly, it’s way too easy. Here’s a personal example: I bought a “stripped lower receiver” for an AR-15 assault rifle (Google it) some time ago. It’s just a piece of aluminum: No trigger, no bullets, no ANYTHING that resembles a gun (Google it). But…it can be made into a hand-gun (so some dipshit gang-banger can represent), hence, there was a 24hr waiting period. The punch line? I could’ve bought a fully assembled and functional AR-15 (and Ammo, but those damn Texans…) with NO waiting period. Hmmmmmm. (COROLLARY: If you are used to driving a Dodge Neon and subsequently buy a Dodge Viper…you need to have lessons before your foot touches the gas pedal; there’s a reason why people that fly Cessnas need to have training before flying a 747).
Now we have two mass shootings in as many days. Have my gun-owning views changed? No way. Morons still shouldn’t be allowed to own guns.
The sad part? Watch FOX “news” and listen to any right-wing talk-radio show the next few days…already they’ve got “experts” scaring people about terror cells in the military, etc… Whatever. Americans are too easy to panic. If you don’t believe me, go back to the last time gas prices jumped 0.30 cents in one day…or the last time the power went out for more than a few minutes…remember Y2K? How many of you stocked-up on food, gas, etc?…or, 9/11 and the bullshit invasion of Iraq…
The REALLY sad part? I would hate to be a Muslim in the military (or any part of America) now. Muslims will be ostracized and given even more abuse than they used to (by good, god-fearing christians, of course). I have a dear friend who has a half Middle-Eastern son…I wonder if he will now be exposed to worse treatment than normal in elementary school and only because of the panic Americans always seem to fall for.
What these tragedies should show us (in my opinion) is that decisions to go to war, send troops on multiple deployments, fear people that aren’t “like us”…all have consequences.
For those of you that read this (if I have any readers) and think of me as un-American, whatever THAT means, I’ll respond this way: I served four years in the military. That’s my license to bitch about anything I want to wrt this country. If that’s not good enough, you can bite me.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
I don't care if people agree with my opinions or not, because they're OPINIONS but I recently got scolded by one of my facebook friends (also a friend in real life) who told me my "...posts are getting more and more acerbic..." and he's correct; so here I am to vent and opine where I can be as controversial, pissy and swear as much as I fucking want to. Ironically, I don't much like facebook to begin with; in my opinon MySpace is WAY better because you can personalize your page, add music, etc. But nobody is on it anymore :( Alas, fb it is for now.
To be fair and in the interest disclosure you should know some things about me if you are going to read my blog postings:
1) If I write an opinion, that's all it is...an opinion. But if I write a quote, percentage, or some other factoid it'll have a reference attached (if it doesn't, raise an eyebrow). I don't have any fantasies about changing the world with a blog. (Just like I didn't have any fantasies about being a rock star like EVH when I learned how to play every Van Halen song as a teenager).
2) Don't believe ANYTHING I write on here. Some of it might be crazy bullshit and other stuff might be hardcore facts; you have NO WAY of knowing. Either way, if something I write on here offends you, agrees with your viewpoint, or you're just not sure about it.........do the research for YOURSELF! (HINT: You're on a computer...google it, WikiPedia it or something of the sort). You should also know that although WikiPedia is becoming more and more "truthful" and "respectable" it's not the most reliable place to get info. However, at my behest, I'll use it from time-to-time. You be the judge.
3) I'm an Atheist. That doesn't mean I'm evil...it means I don't believe what 80% of the rest of America say they believe in. (You should research that 80%...it might be made-up ;) There will mos def be more on this later but I've never seen a more hypocritical entity in my life than ORGANIZED religion. If you're agnostic, spiritual, wiccan or a satan worshipper I dislike all religions equally. (I know I've lost "80%" of my readership already but hey, I'm open and honest about it).
4) I'm an out-of-work airline pilot back in college finishing two degrees: Math and EE. This should clue you into the fact I'm coordinated, responsible, know how to tell up from down, somewhat book-smart and (at least for the moment) have a vested interest in health-care reform, unemployment issues and airline related issues. I'm also a veteran. This doesn't mean I'm brilliant, or a genius...far from it (!)...but it should put me in a league above the standard serial killer on death-row.
5) I have a very open mind. That's not bullshit...I've changed my mind on things I never thought I would. If you can convince me you're way of thinking is better (the spirit of what a true debate should be about) I'll change my way of thinking.
In addition...and I think this is more important...if I find out I'm wrong, I WILL admit it. If YOU think I'm wrong, come prepared with facts...opinions count for shit in my reality.
6) I discriminate against two types of people: WEALTHY and STUPID. More on this later. To give credit where it's due, I stole this from my sister. And here's another pragmatic fact: EVERYBODY discriminates, no exceptions. Well, maybe Rain Man, but he's autistic.
7) If you're a spelling snob, educated as I am, I just don't care all that much about whether or not "thorough" or "thurough" is the correct spelling. Shit, maybe I just mis-typed or my phone was on vibrate and it tickled my "funny bone" mid-keystroke...WHO CARES?? (It's spelled "thorough", btw)
I hope I can bring you some good stories.
Word.
To be fair and in the interest disclosure you should know some things about me if you are going to read my blog postings:
1) If I write an opinion, that's all it is...an opinion. But if I write a quote, percentage, or some other factoid it'll have a reference attached (if it doesn't, raise an eyebrow). I don't have any fantasies about changing the world with a blog. (Just like I didn't have any fantasies about being a rock star like EVH when I learned how to play every Van Halen song as a teenager).
2) Don't believe ANYTHING I write on here. Some of it might be crazy bullshit and other stuff might be hardcore facts; you have NO WAY of knowing. Either way, if something I write on here offends you, agrees with your viewpoint, or you're just not sure about it.........do the research for YOURSELF! (HINT: You're on a computer...google it, WikiPedia it or something of the sort). You should also know that although WikiPedia is becoming more and more "truthful" and "respectable" it's not the most reliable place to get info. However, at my behest, I'll use it from time-to-time. You be the judge.
3) I'm an Atheist. That doesn't mean I'm evil...it means I don't believe what 80% of the rest of America say they believe in. (You should research that 80%...it might be made-up ;) There will mos def be more on this later but I've never seen a more hypocritical entity in my life than ORGANIZED religion. If you're agnostic, spiritual, wiccan or a satan worshipper I dislike all religions equally. (I know I've lost "80%" of my readership already but hey, I'm open and honest about it).
4) I'm an out-of-work airline pilot back in college finishing two degrees: Math and EE. This should clue you into the fact I'm coordinated, responsible, know how to tell up from down, somewhat book-smart and (at least for the moment) have a vested interest in health-care reform, unemployment issues and airline related issues. I'm also a veteran. This doesn't mean I'm brilliant, or a genius...far from it (!)...but it should put me in a league above the standard serial killer on death-row.
5) I have a very open mind. That's not bullshit...I've changed my mind on things I never thought I would. If you can convince me you're way of thinking is better (the spirit of what a true debate should be about) I'll change my way of thinking.
In addition...and I think this is more important...if I find out I'm wrong, I WILL admit it. If YOU think I'm wrong, come prepared with facts...opinions count for shit in my reality.
6) I discriminate against two types of people: WEALTHY and STUPID. More on this later. To give credit where it's due, I stole this from my sister. And here's another pragmatic fact: EVERYBODY discriminates, no exceptions. Well, maybe Rain Man, but he's autistic.
7) If you're a spelling snob, educated as I am, I just don't care all that much about whether or not "thorough" or "thurough" is the correct spelling. Shit, maybe I just mis-typed or my phone was on vibrate and it tickled my "funny bone" mid-keystroke...WHO CARES?? (It's spelled "thorough", btw)
I hope I can bring you some good stories.
Word.
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