I don’t know about you, but I personally am more than a little fed up with the constant claims of “transparency” by both our major presidential candidates and seeing none of it. It is not and has never been a secret that the voters expect each and every candidate to be forthcoming with critical information and while there is no law requiring it, the voters are none the less insistent on this most basic information. So, in order to insure full and fair disclosure I would like to propose the following requirements for every person that enters the presidential race and to be fair, these disclosures should happen in the first 120 days of their campaign:
HEALTH. Each candidate should report to Bethesda or Walter Reed hospitals for a complete medical examination with the report published for every voter to be able to see. Doctors should be required to list any issues as well as an explanation of what it is and why it is important so every potential voter can understand and lastly, the doctors should state if this person is healthy enough to withstand the rigors of a four and eight year service as POTUS.
FINANCIAL. Each candidate should sign a waver allowing the IRS to publish their last 10 years tax returns along with any issues, penalties, etc. This report should also include any financial investments (taxable), holdings, and total net worth. If a president can’t handle his own finances, should he be allowed to try to handle the countries? I think not.
RECORD OF BIRTH. Each candidate should be required to file a birth certificate that includes state, city, etc. The finger and foot prints should be redacted for the sake of security.
CRIMINAL RECORDS. This report should verify that the candidate has been vetted through both the FBI and CIA to insure they are eligible and have never been involved in any form of criminal activity. It should be detailed to include every traffic ticket, DWI, DUI, or any other infraction regardless of how small.
MILITARY SERVICE. The report should identify any military service to include active duty, reserve duty, status of discharge and any infractions of the UCMJ ever entered. It should also include any decorations or other awards earned as well as information concerning attendance at a Service Academy and their class standing upon graduation.
LAST EMPLOYMENT. The report, like any resume, should include their last five full time employments to include full or part time, salary & bonuses, voluntary work, political work, etc. They are applying for a job and we the interviewers have every right to know what every potential employer asks you for.
This election has certainly taught us that we the people need to have a lot more information and a lot more control over this process. We need to know what we are considering to we can make the best possible choice and if the candidates refuse on any number of grounds, we should have a very nicely worded letter of rejection that we can send them. Public service has always included a certain amount of intrusion upon the private lives of politicians. The only way to insure we get the whole story is to require full disclosure. After all, if they cannot be trusted to work with us on these simple requests, why should we trust them on the really big ones?
For the past few generations it is probably just a date, 9-11, but for those that are over 30 it has quite a bit more significance. For those old enough we were bombarded with replay after replay of the first smoking tower, then the second plane strike, then the first and finally the second tower collapsing. We learned how “lucky” we were that it didn’t happen just 45 minutes later when the two towers would have been packed with 50,000 occupants and so on and so on. Needless to say, it is one of those pivotal moments in history that is frequently preceded by the question “where were you when it happened”.
I, for one, was working on a environmental clean up site, sitting at my desk, listening to NPR on my radio. After the first plane hit I wandered up to the site cafeteria to see the big screen with about 250 other people. We stood there watching as the 2nd plane came in and the room fell silent with only the occasional utterance of “oh my God”. I went back to my desk and asked the division head if he had heard, which he did and then I asked if work would continue in the afternoon. I remember he saying “of course, why the hell shouldn’t it”. I got back to my desk just long enough for the phone to ring. It was my military contact calling to verify my location and availability if I should be called back to active duty. Things were happening fast. And then I did something entirely out of character for myself; I walked up to the Plant Managers office, walked in and informed him of the Division Managers comments and simply stated “we have over 750 people in the back that are talking about what was seen earlier; do you really think it is wise for us to send them back out there, handling some of that contaminated materials with their minds on NYC?”. He looked at me, blinked a few times and simply said “thank you for that”.
By the time I had returned to my office the PA system had an announcement that all employee’s were dismissed, were to go home and stay there through the end of the week & not to worry, they would receive their normal pay. We then spent the rest of the week waiting, watching, and making preparations for who knows what. I’m not a prepper, but I did count the number of cans of soup, drinks, other dry goods, etc in case we were ordered to stay in our homes.
Looking back now, the number of changes in our country are nothing less than extraordinary. I realize that my children and their children may never know a country that was reasonably safe and free from fear of terrorism. They will not know what it is like to walk down a city street without seeing dozens of surveillance cameras, or hearing how other crimes were thwarted and people prosecuted with those video tapes ….. part of me thinking “good, you got the bastards” while the other part of me worries if I did anything wrong that I should fear being photographed … while reflecting on George Orwell’s “1984” that I saw for the first time that same year.
And the PTSD I suffered from after leaving the military, briefly shows itself each year at this time of year. A little less each time, but it’s still there, reminding me of the fear that so many others, especially those in bigger cities, are certainly feeling in anticipation of another lone wolf attack or some other senseless act of violence. You know, I understand my fathers comments and wishes for “the good old days” much better now and can only wonder what my own son and daughters life time events that will cause that same reflection will be, and if they too will reflect on so many things lost, never to be regained.
I still believe we live in the greatest country on the face of the earth … I just wish that certain parts of it were like they were before that fateful day and I hope above hopes that my children and grandchildren will someday live in a world that is less scary and less encumbered by those that honestly believe that giving up a little freedom gives us more security.
In this day and age, with so many different people from all walks of life, different levels of education and practical knowledge, and of course, individual taste, opinion, etc, etc one must certainly ask if there is any such thing as informed disagreement? What I’m talking about here is the ability of two or more people to explore any topic without criticism becoming part of the central discussion? One only has to spend 10 minutes (if even that long) watching any news program, listening to talk radio, or any other form of publication and most certainly there will be the individual creators spin on “their opinion” and some critical comment against anyone that dares to question them or refute their opinion. Once more popularly called “Brain Storming”, it appears to be a lost art.
This came to mind this morning while I was reading US News & World Report and an article titled “What color should my pee be”? Now, before you positively explode in laughter understand that I thought to myself, how juvenile, what a waste of editorial space or journalistic talent …. Then it struck me; At 60 I know the answer, but when I look at how many 15, 20, even 30 year olds that don’t even know the name of our Secretary of State, Chief of Staff, or in some cases even the name of the President … I was a bit humbled. We spend so much time, money, and effort trying to discover the next mystery partial of matter that we no longer seem to get around to teaching the basics to our children, possibly in part because we don’t know many of them ourselves! Is it any wonder how many adults die each year simply because they haven’t a clue of the warning signs of pending decline in health? Or the importance of washing your hands regularly. If so, why are so many of us so terribly out of shape and over weight? We should know the dangers of obesity so the question remains: are we stupid or do we simply not care?
Eons ago when I was more involved in the intelligence community I remember a very simple philosophy that was taught to us as a simple “how to” overthrow a government and keep the population under control. It was and remains “keep them stupid and give them time for sex”. Sounds primitive and ludicrous, doesn’t it? The fact is that it works, in fact if you look at the overthrow’s of countries over the past 75 years, it’s there practically every time. Now, look at this country since the 1950’s ….. our department of education continues to dumb down educational requirements, no longer teaches hand writing, advanced civics’, etc.. All those things that expand the knowledge base and colleges …. Only the select ones truly advance the idea of knowledge & philosophy, instead apparently promoting more fraternity parties, keggers, basket weaving as a major ….. yes, yes, I am exaggerating but honestly, there are very few MIT’s left. And sex? Well, look at this splendid 40 hour work week that many corporations want to shorten to eliminate too many expensive benefits so everyone has lots of time to stay at home, run around and feed those basic needs.
If our worlds electrical system collapsed tomorrow, just how many people under 50 could still write out a readable sentence? Look around and see for yourself. How many could build a fire, hunt down game, skin it and prepare it as well as cook it over an open fire? Could they build a shelter or modify their home to continue to provide shelter? Grow crops? Yes, I know those are skills that aren’t really that necessary, but have you ever been lost in the woods, not sure if you would make it out tomorrow or the next day? Could you survive? If we had that big electrical outage, how else would you survive in that big concrete jungle?
With all the possible scenarios that could come out of this next election, good basic survival skills might not be so far fetched. It may be just that ….. a matter of survival.
To date the president has commuted the sentences of 562 federal prisoners and has stated that he’s not finished yet. While this has been alarming to many readers, there is a certain merit in his actions. Noteworthy is the fact that he has commuted more sentences that the past none presidents combined.
There are some specific criteria used for consideration such as applicants prioritized for release must be "without significant ties to large-scale criminal organizations, gangs or cartels," "have demonstrated good conduct in prison" and "have served at least 10 years of their prison sentence," among other criteria. They also must be serving a sentence that likely would be lower today if they were to be convicted of the same offense.
To date I have not found a breakdown by race, crime, age, etc. that would tell us more about these people that have been released. It would be interesting to see such demographics, if for no other reason than to verify the simplicity of selection.
Normally I would be opposed to such an action, but events over the past decade have shown a disproportionate number of persons sentenced where there was an overwhelming lack of evidence. We have seen quite a few death row prisoners released thanks to DNA evidence, but just as astounding is the number of states that REQUIRE the individual to sign off on a guarantee then will not file suite against the offending state legal system. Has to make you wonder just exactly why. It also makes me of the opinion that no prosecutor should ever be immune from prosecution, particularly since one of the pillars of our legal system clearly stated “better 100 guilty men go unpunished, than one innocent man be wrongly punished”.
The US Prison systems started going toward privatization in the 1980’s with a promise of lower costs, but this has not been the case, in fact there are a number of legal actions against private prisons that claim the internal workings promote prisoner misconduct in order to extend prisoner sentences for greater profitability for the prison. There have been many different approaches to improving human rights as well as prison conditions, but to date the general public has been inclined towards tougher laws, longer prisoner sentences, and less leniency.
The US is #2 in the number of prisoners, per capita in the world, just behind Seychelles, a country in the Indian ocean with a population of just 93,000 as compared to the US with a population of roughly 300 million. The numbers of those in prison has escalated from roughly 0.5 million in 1980 to a high of 2.4 million at current day.
In studying prisons around the world, there are a few that have excelled in making incarceration much more human and nearly eliminated the number of returning felons. Their systems are radical by US standards, but the results speak for themselves and while a number of US prisons are studying the approach, changes will be extremely slow due to the existing prison populations.
Considering the president is a Constitutional Scholar, having taught Constitutional law, he indeed may be the best qualified person to make such judgements and even if he isn’t, the approach of releasing non-violent prisoners and giving them that needed 2nd chance may turn out to be a good thing. I surely hope there is someone out there that has started tracking these people and keeps records on how many are successful and how many squander the opportunity. That will, after all, be the proof of success or failure, and perhaps another lesson will be learned.
Created on May 28, 1918 by committee of 25 women and approved by President Woodrow Wilson, the gold star club, better known as the Gold Star Mothers establishes the respect and acknowledgement for every mother that has lost a son or daughter in war. Initially it was portrayed as a war flag with a dark blue star for every member of a family that was serving in war and a gold star for every member lost in war. It has, from time to time, slipped the memory of many Americans, but is quickly remembered.
The most famous of the Gold Star Mothers was Aletta Sullivan, the mother of five Sullivan brothers who were killed in action when their ship, the USS Juneau was sunk by an enemy torpedo on November 13, 1942 during the battle of Guadalcanal; and remembered once again in the movie “Saving Private Ryan” in which only one remaining brother survived combat of World War II. On September 21, 1948 the U.S. Postal Service issued a commemorative stamp honoring the Gold Star Mothers and Mrs. Sullivan was given the first sheet of stamps issued.
You can read more about this distinctive organization on Wikipedia, where it is accurately and fairly represented. It is a pity that one of our presidential candidates has not spent at least as much time studying such issues as he has talking about them and those that are members.
As a former Army Officer I was called upon several times to escort the bodies of fallen soldiers home and represent the Army to the family and friends. While it was not a standard practice of the military, my own command provided me with a single gold star flag to give the grieving families as well as information about the organization. I only heard gratitude and appreciation from each family for us taking the time and showing the consideration for their grief and the small remembrance of their sacrifice for the nation.
There are many similar organizations that show their respect in a variety of ways. In fact, most states offer some form of a specialty license plate for Gold Star Families. One of the more unique organizations is the American Gold Star Manor located in Long Beach, California which is a 348 unit retirement home for the parents of soldiers killed while serving in the military. It was founded in the early 1960’s by Eleanor Boyd, then president of the American Gold Star Mothers organization. It remains operational today and can be found under the same name on any web search.
I keep my opinions about this current election pretty much to myself, but in this case I will make a simple exception. Any person serving or wanting to serve as the Commander in Chief of this nation needs to be capable and sincere in honoring each and every Gold Star Mother regardless of their race, religion or any other distinguishing factor. It is not their place to make political comments or any statement about the fallen or their families other than the most reverent and respectful if for no other reason that to remember were it not for their sacrifice, we certainly would never have become or remained one of the greatest nations on this earth.
To the parents of Captain Khan I would only extend my sincerest appreciation and deepest respect for their son’s service to the country as well as their most personal loss. They deserve much from our country and I commend them for their restraint and civility in this debate that has been stirred over their loss. Each and every American can take a lesson from this debate and that is the importance of honoring and cherishing the service of every American as well as having nothing but respect and reverence for those that gave their lives. As popularly and properly said “All gave some, and some gave all” …. Least we not forget.
A recent article I found on techspot.com spoke of the advancements of AI in our everyday life and how impressive the developments are. I am usually in agreement, but this article spoke of a new development where the AI can be used to create appropriate soundtracks based on photographs, paintings, and other still images. They showed several examples including a song track composed from viewing Vincent Van Gough’s “Starry Night”. Admittedly, the music was as provocative as the painting, but still, it was from a computer and lacked a certain “feeling”.
The technical aspect it is interesting, but I am afraid no matter how great the AI, it will end up being like the AI driven news articles I see. Something is just lacking that keeps it from being a truly impressive piece. And, despite this being a bit snobby, there are something I don't want a machine to be able to do. Truly great music has a certain soul that is a part of the person that composes it. Be it the William Tell Overture or one of many Bach's Concertos, or any of the music YOU like the most, it is inspiring, gives you that rush of endorphins that make you feel like you can run outside and hurl your car across the street. That is the music that captures you, stirs your emotions and holds your attention like no other.
Imagine, back in 1969 when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. We were gathered around an old B&W TV watching and listening. No robot could have ever created the mood, the feelings and the memories of that moment like Armstrong did when he uttered those memorable words "that's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind". Just hearing it today raises the hair on my neck and brings tears to my eyes.
No, I don't care how good the AI is, I just feel there are certain things that need to be "hands off, for humans only" in this techno-revolution. Not only for the sake of the creative form, but for the sake of mankind as well.
Life continues to speed forward, every faster, emotionless and uncaring for those that are left behind. We are starting to see some of the spin-offs from this in our every day lives. The atrocities we see on the news, the ones that truly offend us, get swept aside by the next and the next to the point that we see to go into an automatic cycle of shock, dismay, anger, acceptance and then on to the next one. A mass shooting that would have captured the nations grief for months and months, now is over in a few days when the next one comes along, almost as thought there is a competition for attention.
Mind you, I’m not taking on an anti-technology attitude like a Ted kaczynski or suggesting we abandon technology all together; I just think that it’s rapid expansion and the speed it is progressing take away from our need to spend time appreciating it before the next latest and greatest discovery. In fact, if we do not see the next greatest development the next day, we feel let down, somehow cheated all of which goes toward a de-humanizing approach to life.
Yes, I know, it’s all because I am becoming old, but age brings with it a great deal of experience and a certain amount of wisdom. The older I get, the more I realize that so many of my father’s teachings that I scoffed at, were right on the mark. I only wish I had discovered that earlier, but I do try to make the most of them now. I sometimes wonder if my own children will ever have such a lucent moment and realize what I have shared might have been pretty good advice.
AI isn’t going to solve all the problems, but it is still good. I just wish the world would slow down a little bit so I could fully appreciate the last discovery before the next one captures my attention.
Got this one from a buddy of mine and could not resist sharing it!
I GOT MY CONCEALED CARRY PERMIT YESTERDAY MORNING.
In the afternoon, I went over to the local Bass Pro Shop to get a 9mm handgun for home/personal protection.
When I was ready to pay for the pistol and some ammo, the cashier said, "Strip down, facing me."
Making a mental note to complain to the NRA about the gun control wackos running amok, I did just as she had instructed.
When the hysterical shrieking and alarms finally subsided, I found out she was referring to how I should place my credit card in the card reader!!! As an intelligent senior citizen, I do not get flustered often. But this time, it took me a while to get my pants back on.
I've been asked to shop elsewhere in the future. They need to make their instructions to seniors a little more clear.
I still don't think I looked that bad...........Just need to wear underwear more often!
And now, after over two hundred years of debate, the Supreme Court has decided to wade in on our apparent right to bear arms. The age old argument is whether the framers of the constitution were speaking to the rights of the individual or the state. There certainly are quite a few compelling arguments on both sides. Being a gun owner and having had to discharge a weapon for the purpose of protecting my own life, I have some very firm beliefs on the subject, but having seen the damage that high velocity rounds can do to the human body, I certainly understand those that are opposed, so I won’t dwell on that part of the discussion.
The real discussion is what were the framers thinking? A recent article written by the Attorney General of Michigan, a Mr. Mike Cox recently visited this topic, which was published in the Wall Street Journal. Being an AG I was a bit surprised to read his thoughts, but you can find the article on line and it’s certainly worth a read. In short, he reviewed the language of each of the amendments and pointed out that one very key fact that many miss. As you read each amendment, it’s obvious that they address the rights of the individual over the state because the framers realized that anytime power exists, the larger organization will always attempt to control the smaller.
It’s equally important to understand that the Constitution was not considered a “perfect document”, but as Dr. Franklin eloquently stated “it’s as perfect a document as we are going to get”. It was the best group of compromises that the country would be satisfied with and did not reflect only the Federalists or Anti-Federalists point of view; it attempted to serve as an embodiment of both.
For those not afraid to dive into the subject or those that are generally curious I am including a tag for this article and would encourage you to take the time to read it. Probably one of the better critical analysis of law I’ve read in quite some time and one that I would sincerely like every American to read, if for no other reason than to spark more debate and discussion on that all too important document that too many of us quote, but don’t always fully understand.
The Mike Cox article can be found:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119577460419701535.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
By the way, I took a few moments to email Mr. Cox and encourage him to submit his article as a "friend of the court" briefing to the Solicitor General. Wether you agree or disagree with Mike, talk about this with your friends and neighbors. After all, these are our rights .... and we best not waste them ....
It's nothing new and has been around for years, but it always makes me laugh, especially when I interview some younger people that talk about how they always give 110% all the time. This is a strictly ..... mathematical viewpoint... and it goes like this:
What Makes 100%?. What does it mean to give MORE than 100%?
Ever wonder about those people who say they are giving more than 100%? We have all been to those meetings where someone wants you to give over 100%.
How about achieving 103%?
What makes up 100% in life?
Here's a little mathematical formula that might help you answer these questions:
If: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z
Is represented as: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26.
Then:
H-A-R-D-W-O-R-K
8+1+18+4+23+15+18+11 = 98%
K-N-O-W-L-E-D-G-E
11+14+15+23+12+5+4+7+5 = 96%
A-T-T-I-T-U-D-E
1+20+20+9+20+21+4+5 = 100%
B-U-L-L-S-H-I-T
2+21+12+12+19+8+9+20 = 103%
A-S-S-K-I-S-S-I-N-G
1+19+19+11+9+19+19+9+14+7 = 118%
So, one can conclude with mathematical certainty, that while Hard work and Knowledge will get you close, and Attitude will get you there. Its the Bullshit and a** Kissing that will put you over the top.
Now you know why some people are where they are!
I’ve never seen a better explanation than this formula…………..
how true it is.
It may finally be upon us. A topic so great that affects so many, that our nation as a nation is prepared to have a conversation about the problem that is causing so much loss of life it cannot be tolerated any longer. The conversation is much bigger than discrimination, or murder, or justice. It is about our society as a whole. The way we treat each other as well as how we conduct ourselves. Simply put, the time has come for us to find respect for each other, no matter the circumstance.
There has been and continues to be much finger pointing, finding the fault with guns, police, blacks, mental institutions, gays, liberals, conservatives … the list is literally endless, mainly because there continues to be this need to blame somebody, ANYBODY, just as long as there is somebody else other than ourselves to blame. But the fact is that we must start with ourselves. We have allowed these problems to develop, to fester, and to come to the point where the results are impossible to avoid. We want the answers without working towards understanding the questions. Our instant gratification society has finally run into a brick wall and it’s time to simply get back to basics.
There is no single source of blame. The blame is a combination of many things and to figure it out, we are going to need to look at each issue. Racial issues, financial issues, employment issues, legal and policing issues, technology and reporting of facts vs. opinions, and so very many more. Each of these has a potential divisiveness that can play into the problem or at least, exacerbate it beyond a simple issue.
I have been studying what I think is the problem for quite a time. Long before the most recent unrest, before Travon Martin, before …. Well, it seems to me it’s been since I was a teenager so many decades ago. I realized that part of this is the simple pageantry of life; that is often colored by socioeconomical issues, confusion and misinformation about the differences between races, religions, gender and other “big” issues. In fact, it is all those things that make us different from the person beside us that create the problem while also being the legendary “spice of life”.
The technical revolution has given us equal access to information, both good and bad, factual and misinformation. Unfortunately, our training and knowledge hasn’t caught up with us to the point that we have learned to be suspicious of all of this so called “information” and to think long and hard before tossing in our own opinions. We must simply learn to spend more time with our eyes and ears open and our mouths shut.
Legally, our country has produced a number of laws and protections that sincerely exacerbate the situation to the point of exhaustion. Having laws on the books that allow prosecutors do whatever they want without fear of retribution for their actions is counter productive and is a direct invitation for abuse. Laws that allow that .5% of bad cops get away with murder and so many other crimes are equally bad. In fact, having any law that give exception to one group of people for any reason goes counter to our very Constitution. “All men being equal” must stand for every man, woman & child regardless of their differences.
Until we have leadership, a body of law makers, and a judiciary that work diligently on fixing these issues, we will continue to flounder. We may be on the presuppose of a level of civil disobedience we have never seen, perhaps evolving into a civil war based on race, economics, or many, many other things. But first, above all things is listening, thinking, considering and reconsidering. Only then will we be able to speak in an intelligent, well thought out voice that represents all.
If there was any doubt we live in troubling times, this weekends events in Florida should certainly clear away all doubts. Senseless killing has never had a justification and the slaughtering of innocent, unarmed people simply must stop. The question is, how?
The radicals will call for no guns or better gun control, but as we have seen around the world, what works in one country does not in another and while our 2nd amendment states, and was ratified by the Supreme Court we have the right to bear arms, it is each state’s legislature that maintains the right to determine how and where, yet for some reason the common sense idea of simply having anyone register any legally obtained firearm still haven’t quite taken hold. And frankly, with so many of these incidents showing up, not to mention the ones that don’t make national news, the concept of requiring everyone over the age of 21, with the appropriate training and certification (to include a mental health check) to carry a gun is starting to make sense. If you want to argue that last point, please refer to how many people are killed with a gun vs. a car … and try to convince those 200+ million licensed drivers to give up their cars (another lethal weapon of note).
The old hippies, of which I am one, will claim “make love, not war” which is still a pretty good concept, although we just don’t have the power we once did and the kids of today need to be more afraid of STD’s to the point that abstinence is a smart idea, despite it’s universal rejection by anyone under 35.
Republicans will blame Democrats and vice versa; both current candidates are talking out of both sides of their mouths so getting any realistic guidance or leadership on the subject is all but a mute point.
The fact of the matter is that the price of freedom and democracy (despite the fact we are not a true democracy) can be a high one and God knows there are enough pin heads in Washington trying to take away more and more of our rights every day. I for one do not want to live in a “safe” nation in which I have to sacrifice my freedoms to far too many trigger happy police, FBI, ATF, NSA & more that are getting off from some of the most hennas crimes without so much as a slap on the wrist. Let’s face it, this mess is not a small one.
When an otherwise upstanding citizen and veteran packs his van in front of a Federal building in Oklahoma City and kills so many innocents because he could not get elements of our own government to look and see what the corruption is doing to the country and do something about it; what chance does the common man have? Is it any mystery that we are teetering on the brink of a class war, race war, war against the top 1% ers? We have conditioned ourselves to believe and preach a “me first” attitude for so long, the number of common sense people that recognize this country was built on the concept of sacrifice for the greater good is all but gone. America’s Greatest Generation; those magnificent citizens that went to war and sacrificed everything to help us win the 2nd world war understood …. How did we forget? Why were we willing to give up that philosophy? Who, if anyone one or group is to blame?
We have met the enemy, and it is us. Yes, only we can fix this mess and it is going to have to start at the very bottom. Quit blaming somebody else. Accept your part of the responsibility and start doing the necessary things in order to “create a more perfect union”. Sit down and write letters to your congressmen and when you get a one of those letters asking for money, send one back asking for MORE money. GO visit him/her in their office, make your voice heard and when they throw you out, go back with 10 of your friends. Keep it up until they do listen and invite the news media, they love a good story, especially if it puts that congressman/woman on the hot seat.
OK, you’ve got your start. Time to get crack ‘in!
At the request of so many, I am reposting this message from years gone by. It has great meaning to me because I once received a tribute from a tontine, made long ago among my infantry class. I had noticed the passage of a number of them. Some in combat, some due to training accidents and one suicide, but on that afternoon I received a package from the lawyers with the bottle of bourbon and the instructions we all had written to toast the memories of the fallen. Sadly, I am the only one left out of so many fine young men to them, in their memory I once again pay tribute.
As time marches on and another Memorial day is upon us, those of us that have served our country are reminded of so many that never returned home as they left. We celebrate with cook outs, parades, many memorials and wishes of thanks and appreciation for so many that have made it home. It is easy to give thanks for all that we have and speak of the benefits of freedom, democracy, and all that America means to each of us.
Today’s military, being all voluntary, has somehow changed the way that we Americans see our soldiers, sailors, airmen, and marines. With no draft, only those that are willing to serve, do so. When one is lost there is the vague reminder that in this voluntary military, only those that wanted to be there, went there. Perhaps it is that which all too often distances the folks back home from the fact that there is a war going on and Americans are still dieing in faraway places. Still, the war manages to reach us now and then when a home town boy or girl is a casualty. We are in awe of the technology and bask in the glory when we are successful of vanquishing those that are the worst of the worst of our enemies.
The value of American life is something that one cannot truly and fully appreciate until you leave the boarders of this continent and see what life is like in some of these faraway places. For many that return, there are wounds and suffering that go far beyond the physical and linger for decades to come. In many cases, it changes the person so profoundly that many are never nearly the same as they were. In that comes a growth and maturity that cannot be matched by anything else. It’s not brag, just a simple fact.
It is not enough to simply say “thank you for your service”, although it is a nice sentiment that some of our veterans from past wars have only heard in this past decade. Thanking every veteran must go beyond the obvious. There are little things we can all do to help. Each of us owes a debt that cannot ever be fully repaid, but still it is up to us to do what we can. Teaching our children, friends, neighbors and everyone within reach just what the value of such sacrifices is the best start. Helping them to understand that these brave folks deserve a lot more than a thank you, they deserve our most profound respect, appreciation, encouragement and assistance every day of our lives for the rest of our lives.
And for my fellow veterans, remember that those around us cannot fully understand what we endured and survived. Don’t be afraid to share your stories. As painful as they can be to recall and relive, we owe it to our fallen comrades to keep their memories and their sacrifices alive so the next generation that is called upon to serve will understand why and just how important their courage and determination is to this American way of life.
All gave some and some gave all. We did so knowingly and willingly and only ask that each and every citizen will remember the reasons for the sacrifice. We ask all to work hard, help each other so we might all prosper and make our deeds worth something. In the words of our brothers in the Marine Corp who state it better than anyone else, “Semper fidelis”!
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