Don't Jump To Conclusions

Because we are so health conscience in California. Well, maybe I shouldn't say California. We did get duped by the big tobacco companies and didn't pass an anti smoking bill that would have probably saved thousands of lives. But, by in large we are health conscience and so recently when I was looking at the Lifestyles/marriage section of the Sunday's NY Times and saw what I envisioned was a somewhat large couple featured in what appeared to be an elaborate wedding. But, then as I looked more closely, I saw a portable oxygen tank and then I started reading. I was already slapping myself. Here was a couple very much in love, already into heartache road but had found each other and just as their life plans were chrystalizing, the fiancée came down with cancer. Their world shattered and with what little money they had going for medical bills, no chances for a wedding. Somehow the groom scraped together enough for a ring and an organization, Wish Upon A Wedding gave them their special day. And, the bride was sticking with him. Lesson here in addition to not being jugemental is that Wish Upon A Wedding needs to be applauded as well as the NY Times. The "Times" usually appears to feature those handsome young couples, future Wall Street Bankers amd Harvard graduates whose parents are incredibly successful themselves. And, I am going to better be on top of it: being a rather large person doesn't mean that you are less than anybody else. It could mean lots of things; only the individual can determine that. However, the least of which what you look like has anything to say about who you truly are. God bless us all.

DEATH

Death is an equal opportunity player. Everybody dies. I am often so very sad when I watch the news and routinely see death and dying in places like Syria. Mostly, the results of the foibles of man, i. e., politics. F..king intolerable but nothing we can do about it. And, of course, death also has to do with  personal loss. Let's face it, we are all touched by death in one way or another. For instance, my older brother recently died. He was the greatest guy and was always there for myself and three brothers. What should have been a comforting time became a family drama. Because we were close, he told me exactly what he wanted in death. Simple things mostly. His family chose to ignore his wishes. Not earth shattering but everyday things that could have easily been followed. What is so f..king upsetting is that we all knew exactly what my brother wanted. Consequently, in my view, not following his wishes dishonored his memory. I would like to make a fuss but it would serve no purpose.

RACISM

My wife and I were recently discussing our southern roots and how Southern Baptists in particular could be so in the camp of a Mormon like Romney and the Catholic Ryan. No mystery to me. Racism. It is so deeply ingrained in those deep South states: South Carolina, Alabama, Georgia, Louisiana, Texas. Maybe my home state of North Carolina. Think anybody will admit it? This is all opinion. These southerners who are now embracing the Mormons are zealots. They are driven by basically, "don't confuse me with facts, I have my mind made up." Throw in the deep seated unspoken race issue and you have a "lock." And, it is easier to be a Zealot if the deep seated race Issue is there. There was a time, just a few years ago, Southern Baptists were calling Mormonism a "cult." There are so many strange things about this southern embracing Republican zealotry that can be explained no other way. Put any sort or label you want but this ain't no f..king spin. Democrats have always been concerned with a safety net. When LBJ, after passing the Civil Rights Bill said, "We've lost the South for ten years." Wrong! His statement should have been, "We have lost the South." Think about it, so much of the South is poor and programs that address poverty are those like head start, aid to dependent children, medicaid, etc. All kinds of social programs would be dismantled by Romney the Mormon and Ryan the Catholic. I am amazed. It is f..king downright unChristian.

PUTTING HEART INTO IMMIGRATION

Few movies have I ever watched that had a greater impact. While realizing that movies can make whatever they want happen, this was a fantastic movie Amy way you cut it. I knew much of the stuff. Mexicans living in America, simply trying to create a better life for themselves and their families back home. They stand on corners, literally begging for work. They are, as a rule, skilled workers and yet relegated to menial tasks to earn a few dollars. The story was all about that with a few twists and turns. The protagonist, a Mexican laborer, with a son, working as a gardener. The teenage son left without supervision is a step away from joining a gang. The Dad is trying to mdke it. Honest to the core, through a loan from his sister, he buys a truck and a future. The twist: the truck is stolen by a fellow countryman. Finally with great effort, he locates the thief who has already sold the truck and sent the money home. He finds the truck and steals it back  The rest of the story is way too familiar to us: stopped by police (LA), goes to jail, deported. Can't tell you anymore. You must see it and you'll never see immigration quite the same ever again.

New York Cardinal Timothy Dolan in all his flowing robes delivered the closing blessing to the Republican National Convention in Tampa. To be perfectly honest, I don't give a f..k one way or the other. I simply find it strange that a Catholic would choose to bow and scrap for a political party that would dismantle all the safety nets for the poor, many which are Catholics. Jesus, whose ministry was build around his Sermon on the Mount could not, with the utmost stretch of compassion, embrace the Republican Party Platform. Help!

DOES RELIGION MATTER

Does it make any difference what religion a person is. I don't know. It is so incredibly definitional in America. Christianity is what Americans as a rule mean when they say religion. I always think in terms of something being moral or immoral. Or ethical or unethical. This isn't religion 101 but it is a legitimate question. An example. The Supreme Court is made up of 3 Jews and 6r Catholics. Even Clarence Thomas, black, who has ever heard of that many black Catholics. Does it make any difference. Yes and no. Let's say they are deciding on a woman's right to choose. i. e., abortion and their church strongly is against abortion which they are (hell, the Catholic hierarchy doesn't even want them using birth control). In the example, the court decides against abortion. Was it their belief, the church's belief? Were they influenced by their church? How would we know? We wouldn't. It is a thorny issue. What about Mitt Romney's Mormonism. Or, the polite term, Latter Day Saints. Joe Paterno had his statue unceremonious taken down at Penn State for a perceived or real sin for putting his football program ahead of protecting children. Brigham Young still has his statue at the Mormpn Temple in Salt Lake City. Young described black people as cursed with dark skin as punishment of Cain's murder of his brother. Mormonism through the book of Mormon suggests an alternate universe even going so far that blacks supported the fallen angel Lucifer in his rebellion against God.

WHO ELECTS THIS GUY?

When I was growing up, I worked at my brothers grocery store which was in this great little town, well, more like a village. We had a big African American clientele that were poor to say the least. That is another story, unlikely to be told by me. Anyway, one day, my brother and I are out and for some reason we were dropping off some groceries to a black family. They lived in a ram shackle house like most. On the top of it was a TV antenna. My brother who was a great guy and whose bark was about ten times worse than his bite said something like, "can you believe this, these people don't have a pot to p..s in and yet they have a TV." I remember it like yesterday, I said to him more to hassle and tick him off than anything. Remember, I am a teenager. I said something like, "Well, I don't guess that poor people don't deserve a TV or any good things in life." When I think of WI, liberal (hate labels and prefer to call myself open) bent that I am, can hardly believe that guys like Paul Ryan come from a state like Wisconsin. I am thinking that he should be from Alabama or South Carolina but not Wisconsin. He has literally in my view, taken the Republicans hostage to his idealogical views. He would dismantle everything from Social Security to Medicare and everything in between plus fork over tax breaks to those who don't need it. Amazing.

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO SOPHIE WILDER

In the novel, "What Happened to Sophie Wilder", writer Charlie Blakeman runs into his former college love after 10 years and finds out that she has converted to Catholicism. Charlie can't make sense of her conversion, but as he finds out more about Sophie's past, he sees her life is more complicated than he previously thought. When Sophie once again disappears, Charlie sets out to discover what has happened to her. I haven't read this book, just published. I listened to Terry Gross (my favorite interviewer. She is fabulous) interview the author. I might read it if I can get over my bias that these young novelists don't know shit about the real world and here they are writing novels as if they do. What always fascinates me is the interest that people have in religion. And, especially someone that seems almost preoccupied as does this author, at least from Terry's interview. I'm not talking about fanatics like jihadists, etc. who want to kill people but those who want to cogitate their navels. Those who are Catholics are the worst. They accept all this BS, i. e., Pope, pomp and ceremony--then they fret about it. The Protestants are as bad. The author used an example today that I thought was good. The Prosperity Gospel. A guy like Joel Osteen (he didn't mention him by name but Osteen is main proponent and has this gigantic non thinking bunch of Texans who listen to him) The author's quote,  "the Prosperity Gospel is supposed to make you feel good about the things you naturally want already." Another good Protestant example are the right wing fundamentalists who have mostly got their head up their fourth point of contact (paratrooper term for, "got your head up your ass)." Fortunately my religion is very simple. I embrace Jesus in what He "said" and "did" and this is found in the four gospels: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Anything else that someone quotes is what was said about him, not what He said. And, where the f..k do the Catholics get all those ideas of costumes, pomp and ceremony:  they invented them. Sure didn't come from Jesus. He hated that stuff, only about the second time he got pissed: one was at the money changers in the temple and the other one was at the Pharisees, forerunners of the Catholics who He said paraded around in long and flowing garments and were white sepulchres, about the worst thing you could say about someone in Jesus' day. When the Catholics/Protestants spew forth with all this bullshit, I say the Pope may have said it or whatever but you can count on this, Jesus didn't say it.

AFGHANISTAN

Just when you think you've read or heard it all about our debacle in Afghanistan, something else pops up. "Little America: The War Within the War for Afghanistan by Rajiv Chandrasekaran." It is one of those books that you almost think is "tongue" in cheek." Sadly, it isn't. I haven't read it but have heard the author interviewed twice. Each time I simply shake my head. From the interviews, the book is mostly about squandered opportunities. And, he seems to pull no punches. I relate the book somewhat to a blog posting I made early on in the Iraq war. It had to do with our securing ice machines for the troops. I immediately thought, "oh no, Vietnam, here we go again." In our wars, we seem to have one "mantra," getting bogged down. The ice machines represented becoming entrenched. We are f..king stupid to the max. I always blame the generals which is somewhat unfair but I still do. In Iraq, Gerge W. relied on the neocons that proved they didn't know shit. One of the best comments that came out of that misadventure is General Tommy Frank saying something like, "the neocons are the dumbest MFers on the planet. Even if this is not accurate, it sounds good and is true from where I am. The generals know and you would think that there would be a few who would say, "hold it, this is insane. But, they don't, they slap on the '"can do" persona and march on. The immediate history of our debacle in Afghanistan is well documented. What we are experiencing is a phenomena. In the old days, say of Vietnam, the writing about the war years would be down the road, sometimes years, but because of e-books, history is written in the present. "Little America" is one of those books. The author can tell the story even as it is happening. I am reading it--not a pleasant read. The discouraging thing to me is that with all the books, credible views of our involvement in Afghanistan, it doesn't mean shit. Really, we march on in a sad, no, make that pitiful state of denial. Just recently we have signed some agreement calling Afghanistan a non NATO pact or some such bullshit. I like the SecState but the level of denial with these people is palpable. Any Army Sp4 can tell you that Afghanistan is a fast train to nowhere. I feel sorry for the people, especially the women. I hope we can figure out how any women who wants too can come to America. Karzai is corrupt and ineffective by any standards. He is at best the Mayor of Kabul and the rest of the country is up for grabs. Poppy growing with resulting drug money going to the Taliban is the worst kept secret in the galaxy. Afghan trainees shooting us. Should I go on? Giving Afghanistan some sort of Bullshit status is denial at its height. I don't know if this is some kind of politics. Worried that the Republicans searching for an issue will say we are weak on Afghanistan, we have to show support. Bullshit! There is no solution to Afghanistan. With overwhelming evidence, still we continue to deny. The Russians tried the hard core, rough, take no prisoner approach. Finally they "got it" and beat feet out of Afghanistan. Now, there is no evidence that anything works. Most Americans who care and pay any attention have already psychologically left the country? Does the Secretary of State/Prez think we won't notice that we have such a presense in Afghanistan once the "So call" combat troops leave. Come on give me a break.

Stone Angel

Stone Angel. Heavy in a way. Opening scene is a son and his wife attempting to put his mother in a nursing home. The mother was one of these "Holy Terrors" as the son called her. Lots of flashbacks which showed how dysfunctional  people's lives can be.   

STUPID VOTERS

Repealing the Health Care law. I would say that the Republican Congress is stupid. We know that. But, really the f..king stupid ones are the voters that put them in. I can't believe that Americans who care could possibly be so f..king dumb. Give me a break. Do these people have nothing better to do. The Supreme Court has decreed the Affordable Health Initiative  constitutional and yet the Republican Congress persist. They would not be doing this act of idiocy if they did not have support from back home. It is why they are worthless politicians, they play to the crowd. So, what other conclusion can we draw but how dimb ass their constituents are.

MARGARET

Margaret (weird title to me. Taken from a poem which somehow grapples with death and has great meaning to the director, Kenneth Lonergan but not to those of us seeing the movie) is one of those movies that could easily be as much about how the movie was made and all the machinations surrounding it than the actual movie itself: disputes, editing, lawsuits. I'd read about it and then heard a long interview with the director by Terry Gross on NPR. However, that is a sidebar, the movie is fantastic. The performances of Anna Paquin and J. Smith-Cameron who plays Paquin’s mother is Academy Award acting if I've ever seen it. Any parent who is involved with a narcissistic teenager will love this movie. In fact, if there were any way to insist that parents see this movie, relationships could possibly be repaired on a national basis. Parents would realize, "my selfish and disrespectful" teenager is par for the course. I can't say enough about the acting. In the movie, the mother and daughter team is realistic and movingly captured on-screen better than any movie I've seen. "Margaret" has everything: great story, good acting, funny while being sad. The sexual stuff with the teenagers was humorous and awkward, the way it is with kids--well done. With Matt Damon, the teacher, could as well have been omitted. There was a kid brother who got no attention and obviously a neat kid. He mainly gets yelled at. What is it with that? Rent this movie. A masterpiece as some have called it. Maybe?

SPECIAL FORCES TRAINING

Brien Stowe, a San Francisco Giants fan, paramedic, father was beaten senseless by some thugs at an LA Dodgers game. A tragedy in every way and brought to mind when I did Special Forces Training (Green Beret). A minor portion of the training but very important when you think of this tragedy. Could it have been avoided? I don't know but...The training taught, if you are confronted, do everything you can to get away: run, scream, call 911, anything. However, if you absolutely can't get away, then you tell the MFers that you don't want to fight and you'll do anything to avoid it but if there is no way out, you say, "this is not going to be a fight, I am going to kill you."

Book Review--DRIFT

Drift is somewhat of a history lesson on what has happened with the military and our penchant for war. And, how to conduct it with the least amount of political fallout and if not in secret, close: use civilian contractors. This has been one, if not the best book, I've read, on perspective in our misguided rosy policy in terms of the "fast train to nowhere" in Afghanistan. But, this book is more. Incredibly readable, the Commander in Chief should be reading even as we speak. Unfortunately, based on our continued direction in Afghanistan,  he will not nor his aids and that is a major f..k up. If I gave any criticism and it really is not that: it is more a different view. Maddaw, like many of the strategists about our present debacle in Afghanistan, simple don't "get" the nuances of the military, having not served. I think the president has learned quickly, i. e., the generals ganged up on him and based on his lack of experience, he caved on something like the "so called" surge in Afghanistan. It has not worked: it only worked in Iraq because the military forced their own type of ethnic cleansing and literally separated the factions. Maddow's history lesson on the love affair or lack thereof between the military and Americans, is superb and so, "right on." She does the best  evaluation I've seen about Vietnam and vets in particular. It was awful seeing the way we treated returning soldiers from Vietnam (thanks to the President who used the word, shameful). Men and women who had given their life's blood and the country gave them the "finger" with mostly nothing but distain. We will never get ovet it!  If Vietnam vets have a legacy, it is that we were treated so badly that Americans who care(not all do); are trying to get it right this time around. At least our leadership publicly acknowledge our soldiers. I doubt it will last. What Maddow gave short shift too in terms of fallout is I think the Prez is in trouble over that which he can't do anything about. Thoughts of the Republicans returning us to 1950 makes me nauseous. As a white boy from NC, I've been proud that we elected an African American president. Somehow, I thought, "wow, we have come a long way."  I never dreamed for a moment that we would experience this enormous hatred  by the right wing nuts. To me, there is simply noway to look at it but racial. And, I am leaning toward conspiracy theory. Bankers hate him, business hates him. Banks sitting on two trillion of cash. Won't lend, companies are struggling, they can't hire. Banks/big business equal Conspiracy. It sounds crazy but the objective data is there. Poor guy has learned how to be president. Inherited worse economy since the great depression, two wars. I am amazed that the guy can stand upright. So, my thought is that we Americans who care (And, not all do) need to get off our ass and stand up for what is right. F..k the racists! I was especially incensed at Maddow's  descriptions of the cavaliar contractors and their horrendous behavior and the awful way they represented our country. I, like most Americans, have been "asleep at the wheel" on this one.  The sorry immoral MFers. She nailed it. (I would like to think that "Drift" contributed to the Secret Service types getting caught in Columbia. Unfortunately, the contractors and their awful behavior seemed to get a free pass). She deals with our nuclear mess in a "shake your head" unbelief way. The practicality of where we find ourselves with all these nukes is almost beyond belief. Drift's conclusions leads us to discover that Maddow is an idealist. She thinks we can turn all this around. I am more skeptical. We would do well as a country to take to heart this very laudable and readable book. I don't have much hope that we will. I plan to do my part and read Drift again and buy two or three more copies for friends. I have never watched Maddow's show. Not a single time but I'm going to start.

SPRUNG FOR A LAST OUTING

Carolyn, thanks for remembering Raz. I will have to admit that I've had a harder time "moving on" so to speak, than I thought I would. I really miss picking up the phone and calling him. It was a weekly ritual. Plus, I am so grateful that I said goodbye and, of course, I stopped by briefly and you fed us which was great as usual.  I probably related thisl story when we were there: about the second day, Raz seemed to rally a bit and so Kathryn and I decided to take him for a drive. I got him in his wheelchair, brought the car around and got him in it. He really had had a big day, all the brothers showed up and we went to the fine dining of Waffle House. He really ate heartily: country ham, grits, etc. We laughed and told the same stories we always do. A good time. So, after a nap, Kathy and Raz and myself took off. Later on, we discovered, we were fugitives. We hadn't signed him out or anything. We decided to go for Smithfield Barbecue and I'm on the way to Fayetteville, I think. The next thing I know, Kathy, who has no sense of direction, tells me we are headed to Hope Mills. What! I do know we are way out in the country. We wander around for awhile. Laughing all the time about "touring the countryside" while looking for a barbecue sandwich.   With something akin to a miracle, we see a sign for 401. We head in that direction. Finally, after about what seems like  hours, we end up at the Cultural Center of Hoke and Cumberland County: Walmart. Low and behold, there is Smithfield Barbecue. We pull in, get a barbecue, with all the cholesterol clogging good stuff. We have a feast and Raz eats it all. We jump on 401 and head back to Raeford, still not knowing we are fugitives. Just inside what I guess are the City Limits, a policeman pulls us over. He looks in the car. Kathy is in panic mode. I'm thinking, "give me the ticket so I can get Raz on back to his present abode, Open Arms, this nice skilled nursing facility. The cop takes my license. Goes back to his car and I guess checks it. Comes back and says something like, "I don't know how you do it in California but here in North Carolina, we obey the law." I figure at this point the better course of valor is to say nothing. Finally he says, "You be careful and watch your speed."  "I will. Thank you very much." (In fact, as an aside, having spent a night at the Days Inn where I heard sirens all night. My thought: Brooklyn doesn't have that much police activity).  Anyway, we get back and people run out to greet us in a panic. They have been looking everywhere for us and have called his son and are within milliseconds of  calling the police. Well, we had temporarily sprung Raz. We thought it was funny. Nobody else was laughing. {{{{{{{Jerry}}}}}} 

AT LONG LAST

On the evening news recently was the heartwarming story of the Medal of Honor being finally presented to a Vietnam warrior, Leslie Sabo. Long overdue is an understatement of many moons.  The story behind the Medal is a backstory for sure: The writeup of the medal, lost in the fog of war or simple neglect, then recovered; there are many unsung heros, the researcher who found the citation in the archives and his own tenacity, possibly--all given faint praise in  "sound bites." At least in the modern world of media, it was something. And, we cannot forget the soldier who originally recognized the great bravery. And the recipient of the Medal: the trooper taking the fight to the enemy, pulling the pin on a grenade and shielding a fellow soldier.  It does not come close to the whole story. The drama of combat. Bravo company ambushed, firefight with North Vietnamese Regulars. In this battle, Sabo, along with many of his fellow soldiers stepped up. I hope all of them got medals. Sabo paid the ultimate price. And, his dear wife, married 31 days before her husband went to Nam. The President's remarks, very classic and sincere. He calls Rose, the wife: "I am honored Mr. President."  "No, Rose, I am honored." Classy! 

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES

When Jessie Helms ran for the Senate in NC, my mom got out of her sick bed to vote for him. He had been a long time TV type and even in those days defined bigotry. But, nobody who thought about it doubted that he honestly believed what he was preaching. Recently some Pew research type when asked, "how is it that Americans keep getting more tolerant of gay marriage when surveyed amd yet more and more states like NC prove otherwise. His answer: "those who are more open do so in a Laissez-faire type way. Yet those who are opposed are zealots. They vote. The rest of us better wake up and smell the roses or these people are going to be running the country. How scary is that?

FALACY OF AMERICAN PEOPLE

SAN FRANCISCO VOTING BALLOT GUIDE I just voted and always vote absentee  because I want time and I like doing it casually, sitting on the "John" or whatever. Because I keep up with politics, etc, I'm pretty much on top of issues. Voter Guide, we could probably save money. Do I think most pay voting much attention. Not really. I simply voted for non incumbents. Does my vote make a difference, doubt it. 50% don't even bother and this is one of the reasons that everytime I hear some politician say, "American people," I want to throw up. American people, bullshit. Most don't give a "rat's ass" about the electoral process. The dumb MFers. They vote against their own interests if they don't vote but they don't get it. It is such a bullshit term, "American People": should be "Americans who care." And, while I am on this rant, let me say this: I didn't vote for a single Republican. As an Independent, I, at least, want to be able to say I never voted for s party that wanted us to get back to 1950. In this election, I feel they will do anything to get rid of the President, even if they have to hold their nose and nominate a Mormon and gazillionaire with whom they have little in common. I'm going with a bumper sticker I recently saw which sums it up for me as I'm heading out to drop my ballot in the mail: "I think, therefore I am a liberal."

Soldier Suicides

"For every soldier killed on the battlefield  this year, about 25 vets are dying by their own hand. An American soldier dies every day and a half, on average in combat. Veterans kill themselves on average one every 80 minutes. More than 6500 veteran suicides are logged every year. More than the total number of soldiers killed in Iraq and Afghanistan combined since those wars began (A columnist in NY Times). What the f..k! This is outrageous and guess who is to blame. We are. For example, recently I had breakfast with about six or eight fellow Vietnam vets. To a person, talking about the rash of suicides, they felt that repetitive tours is the culprit. The emotions of going back and forth have to take its toll. And why is this? It doesn't take a rocket scientist to piece it together. During Vietnam, we had the draft, a ready pool of soldiers. Few Vietnam veterans did more than one tour, usually lasting 12 or thirteen months. That is it, over, finish, next case. The military wants some more soldiers/cannon fodder, they draft some more. The draft was far from perfect as about anybody who wanted could get out of it. Interestingly, often soldiers were happy to be drafted. It was a point of pride. Then along came SecDef Melvin Laird and icon Milt Friedman who sold Americans on ending the draft. The unintended consequences was a Volunteer Military that was too small and totally unrepresentative of our democracy. In other words, we now have a military of other people's children fighting our wars. Less than 1% have any investment in our ill conceived wars or our military. And, of course Donald Rumsfelt and draft dodger, Dick Chaney, who had other priories during Vietnam, only added to the difficulties now causing an epidemic of soldier suicides. Military leadership has to bear some responsibility with their "can do" attitude. Fluctuating economy, kids who have limited options have joined this AVF (all volunteer force) and added to the fact that you have a lower socieo economic soldier which also means that he has less coping skills. It is scandalous as my mom would say. So, what is the remedy. Too late for those soldiers who have cashed out. Bring back the draft or some sort of community service. We don't have the political will. So, what then. F..K, I don't know.

ERI've never been much of a baseball fan. ⚾Not any particular reason but I recently went to a San Francisco Giants game. Baseball crowds are wonderful. Patriotic, they are singing, "God Bless America" with gusto. A violinist played the National Anthem (white violin). The crowd is whooping it up. I look around me: the ethnicity knocks you over. It looks like the United Nations if anybody is noticing: African Americans, whites, India types, Asians of all sorts. I'm the only one paying attention because things like this always overwhelm me about America. We are probably the only country in the world that is truly multicultural and by in large nobody pays it any attention and for the most part, we get along. On any street corner, you can hear five different languages. Sitting next to me is an older gay couple. How do I know? Well my seat mate, a beautiful Filipino American pointed it out. Why the interest? I thought the elderly man might have dementia, based on the way his partner was talking to him. Sun was great, perfect day. God is in his heaven and all is right with the world. Well, at least at this baseball game⚾.

BUFFET RULE

What we are talking about here is the "fairness" issue. Every MFer you talk to or hear, has a view. Most of them are into, "how does this effect me?" Let's face it, it is simply the way it is. The most opposed are the f..king recalcitrant  Republicans who are simply interested in one thing: defeating the President. Consequently, the same sort of bullshit that they ususually throw up is ever present: doesn't help the deficit, etc. I talked with a good buddy yesterday who is totally opposed to the buffet rule. His overall reasoning is that the rich already pay enormous taxes. Well, guess what, plain and simple, the rich also avoid a lot of taxes. The tax codes need to be reformed. All agree but on the Buffet rule, it simply is the right thing to do.

JUST BECAUSE SOMETHING IS LEGAL, DOESN'T MEAN IT IS RIGHT

Recently, I was at a social gathering. Wonderful group of folks, celebrating a bunch of kids running the San Francisco Half Marathon. As we chowed down on bagels and an assortment of unhealthy eats. (Well, there was fruit), we drifted, as we usually do, into politics. Not a good move. Anyway, across the table was this economics professor at one of the local Universities. I had already sized him up as a Republican and then was surprised to hear that he voted for the President in the last election. He added, however, that he was unsure for this one and definitely would not vote for our local rep, Nancy Pelosi. I concurred on the basis of the Sixty Minutes story where she was profiled as making millions on insider trading. As we learned in the Sixty Minutes' program, Congress was not subject to the same rules about insider trading as the rest of us. We go to jail. They make millions. Pelosi's defense was that she didnot do anything illegal. What about unethical and immoral. Just because it is legal, doesn't make it right in my estimation.

To my right was a female attorney. Her defense of Pelosi was novel, at least I had not heard it before. Pelosi should not be held accountable for this transgression even if it was immoral, unethical, whatever. Her support of her congresswoman was unwavering as Pelosi spoke to many issues that were important to Californians--Pelosi should get a pass. We chatted a bit longer and all reasoning did not prevail. Plus, she used an oft repeated view that if Pelosi were held accountable, so should all politicians as they all do the same thing. The fact that the loophole had now been closed with a bill making Congress play by the same rules as all of us didn't play with her. When the bill was first Introduced, only a couple of congressmen signed on. After the 60 Minites story, over a hundred did. In the debate, it sailed through. When the president signed the bill, not surprisingly, Congresswoman Pelosi was not present for the occasion.

The big point is there is no convincing this person that Pelosi has forfeited her good will. Forget it. To me, as basically an "Independent," this is why our system is broken. We are willing to accept unethical behavior, whatever from elected officials as long as our own self interests are met. MY BELIEF.
As my cowboy hero Gus, in the TV mini series, "Lonesome Dove" said in reply to a question of giving up on driving a herd of cows from Texas to Montana. "No, I try to always get where I'm going when I started out. And, it's the right thing to do."

END of LIFE ISSUES

Recently I took a much dreaded trip back East to visit my brother, seriously ill with congestive heart failure. Pretty ominous sounding but treatable, mainly a diet sans sodium. My brother looked awful. Mostly, he had lost so much weight. He knew me, we reminisced, he was pretty weak. I became his caregiver for a couple of days. Helping him get to the bathroom, in and out his wheelchair. Quite the experience. As I sat there the better part of a couple of days, I had go think, "What has brought us to this point?" He's 85, always been incredibly robust. He has been the patriarch of our family, always there for all of us: a retired school superintendent and then into farming. He loved it. 

Our brother has done it all, a Marine on Guadalcanal, school teacher, principal and superintendent. Successful author across genres: He is the challenge man. He has faced them and made them work. 

But, my brother is sick. Health is a challenge that is out of his hands. Time to go? I don't think so. I had come to say goodbye but after being with him for a short time, I'm thinking he can rebound. Returned to his once energetic self. No. A couple of more years with reasonable quality. I think so.

There is always a certain projection with an experience like with my brother: what does this say to me? My brother had no plans to deal with a serious illness. Where to go? Caretakers? What is available? If you are someone like my brother or me for that matter, how can you let your personality get out of the way.i. e., you can say to my brother, how are you? He will teply, "I am great." (his personality--he has always been superman). He is not great and all must recognize it. For myself, should something happen to me, (Well, if I made it to 85, not bad so I could go with it). I would want to be somewhere where people could visit, like VA or some facility. But, my nature is that I would not want anybody interfering with their own schedule. For them to want to "wait" on me would simply add to the issues of my being sick.  I do not want other peoples' lives impacted because of my illness. So what to do? Make plans ahead of time. Write it out. Make sure that plans are in place. Can I do it? Will I do it?

YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO

Anybody who thinks the Supreme Court Justices aren't driven by politics, raise your hand. You have got to be kidding me. The so called conservative justices always vote the same way on hot button issues. If you listen to testimony, sometimes they disguise it but most of the time they don't. It really is a sham, I think. I tell you one of the things that really gets me. Where the f..k are all these people who have benefitted from the law. The parents, over a million of them, who have college age kids who can stay on the parents insurance until they are 26. Why aren't these people raising hell with those opposing the plan. I am no apologist for the health care bill but it at least appears to be an effort to rein in unwieldy costs, make health care affordable, an even more ethical. (I heard yesterday that some doctors order5 lots of scans. Why? They have invested in the scans and consequently the more they order, the more money they make). Damned if I get it. As a disclaimer, I have VA and Tricare and hell, anyway? as I understand it, over 60% of Americans are in some government insurance anyway. So, what is the damn outcry. I think that for some weird reasons, the politicians have made this such an issue that zealots are on board. (don't confuse me with facts, I have my mind made up). In thinking about it, "What would I get so fired up that I am out protesting?" Damn if it would be to repeal something like the Health Care law. Now, the Travon Martin shooting. I can get that: blatant injustice but health care. Come on! Do these people really hate the president this much and trying to disguise it with opposition to the Health Care Initiative, i.e., if they get this repealed, they defeat the president. What kind of thinking is that? F..king crazy.

HEALTH MANDATE

I have about heard enough. I think the courts will probably strike the "mandate" down. It sounds too UN American. Nobody is going to tell us what to do! At least not those hard headed types who don't have health insurance or those who don't think about it. I asked some thirty something at my gym about health insurance. He shrugged and said, "I never even think about it." He's healthy, in shape--he's invulnerable. And, there's an entire segment of the population that depends on emergency room health care. They are mostly the working poor, homeless, immigrants, and others that I can't even name. And who pays? We do.

The Movie, Separation

Every American ought to see this movie. It won the Best Foreign Picture at the Academy Awards. Watching it seemed that it lasted five hours but just two. Mainly the issues were so heavy and the Iranian legal system so different. I guess it was Sharia or Islamic law. Amazing. How to even explain this picture almost defies explanation. It started out with something akin to a divorce proceeding. Wife wanted to leave the country. Husband saying no, will not leave his Alzheimer's father.. A teenage daughter who will not leave the father.  Complicated to the max. The movie starts out in one direction but goes in an entirely different one. Withoit revealing too much and spoiling the movie (although to be perfectly honest, I don't think it is possible to reveal too much because the movie can't be described, only seen), let me say that it is truly worthy of the Oscar. I am going to see the others to compare. Caring and concerned Americans with even a smidgen of a world view would do well to see the movie. The Iranians struggle like us all. The sadness, the human drama: a pregnant woman, desperate to survive takes a cleaning job and as  caretaker for an alzheimers father. No training, ignorance and an adherence  to the basic rules of fundentalist Islam, is both perplexing and revealing. The mysteries of it all combined with not  lies so much as opposed to not telling everything. A trip through the legal system. Wow. Excellent acting. I give up on describing, go see.

Rush LIMBALLS

I've heard and seen some sorry ass apologies but Limbaughs takes the cake. If I was the law student, I would accept the fact that my "fifteen minutes of fame" is going to last a long, long time and so why not go with it. Sue the s..t out of Limbaugh, the people he works for, the janitor, any and everybody; think of it as practice for a newly minted lawyer. It could be her career. There's probably a platoon of shyster lawyers standing outside her door, ready to help her. The only way to  touch a guy like Limbaugh is to hurt him or his bosses in the coin of the realm. At least wound him: People quit listening, sponsors leave. Suddenly the asshole is a liability.

I don't know s..t about the process but this makes sense to me. Every woman in America ought to be up in arms. Finally, I will have to say this: I don't pay attention to the "shoulters" regardless so mine is just opinion. If I personally had to deal with an a..hole like Limbaugh, I would say, f..k you and the horse you rode in on. Sorry Mom for my language.

MARCHING TOWARD WAR

My Dad had this typical Southern view of the Jews: anybody who f..ks with the Jews will eventually get zapped. Without dissecting that view, I'm going with it with reservations, i.e., Iran.  However, what I'm seeing now is the same song, unfortunatelysecond verse. And, it appears that the President is falling into the trap. Iran has got to be contained: how to do it is a challenge. I have great faith that we can figure it out. We are smart. What we can't be is stupid like we were with Iraq and weapons of mass destruction which proved not to exist. We f..ked up but would never admit it. So here we find ourselves maching toward war again. Goated into it by Israel and to some degree, the Republicans who are reproccessed neocons, sorry f..kers who haven't had an original thought since Noah. They led George W into being stupid. Every Vietnam vet that I know who is cogitating his navel feels that Vietnam and all the lost American lives didn't count for s..t. We moved right ahead with our idiocy into Afghanistan and Iraq. Frankly, I honestly think that the American people who care (and not all do) are f..king tired of war. The country has change. Let's recognize that we cannot be the world's policement. Some hard choices here. One is that we have to tell Israel, "you start a war, your ass is on your own."

SADDENED

Nobody that I know is not saddened by what has happened by a deranged American soldier in Afghanistan. But, as the president says often, "let me be perfectly clear: this is war." As with all of Afghanistan, there is nothing that is not f..ked up. This is somewhat different but, despite the rosey reports which are so much bullshit or with lofty ideas of strategy which is equally stupid, we have a system which gives Americans, regardless of how awful the crime, their day in court.

A CRAZY SOLDIER-SNAPPED

Nobody that I know is not saddened by what has happened by a deranged American soldier in Afghanistan. But, as the president says often, "let me be perfectly clear: this is war." As with all of Afghanistan, there is nothing that is not f..ked up. This is somewhat different but, despite the rosey reports which are so much bullshit or with lofty ideas of strategy which is equally stupid, we have a system which gives Americans, regardless of how awful the crime, their day in court.

GET THE F..K OUT OF AFGHANISTAN

Listening to the SECDEF who was in Afghanistan to assure them that we're hanging in there, my first thought was "what planet are these people on?" I guess it is politics but pretty discouraging to me. In short, the SSG who killed innocents snapped, plain and simple. As disheartening and tragic as it is, this incident is not the problem but should be the catalyst for getting the f..k out of Afghanistan. There are many issues that bring us to this point.
Part of it has been in how we have promoted the success of the All Volunteer Army. I believe the Army is somewhat broken: Repetitive tours, the way wars are fought now, easy assess to family back home. The inequities of combat, infantry soldiers carrying the burden, a strategy that might work if we stayed in Afghanistan a hundred years. Should I go on.

One of the big problems as I see it: there is no political capital to be gained by leaving Afghanistan NOW. The President has a timetable, the Repubs don't want to be seen as "lite" on war. Gingrich did say, "time to leave" but he can't seem to get any traction. We are stuck. The rosy reports, the bowing and scraping to Karzai, who has only a fraction of the populace under his government--the multiple problems: drugs, Afghan riots and people wanting us out. The list is endless.

To me, there is no explanation on the SSG but he simply went crazy. It happens. And, one thing we can't deny: Fort Lewis/McChord appears to have been the focus of several missteps. Trouble before with the "kill" squads, accusations of less than sympathetic military doctors and a less than empathetic VA. It is time to get the f..k out of Afghanistan.

SEPARATION

Every American ought to see this movie. It won the Best Foreign Picture at the Academy Awards. Watching it seemed that it lasted five hours but just two. Mainly the issues were so heavy and the Iranian legal system so different. I guess it was Sharia or Islamic law. Amazing. How to even explain this picture almost defies explanation. It started out with something akin to a divorce proceeding. Wife wanted to leave the country. Husband saying no, will not leave his Alzheimer's father.. A teenage daughter who will not leave the father.  Complicated to the max. The movie starts out in one direction but goes in an entirely different one. Withoit revealing too much and spoiling the movie (although to be perfectly honest, I don't think it is possible to reveal too much because the movie can't be described, only seen), let me say that it is truly worthy of the Oscar. I am going to see the others to compare. Caring and concerned Americans with even a smidgen of a world view would do well to see the movie. The Iranians struggle like us all. The sadness, the human drama: a pregnant woman, desperate to survive takes a cleaning job and as  caretaker for an alzheimers father. No training, ignorance and an adherence  to the basic rules of fundentalist Islam, is both perplexing and revealing. The mysteries of it all combined with not  lies so much as opposed to not telling everything. A trip through the legal system. Wow. Excellent acting. I give up on describing, go see. 

SHORT STORY

"Oscar, this is going to be easy pickins." 
"I don't know, man, I ain't been into no robbin people nor stores." 
"OK, listen, Oscar, you stupid mother fucker, you ain't got nothng to jangle in your pocket, no coins to rub together and no pot to piss in. So, what chance you got. You ain't, mother fucker." Oscar shook his head. 
Bong was just getting warmed up. Bong got his name from carting water pipes and other dope smoking apparatus around. Want a pipe, Bong is your man. 
"You got an old lady who will be on your ass and a little one and teenager and no work. This is bout ten minutes. Nobody gets hurt and we can get some change. I'm telling  you, mother fucker." 
It did look simple. Service station, one attendant. 
"I don't know." Oscar watched this BMW pull into the station. "What the fuck," he smiles. "Look like those crackers got them a rider." Underneath the car something was dragging. Looked like two long steel pipes. This white guy gets out, on his knees struggling. "Hey,"  Oscar calls out, "just back over it." 
"Leave them be," Bong said. "Let their asses get gone." 
Oscar walked over to the car. "Let me see here." He knelt down. "Damn, this is a low slung car." 
"Yeah, I know. The only thing I don't like about it. A little struggle and Oscar stood with the object. "Well, I'll be, an old folks walker." I've seen it all now." He smiled. "A fine 'Beemer' overcome by an old folks walker.  

I am at the airport to retrieve my girlfriend. She has been to Omaha to visit her family. I know traffic is going to be a bitch: Friday night, I'm scared of the dark. It goes back to Vietnam. Everything happened at night. You sat around all day waiting and knowing that "Charles" as we called the Vietcong, was going to get your ass in the middle of the night. But, it is worth it all to see my girlfriend. I am like a teenager around her. I can't wait, my blood pressure is sky hight. I get lost going to the airport, a place I've been a thousand times.  I see her. It is like she has come back from Vietnam. We hug, kiss, crazy like. Finally make it to car, kiss, hug, touch. Finally get on the road. Run over something in the road. It hangs up under the car. Damn, what a time to have this happen! Can't get it out from under the car. Risk my life almost in traffic. Finally make it to a service station. Black guy yells over telling me to back over the two long aluminum pipes stuck under the car. He walks over, kneels down and wrestles the two pipes out from where they are lodged under the car, takes five minutes. "Thanks."
"No problem," he says as he walks away. On the spot I decide something,
I pull out my money clip. I only have hundreds. What the hell, I give him one. His eyes are big as saucers. He is so happy. "Bong I'm going home." 
"Oscar, you stupid fucker, you'll be sorry". 

Oscar makes his way toward home. The $100 is going to buy some groceries and give his teenager her lunch money. He stops at the bar. When he pays for his beer with the hundred, the bar keep  puts his marker over the hundred twice to see if it is real. "you are a lucky mother fucker."
"yeah, I am." 
Oscar yells as he comes in the door. His little one runs to him. Where is your Mom? He heard the TV. His wife is white as a sheet. "What'e Up?"
"Your friend Bong robbed a store and was killed by the police. " 

THE HELP

I thought the Academy Awards missed the mark on Best Picture. "The Help" should have won hands down. Since I don't know the ins and outs, I can only say no comparison with "The Artist," which I thought was boring. To me, "The Help" celebrated courage with which every older American can identify, especially Southerners. I think I have done this before but ADD that I am, can't really remember. However, here goes, "on behalf of every Southerner, I apologize and asked forgiveness for our prejudicial treatment toward African Americans. We were ignorant. It was a cultural thing during the time of "The Help" but that is no excuse. 

We didn't have the same experiences as"The Help"e but were just as prejudice and it was wrong. My brother ran a country grocery store and had a lot of black customers. Much of the business was what was called then, "on credit." I can never remember my brother ever refusing credit to anyone. I would actually go with him to deliver groceries to black families, which he didn't have to do. My brother had a "good" heart and was especially attendant to widows or those having it "hard" as he would call it, usually involved female, several children and absent father. I didn't understand it all, as I was about 14.  I would often smile because he could be so funny. He would say, "look at this, these people have a TV." (there would be a TV antenna on their usual ramshackle house, owned by their landlord. I would usually laugh and say or think, "Oh Corb., poor people shouldn't have a TV, right?" Most of the the time, we would laugh. Blacks who traded with my brother were a subculture, different from "The Help" in a sense but like "The Help" as to class (which we definitely had).  When my brother left his grocery store (too complicated to go into: involved IRS, sugar to bootleggers, etc. but, the black community owed him thousands and thousands of dollars that he forgave. I don't know if he ever came around on whether poor people should have a TV. 

NO TORTURE

Two marines and a Vietnamese scout come rushing in to the  medical bunker
unexpected  with the obviously wounded Vietnamese solder.  He has a  hole in his
trachea[windpipe] from shrapnel. A major  spray of blood comes gushing  out with each exhale and I see  he is obviously in severe
shortness of breath, in danger of asphyxiating from  blood. accumulating in his lungs with each inhale.  Also his eyes are in an
absolute terror and panic as  he looks at me. I had never seen this before. He managed to keep flailing his arms, trying to keep the corps men on and myself away.

One of the Marines tells me as they leave that the solder believes he is there to be tortured
since that is what he was was going to happen if captured.

The only ones who understand a word of Vietnamese in the bunker  are the scout and the wounded prisoner.
I repeatedly tell the scout to tell the prisoner I want to help him, to save his life. Each time the scout talks to
him, the wounded soldier goes again into another wildly failing episode as if fighting us for his life.

I am meanwhile  hurriedly preparing a surgical tray with expanders, scalpels, etc to stop the bleeding and secure an
airway by doing the tracheotomy before he suffocates from his own blood. By necessity, this has to be done in full view of the soldier.

In the context of Vietnam, I knew there was a 50-50  chance the scout was still telling him I really was going
to torture him if he did not give information about his combat unit and their plans.

To this day, I do not  do not know and will never know what was being said. If
he thought to the end that I was there to torture him or to help him.

All  of this was happening  in 3-4  chaotic minutes.

Finally did the only thing which seemed  save his life in the midst of chaos of blood spraying, prisoner terror, etc,
Pushed the scout aside, had 6 corpsman hold the wounded guy down and gave him just enough of a dose of IV sedative
 I dared to which would sedate him but not fatally   suppress his already reduced breathing ability.

Good part of the picture. It worked. Tracheal tube put in under sedation. Stable when helicopter picked him out .Every reason to believe he survived.

Not so good part of the story. Was uncomfortable to be seen as part of a possible system of medical  torturing. I knew it was not true
of any American doctors in Viet Nam.  Had real suspicions  whether it was also not true of the South Vietnamese or Korean 'allies'. But the wounded soldier lumped
myself and them  as part of the same adversary.

A day in Viet Nam. Dr. Paul L., Then Captain, USMC

MY DAD

My dad was the most ethical person I've ever known. I surely didn't realize it at the time. However, today, I "get" what an extraordinary man he was. I could probably conjure up several examples but one just made it across my radar screen. ( Could be because today, Feb 22, is the anniversary of his death).  He had a simple ethic: "always try to do what's right." This view was not always clear or made sense to anybody else but it did to my Dad. He was fond of saying he understood what "doing the right thing" was even if others didn't. The example that comes quickly to mind is a time when my Mom's folks "fell out") This is a NC term which means they refused to have anything to do with him. The perceived slight had to do with my Dad's decision to help a neighbor harvest his crops. What made this an issue was that my Uncles, Mom's brothers, wanted to have all the land in the area to farm. However, another farmer had rented acreage and would not give it up. The Uncles came up with a plan: deny him the labor force needed to harvest his crops.The idea was that if he could not harvest the crops, the landlord would not get her share and so  the land eventually would come back to the Uncles. When my dad refused to go along, Mom's folks were incensed as well as my mom. My dad's logic: not fair to the neighbor and a selfish and wrong act; "getting back at someone" was not in his nature but mainly, helping the neighbor harvest the crops was the "right thing to do."

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE

WHO THE F..K are these people? I can't help but think, who are they?. When Romney, Gingrich, Paul, Santorum speak and the people applaud, my first thought: who the f..k are these people taking in this stuff? I guess they are fellow Americans but it sure as hell doesn't make me feel any better. People whose narrow views are simply products of non thinking or bigotry or racism. Politicians, especially this Republican crowd, they'll do or say anything. They are drunk with idiocy. But, the audiences, what is it that they go for these narrow, extreme views. Bias myself? Absolutely. I hate that fellow Americans are this stupid and it is hard for an "Independent" like me to find empathy. In NC, we have a view: "you can say most anything about someone if at the end of the pronouncement you say, 'bless their hearts.' " What the hell, at least the Republican candidates, as they are bad mouthing the Prrsident, ought to say, bless his heart." They, the Repub wannabes, if they threw the "bless his heart" in occasionally would make them appear less nasty. If I were a Republican, I would be ashamed that Sarah Palin, was more or less a spokes  person for my party. She continues to command wide audiences. Don't you know that she's on her knees daily, thanking John McCain who is into the stupid and angry mode and wants to bomb most foreign counties, for picking her as his running mate. As my Dad use to say, "might as well laugh as cry."

Whitney Houston

I am not much of a celebrity worshiper but have always liked Whitney Houston.  What a voice and talent!  From my perspective, with no real facts, just observation, she was doing great and then got involved with a "dope head" and she gets all hooked on whatever dope he's into. She never came back from it although the relationship ended. And, now the irony is that the former "dope head" has pretty much shaped himself up. Here's a big-time subjective view, based on many years of counseling with couples or women. It has been my observation that women will often choose men who are absolute sorry asses by anybody's standard. I have wanted to say over and over, "why did you marry that sorry asshole?" But, I've refrained. Oh, there's the psychobabble of "bad boys" but it is more than that. Women in general seem to go into relationships that have little or no chance to make it. Just an observation and what the f..k do I know!

ROSY REPORTS FROM AFGHANISTAN

This is one of those links that you wonder if its true. I think so. I keep wondering where the f..k these rosy reports of Afghanistan come from. If this article is true, now we know. The military has always been a "can do" organization. It has worked to our detriment. And, the ones that have to be blamed, if establishing blame is what we have to do, is our civilian leaders. There are all sorts of examples. Let's cite just one off the top of my head. In the lead up to the invasion of Iraq, one general voiced opposition. Shinseki, now the head of VA. He was simply ignored. The rest of the generals were "can do." In their defense, I can only say, they view the mission, whatever it might be, as doing their job. 

http://armedforcesjournal.com/2012/02/8904030

VIETNAM AND AFGHANISTAN

In the NYT Sunday mag is a great article by a reporter who spent some time with a Marine platoon out on the tip of the spear, in Helmand province.  Makes me glad my time was in Vietnam, not Afghanistan.  It  seems not much has changed for the grunts, especially here, in an undeclared war, backed by a few, not the many.  He accurately, for me, describes the Lt. and his platoon.  
   One particular fact makes one take note: the "booby traps" aka IED's, are much more lethal in Afghanistan than in the villes and rice paddies of "Nam".  It seems that the Taliban has learned a thing or two about materials, placement, and components and explosives.  It also seems like they've figured out how to get the most 'bang' for their buck, using cheap chemicals available from agricultural sources in Pakistan.  There's something rotten in Pakistan but I don't think we should really get involved there either.  It's frustrating, knowing so little of the facts that our decision makers are privy to when deciding on strategy.
   I guess we'll have to live another 30years or so to find out what really happened.  In the meantime, we'll bear witness to the list of wounded and maimed as they return after multiple tours, fully knowing that their chances of returning unscathed are pretty much zero after 1 tour.   I guess if there is a saving grace, it's the fact that the Taliban can't mass for an assault like the NVA.  Our intell is no doubt better now and the drones keep the Taliban on the move and the night really doesn't offer the protection it once did back in the day.  I still wake up counting the hours until the sun comes up, and with it, new life.

CPT, you are getting an A on emails. Would you believe that I read the article about the Marines just yesterday. Good article and I am pretty much where you are. My thought overall is what a f..king mess to put a bunch of young Marines in a no win war. Not just "no win," a train wreck. Where I see the difference in Afghanistan and Vietnam is that we could have won  Vietnam at least in military terms. Take over the country, won the war and sort it out later. In Afghanistan, if we stay there a hundred years, will not make lots of difference. The only thing I would see if somehow, we decided to make Afghanistan as training ground for the wars to come. But, it would take lots of creative thinking and with the top levels of the military, thinking is in short supply and the high levels of government have had no military experience and don't know s..t. What it would mean is closing places like Fort Irwin where we do desert training. Instead of practicing war, we would actually be in one. Aside from that, we need to get our asses out of Afghanisyam post haste. It is only going to get worse. All the rosy picture of our progress convinces me that somebody at some level has been smoking the "John" weed. 

WAKE UP AND SMELL THE ROSES AMERICA--Get the f..k out of Europe

LEAVING EUROPE. About time. If there is anything about which Ron Paul is right on, it is reducing our footprint in foreign lands. We are bigtime stupid in this area. Why, for instance, has it taken this long to start moving out of Europe. Well, the ready answer is probably the "Cold War." I'm not going to dispute such but I can tell you this for a fact, it is now damn time. Even In the early seventies, it was not without it's problems. I was a soldier in Europe then and it was not good. American soldiers resided in substandard barracks while the Germans, at that time, having conscription, lived in new facilities. I use to think, "what is wrong with this picture: here we are suppose to be protecting the Germans from the Soviets and yet we are second class citizens." And, it was one of those subjects no one talked about. Damn straight. A tough time. Our American military was struggling with issues of racism while drugs were rampant. The draft was on its last legs and the Vietnam war was all but wound down. A hell of a hard time. And, add to this some uncaring and stupid decisions by those who made and carried out policies that related to the military. One specific one created an untenable situation where, even today, we are dealing with the fallout. Scores of Vietnam soldiers with a few months to do before discharge were sent to Europe to fill out the ranks. It was a gastly mistake. These Vietnam soldiers were expected to "soldier" when in fact, they were jaded with war. Many crashed and burned, mainly through drugs or other types of insubordination. To the active military's discredit, soldiers who had done their duty were simply and unceremously hung out to dry. The reputation of the Vietnam soldier was forever sullied as being a dope head or worst still, the Vietnam war was somehow directly his fault. Shameful is what can be said. LEAVING EUROPE IS LONG OVERDUE.

Ticking Off The Catholics

THIS ONE IS FOR ANDY
The Prez needs to take a page out of the Susan B Komen Foundation's recent book. They f..ked up. Taking back a grant from Planned Parenthood. They realized it immediately as the backlash was a hurricane. They "got it" and restored the grant, said "Sorry, we f..ked this up." They will not get back to where they were but at least they tried. The Prez or Sec of Health and Welfare, have ticked off most of the Catholic population or so it seems. Hard to say. I heard these two "talking heads" on "The News Hour." You would have thought that the mention of condoms was cataclysmic to the Catholics. Who knows (granted, I don't have all my facts together). It is politics and the Prez and cohorts would probably have been better to appease them. But, let's face it, the Catholics want to keep people buried in that bullshit of no birth control. For whatever reasons, maybe to create new believers to brainwash. Damned if I know. But, look at the poorest nations of the world, Catholic. Having babies right and left. An example that I see often: I'm stopped at a light in San Francisco: a young hispanic girl crosses in front of me,  she is pg, has about a six year old by the hand, has a small baby on her chest, pushing a baby carriage with what looked like twins:  count them, five kids. Want to bet? Catholic. A mystery to me. Even after the child abuse scandals, the Catholics seem to be stronger than ever. I am a Christian, a Bible thumper (meaning that I believe, even with all the mysteries, there is no need for anything outside the Bible as relates to the faith). I don't go for canon law, all that bullshit outside the basic Bible. Priest forgiving sins. That sort of thing but still, why offend if you can figure a way out of it. What is that saying: if you discover you are digging yourself into a hole, quit digging!!! 

THE PREZ STATE OF THE INION ADDRESS. WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID

They’re (military) not consumed with personal ambition. They don’t obsess over their differences. They focus on the mission at hand. They work together.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
Most of the people I am surrounded with are a bunch of self serving assholes who have only their personal interests at heart.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
The defining issue (middle class values) of our time is how to keep that promise alive. No challenge is more urgent. No debate is more important. We can either settle for a country where a shrinking number of people do really well while a growing number of Americans barely get by, or we can restore an economy where everyone gets a fair shot, and everyone does their fair share, and everyone plays by the same set of rules. What’s at stake aren’t Democratic values or Republican values, but American values. And we have to reclaim them.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
The Wall Street Tycoons have lined their pockets with big bonuses while ripping off honest people who thought they were playing on a level playing field. The bankers are not far behind. They gave mortgages to those who couldn’t afford them and then foreclosed heartlessly. Their asses should be in jail.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
In 2008, the house of cards collapsed. We learned that mortgages had been sold to people who couldn’t afford or understand them. Banks had made huge bets and bonuses with other people’s money. Regulators had looked the other way, or didn’t have the authority to stop the bad behavior.
It was wrong. It was irresponsible. And it plunged our economy into a crisis that put millions out of work, saddled us with more debt, and left innocent, hardworking Americans holding the bag. In the six months before I took office, we lost nearly 4 million jobs. And we lost another 4 million before our policies were in full effect.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
I inherited a f..king mess. Wall Street was selling bundled bullshit for big money, insuring it as they bet against their own creation, while telling their investors s..t. Talk about dishonest reprobates, these f..kers were it. They should be having lunch with Bernie Madoff on a daily basis. Let’s face it the regulators and the rating agencies were in bed with these thieves.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
The state of our Union is getting stronger. And we’ve come too far to turn back now. As long as I’m President, I will work with anyone in this chamber to build on this momentum. But I intend to fight obstruction with action, and I will oppose any effort to return to the very same policies that brought on this economic crisis in the first place.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
The same recalcitrant Republicans are back. They are obstructionists, self serving and have dedicated themselves to getting me defeated. So be it but I am going to fight them all the way while I am President. They haven’t had an original idea since I’ve been around. They know one word, “no.” I have nothing against George W. I think he listened to the wrong people but let’s be clear about this, he turned over to me a f..king train wreck. And, I’ve spent most of my three years trying to right the mess I inherited and have gotten nothing from the Republicans but the same old bullshit. Now, I say this emphatically, they can go f..k themselves.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
We can also spur energy innovation with new incentives. The differences in this chamber may be too deep right now to pass a comprehensive plan to fight climate change. But there’s no reason why Congress shouldn’t at least set a clean energy standard that creates a market for innovation. So far, you haven’t acted. Well, tonight, I will
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
I don’t expect you Republicans to believe in climate change. As usual, you have head up your ass or either stuck in the sand. Climate change is real. The polar cap is melting, weather patterns have gone to hell on a hand basket. You can sit on your hands if you want too but not me. F..king “do nothings.”
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
In the next few weeks, I will sign an executive order clearing away the red tape that slows down too many construction projects. But you need to fund these projects. Take the money we’re no longer spending at war, use half of it to pay down our debt, and use the rest to do some nation-building right here at home.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
Now is the time to have a FDR new deal. Let’s put fellow Americans to work repairing the nation’s infrastructure. It is time that Republicans quit dragging their feet as usual. The country needs this. It is not some “will of the wisp idea” , let’s get this done. America needs it. Don’t invoke bullshit like the deficit.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
Millions of innocent Americans saw their home values decline. And while government can’t fix the problem on its own, responsible homeowners shouldn’t have to sit and wait for the housing market to hit bottom to get some relief. And, that’s why I’m sending this Congress a plan that gives every responsible homeowner the chance to save about $3,000 a year on their mortgage, by refinancing at historically low rates. No more red tape. No more runaround from the banks. A small fee on the largest financial institutions will ensure that it won’t add to the deficit and will give those banks that were rescued by taxpayers a chance to repay a deficit of trust.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
Damn straight, I’m putting a fee on the banks for having aided in the creation of this disaster in the beginning. Plus, we bailed their asses out and so now we expect then to step up to the plate.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
When it comes to the deficit, we’ve already agreed to more than $2 trillion in cuts and savings. But we need to do more, and that means making choices. Right now, we’re poised to spend nearly $1 trillion more on what was supposed to be a temporary tax break for the wealthiest 2 percent of Americans. Right now, because of loopholes and shelters in the tax code, a quarter of all millionaires pay lower tax rates than millions of middle-class households. Right now, Warren Buffett pays a lower tax rate than his secretary.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
This is BS to the max that we are going to continue to reward the wealthiest Americans who don’t need rewarding with these tax cuts. What Buffet and these others should have done is voluntarily written a check to pay their fair share. Yeah, I know, “what have I been smoking.”
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID

Tax reform should follow the Buffett Rule.  If you make more than $1 million a year, you should not pay less than 30 percent in taxes.  And my Republican friend Tom Coburn is right:  Washington should stop subsidizing millionaires.  In fact, if you’re earning a million dollars a year, you shouldn’t get special tax subsidies or deductions.  On the other hand, if you make under $250,000 a year, like 98 percent of American families, your taxes shouldn’t go up.  You’re the ones struggling with rising costs and stagnant wages.  You’re the ones who need relief.

Now, you can call this class warfare all you want.  But asking a billionaire to pay at least as much as his secretary in taxes?  Most Americans would call that common sense.

We don’t begrudge financial success in this country.  We admire it.  When Americans talk about folks like me paying my fair share of taxes, it’s not because they envy the rich.  It’s because they understand that when I get a tax break I don’t need and the country can’t afford, it either adds to the deficit, or somebody else has to make up the difference — like a senior on a fixed income, or a student trying to get through school, or a family trying to make ends meet.  That’s not right.  Americans know that’s not right.  They know that this generation’s success is only possible because past generations felt a responsibility to each other, and to the future of their country, and they know our way of life will only endure if we feel that same sense of shared responsibility.  That’s how we’ll reduce our deficit.  That’s an America built to last.  
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
Americans who care are not stupid. But, this selfishness bullshit has got to cease. Republicans can put spin on it all they want but I say again, "most of these big buck fat cats wouldn't have what they do if they didn't live in a great country which allowed them to achieve what they have. So, rich folks let's get off your ass and pony up.

WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
Now, I recognize that people watching tonight have differing views about taxes and debt, energy and health care.  But no matter what party they belong to, I bet most Americans are thinking the same thing right about now:  Nothing will get done in Washington this year, or next year, or maybe even the year after that, because Washington is broken.

Can you blame them for feeling a little cynical?
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
Damn straight, we don't expect s..t to get done in Washington this year. Mainly because our system is broken. Self interests and politics have replaced what is good for the country. We need a new congress. You might say we need a new president, so be it. I am willing to take that chance but if not, I need some flexible and cooperating team members here. Not some non thinking uncompromising assholes controlled by the tea party, gun lobbyists, or self serving lobbyists in general.

WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
I’ve talked tonight about the deficit of trust between Main Street and Wall Street.  But the divide between this city and the rest of the country is at least as bad — and it seems to get worse every year.
Some of this has to do with the corrosive influence of money in politics.  So together, let’s take some steps to fix that.  Send me a bill that bans insider trading by members of Congress; I will sign it tomorrow.  Let’s limit any elected official from owning stocks in industries they impact.  Let’s make sure people who bundle campaign contributions for Congress can’t lobby Congress, and vice versa — an idea that has bipartisan support, at least outside of Washington.
WHAT I WOULD HAVE SAID
Does not anybody here watch SIXTY MINUTES. It is a damn shame that we have to leave it to a TV program to point out how corrupt our Congress is. And, this is across the board. Democrats and Republicans alike. Another example of Congress thinking they don't have to play by the same rules as the rest of us. And, this bullshit of "shooting the messenger" just want hack it. Nancy Pelosi blaming it on seine out to get her. The fact that she and her husband have made millions is beside the point. This s..t has to end.
WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
So it is with America.  Each time I look at that flag, I’m reminded that our destiny is stitched together like those 50 stars and those 13 stripes.  No one built this country on their own.  This nation is great because we built it together.  This nation is great because we worked as a team.  This nation is great because we get each other’s backs.  And if we hold fast to that truth, in this moment of trial, there is no challenge too great; no mission too hard.  As long as we are joined in common purpose, as long as we maintain our common resolve, our journey moves forward, and our future is hopeful, and the state of our Union will always be strong.
I WOULD HAVE SAID THE SAME THING

RACE

What is going on with Republicans? Really. The Republican candidates are white. Mitt Romney is the whitest of the white. He conveys a subtle message: starched shirts, pressed Jeans, etc. a Mormon, where only recently can blacks be bishops. Want America the way it use to be: white. I'm your man. Obama got in on a fluke. Most Republicans think Obama got in on a fluke. We had the financial crisis, he got in before the "Mitts" grasped it. I am not so sure Obama will be so lucky this time. There's a hatred out there that is amazing. When Southern Baptists will vote for a Mormon, a womanizer, a hardcore Catholic, there's got to be something. Race. I have been thinking about this for awhile. I don't think any of the 10 chaps are racist but I think we fail to admit that something is amiss here. The President for his part has been much more George W than I would have preferred.

I think that the tea party, the right wing types, those who want us to return to the 1950s will vote. The disenfranchised, the food stamp folks (thank you Newt), maybe the Hispanics will not vote. And, I have serious doubts if Obama will get a second time and to me, that is what should really trouble us.

STATE OF DISUNION

I've heard a lot of discussion, mostly from pundits about tonight's  "State of the Union." It is suppose to be a time when the president "states" where we are as a country and then lays out his coming vision. To me, it is a kind of political theater. The president is meeting and greeting, signing autographs. Making nice with his detractors. Applause, some polite, other more enthusiastic, based on what one supports or doesn't.

Based on the past, the President is a better man than me. I would be calling most all the Republicans sorry ass MFs who don't know the meaning of governing and certainly not of seeking the common good. Our system is broken and we need to throw the bums out. We are not going to do that. Congress has a piss poor approval rating but we love our own reps it seems. How stupid is this! We are being duped right and left. Get this, as an example: A Republican in Washinton in today's political climate, the mantra--"get rid of the president", forget the problems of the country. Assholes!!!!!!

What approach should the President take in his speech? I think first of all, he needs to lose the phrasing, the "American people." It is bullshit that the "American people" are someU entity that he can win over. Many of the so called American people don't give a flying f..k one way or the other. The fact that barely half of eligible Americans vote should tell him something. The President is not going to get anything done in the near future. If he wins the next election which is not certain, then he can tell the Repubs to go f..k themselves but it is not in his nature. I think he personally should just draw the battle lines. When you have a "Speaker of the House" being so disrespectful and Mitch McConnell of the Senate almost as bad, why would you give them the time of day. They should at least respect the Office of the President. If I was a constituent of either of these, I'd be f..king ashamed.

The president should take a page from an advisor to LBJ. What a President has to have according to Walt Rowtow is 60% of the people for him. 25% will be against everything. And, 15% are "out to lunch." With due respect to Walt, in today's political climate, the numbers are probably, President needs 50% for him. 35% are against everything, 15% are still out to lunch (meaning don't care). God bless the President and as the NASCAR guys say, God bless "MERICA."

America's Moral Leader

This is a mystery to me. The only Republican candidates who have had any real ideas are Jon Huntsman and Rick Perry. Huntsman has already gone and Perry is out the door. Huntsman wanted term limits and Perry  to reduce Congress to half salary and part time. Neither one of them got any traction. A mystery. I could understand Iowa Caucasus, people smokin and jokin and New Hampshire is a bunch of Yankees. But, SC, I don't get it. I've listened to some South Carolinians who are going for Newt: really, they are actually voting for Newt because all of us are sinners saved by grace. I've thought for some time that the Republicans have their brains bottled in formaldehyde. This clinches it. Newt., even the Democratic moralist, Bill Clinton, would call Newt a moral pigmy. Takes in his paramour while wife is gone, eating off her dishes and sleeping in her bed. Wants open marriage, an old idea but with a new ideas Newt twist. But, the biggest issue is that he is rivaling the Guv of NJ in being fat. Which wife did he divorce when she had cancer? Now, a good Catholic and since the Catholic Church is the only true church, anything he has done before gets a pass. And, present wife is in elite Catholic choir and when  Newt becomes the proud Republican president, her choir can sing at his inauguration.

High on Prez

Lamar, I am as high on Obama as I have been. He has veered from the courses I would go for, only because he has been stymied by the recalcitrant and self serving Congress. I think he had had to learn out to be president and consequently has done a few things that I didn't like, especially in listening to the military too much. However, as I tell my Democrat friends, where are you going to go. A poor Republican field. Romney will do anything for a vote. Crazy. Conservatives (hate these labels) will go for social issues, anti abortion, etc, while ignoring the fact that Mormonism believes that God had a wife and she is Heavenly Mother. Does that make any difference. Not really but what makes that any different than say various social issues: gay marriage. Ron Paul is a nut and should be hanging out with his grandchildren. Santorum is a hard core Catholic that the fundamentalists have embraced. What's with that: they ignore  canon law, authority of the Pope, priests who can forgive sins. Please!! Here's what I wish: we coulRd throw the whole lot of congress out, Democrats and Repubs. Our system is broken. However, we'll not do that. I have no faith in the voter. 

I do hope however that those who are disappointed with the president will not sit on the sidelines. The Repubs would dismantle those programs that serve the poor, etc. democrats have lots of problems but they represent the middle class, etc where the Repubs are Haley Barbour, pardons a couple of hundred, goes out to his old lobbying job, half mil or so, making speeches, 30-50 thou a pop. And, get Nancy Pelosi, millions on insider trading. Corruption everywhere but if voters can throw out the Repub house members who have blocked everything, get a super majority in Senate where Prez can ram through good things. Do away with tax cuts for rich, tax the 1%, etc. so, long answer to question. I am really just getting started but I'm going to give us all a break. 

Christian Fundamentalists

You have got to be bullshitting me. The very idea that some group of Christian fundamentalists could meet in Texas and crown someone like Santorum as their favorite, to unite behind, is about the most absurd thing I've heard in my life. If the Republicans fall for this, they are more stupid than I thought. Much less the findamentalist churches. Church going in South Carolina is a phenom. Where, in a place like San Francisco, at most you'd get people going to any kind of church, single digits. SC, some places, easily 90%. I am not blowing smoke. Amazing. But, doubt some fundamentalist organizations like Focus On the Family could dictate to these Church going people. The very idea some bigoted  group would try is a little more than interesting. It is beyond me. First of all, Santorum. The f ..ker is a Catholic.  They apparently don't know Catholic theology. First of all, I cannot imagine church people, even the fundamentalist, simply doing what some group would tell them. And, I would think that a pastor would not talk blatantly about politics from the pulpit. Most fundamentalists, at least that I know, are a pretty independent lot and would lean on the story in the Bible where the Pharasees tried to trap Jesus by asking him about the church (kingdom of God to Him). He ask for a coin. And said to his detractors, "whose picture is on this?" Caesar, of course. OK, here's the word: "render unto Caesar that which is Caesars and to God that which is Gods." Plus, how the f..k are the fundamentalists going to deal with Canon Law in the Catholic Church, i. e., authority of the Pope, Priests being able to forgive sin. What are these fundamentalist Christians thinking?  I tell you what I think: this group is a f..king bunch of modern day Pharisees.  I would be quite surprised if the good people of South Carolina couldn't see through 'em.  I can tell you this for a fact, Jesus would figuratively kick their ass.

HIGHER GROUND

"Higher Ground" with Vera Farmiga. Really good and confronted every issue that we face almost, especially as relates to life. And, it did it from the Christian fundamentalist view; the pastor with regular meetings of the "house" church idea (small group meeting away from the Church) where their fundamentalist views are regularly reinforced. The pastor constantly says, "God says" without ever saying where God says it. In the movie, there's no judgment or putting down the church. What is different than any movie I've seen along this line is that the protagonist, Vera Farmiga, best known for her role with George Connery in Up In The Air, is great with facial expressions that project exactly what she is thinking but doesn't say. She is what sets this movie apart. It reminded me a little of Robert Duvall in "The Apostle." There's one of the funniest scenes in the movie that I've ever seen. The Lord leads the pastor to discuss with the men that they are not looking after their wives sexually. So, he has them listen to these casette tapes that are very explicit (The expressions on the men's faces are priceless i. e., location of the clitoris, etc). This was serious as God told the pastor to do this (small segment of movie). The most sobering part of the movie has to do with Farmiga's vibrant and very effusive best friend who is struck down with a brain tumor. The surgery leaves her as a shell of her former self while the church celebrates the miracle that she is alive. Farmiga is wrought up bigtime in trying to reconcile this. I am thinking about the pastor and these people, "are there really people like this out there? Answer: YES! Help!  
Super movie. See!!!

PFC BRADLEY MANNING

Court Martialing PFC (Private First Class) Bradley Manning is a stupid thing to do. My views are well documented but we have no surprises here. A court martial (military term for trial) was inevitable based on the military system. The military conducts a thorough Article 32 investigation (Grand Jury). Once they have done it, the guilt or innocence is well established. Consequently the term, "bring the guilty bastard in." There is no dispute that Manning leaked the documents. The stickiness should be that the military has more than a little culpability. Manning should not have had assess to sensitive material, short and simple. He is a f..king midget in the system.

I have watched many a court martial. Most are cut and dry. Where they can possibly work is if they grasp and take into account mitigating circumstances. A senior (17 years) NCO (non commission officer) that I knew in Korea got himself tangled in the black market. He had some extenuating circumstances at home. Sick wife and child. He should not have been in Korea but he needed the extra cash (an unaccompanied tour of duty usually pays more). This normally outstanding NCO  was stupid. Purchased electronic equipment at the PX (post exchange) at a very cheap price and paid no tax on it, then sold it at a profit on the very robust Korean black market (One of many reasons why we need to be out of Korea). The good sergeant got caught and was court martialed. Even this was pretty heavy handed in my view but the military is a rule oriented entity, especially in a non combat environment. He should have been given a "Special Courts Martial" in front of a judge with usually lessor discipline. Maybe in a stretch, an Article 15, which is non judicial punishment administered by the commander. Can be pretty stiff but easier from which to recover. The courts martial busted my NCO one rank, fined him a month's pay and shipped him home. Not bad and something frm which he could recover.

The military could be smart here and give PFC Manning a Special Court Martial, bust him to E1 (he's now an E3), fine him a couple of months pay, sentence him to time served, give him a bad discharge and say sayanaro. Any chance they would do it. Not a chance in hell as someone might have to admit they f..ked up.

COPORATE VULTURE

LIVE FREE OR DIE
I use to ski in New Hampshire. In fact, I loved the area and got some crazy idea that maybe I could buy a little piece of property. On "time" since I was beyond poor. I had no money but thought maybe somebody would discover my love for the state and the type of person they'd like to have. Well, guess what? When they realized I had no money, they ran me out of town. And, now I'm really glad. Damn bunch of non thinkers and "yankees." I've been listening to the attack ads against Romney. And, here's the rub, "is it negative if it is true?" I hardly paid any attention to them but to hear views of Romney as a corporate raider made me perk up. Buying companies, firing the people and driving off with millions. It is always up for spin, of course. And, Romney, making statements like he's had a few "pink slips" in his life. We believe him: he's a multimillionaire whose father is a multimillionaire. Give me a break! Here's the thing that convinced me that Romney is, as his fellow Republican, Rick Perry, calls him, a corporate vulture and embodies everything that thinking and caring Americans should hate: Randy Johnson (not the former baseball pitcher) whose company was looted by Romney and is now out for revenge in the only way he can: following Romney around telling what Romney did to his company. Destroyed it, fired the people, and walked away with millions.

Good luck to the guy. Do I think it will make any difference. No, not really. I don't have any faith in the American voter. It is always self interest,

FLAW IN DEMOCRACY

GIVE ME A BREAK. I've never heard such BS in my life from the Republican candidates for Prez. At least they are attacking each other. In a sense, what the Repubs are doing is exposing a flaw in democracy. Listen to any of the voters interviewed. Guess what: they always come from, "how does this effect me and how does it relate to my life." Inherently selfish. The flip side of the coin is that all of us are mostly there. Our own welfare, comfort in the present and future is what we are into. Nobody says, so and so might be good for me but it is not good for the country and so I choose the country.

GITMO

Very early on, I grasped through ecperience that prisons bring out the worst in people (I started off my military career as an officer involved in the stockade, which military prisons were called in the day). An axiom exists, passed along by my brother, who for a long time, worked in a state prison system. He said that in six months, it was hard to tell who the guards were and who the prisoners were. I think GITMO has brought out the worst in us. What amazed me is the lack of cry that has ensued. What the f..k, are most Americans asleep at the wheel. Let me relate this story. Too long, other than to give my biased salient points. The U.S. arrests this guy in Bosnia. Bosnia's supreme court investigates and says there's no evidence this guy is a terrorist. The Americans still take him to Guantanamo (I don't know how they could do this). There, he is treated awful, remains in custody seven years. Missed his kids birthdays, gets no mail. Treated so unAmerican makes me ashamed. The guy's life is ruined. And, those who decided all this bullshit in their own war on terror are sitting at home enjoying themselves. Nobody ever apologizes or says they fucked up. Read the story: nytimes.com/opinion

CORPORATE VULTURE

LIVE FREE OR DIE
I use to ski in New Hampshire. In fact, I loved the area and got some crazy idea that maybe I could buy a little piece of property. On "time" since I was beyond poor. I had no money but thought maybe somebody would discover my love for the state and the type of person they'd like to have. Well, guess what? When they realized I had no money, they ran me out of town. And, now I'm really glad. Damn bunch of non thinkers and "yankees." I've been listening to the attack ads against Romney. And, here's the rub, "is it negative if it is true?" I hardly paid any attention to them but to hear views of Romney as a corporate raider made me perk up. Buying companies, firing the people and driving off with millions. It is always up for spin, of course. And, Romney, making statements like he's had a few "pink slips" in his life. We believe him: he's a multimillionaire whose father is a multimillionaire. Give me a break! Here's the thing that convinced me that Romney is, as his fellow Republican, Rick Perry, calls him, a corporate vulture and embodies everything that thinking and caring Americans should hate: Randy Johnson (not the former baseball pitcher) whose company was looted by Romney and is now out for revenge in the only way he can: following Romney around telling what Romney did to his company. Destroyed it, fired the people, and walked away with millions. 

Good luck to the guy. Do I think it will make any difference. No, not really. I don't have any faith in the American voter. It is always self interest,

RON PAUL MAY NOT BE SO NUTSO

Listening to Leon Panetta talk about the cuts in military spending, the future, my initial thought, "what has this guy been smoking?" Honestly, I don't understand this thinking. This goes beyond politics so what the f..k! Do these people have some script they are reading from?  There are plenty of ways to cut. And, to me, at this stage, it is all philosophical. But, I don't think that Panetta or even the President "gets it." Life has changed--circumstances have changed in the world. HELLO! HELLO! The Arab Spring should have taught us that countries can determine their own destinies without us. Panetta talks as if we are in the cold war. Sure, there are threats in the world but we are not the world policeman. Even if we wanted to continue to be stupid, we no longer can afford it. But, what is more important than that is our worldwide police activities have produced nothing but dead bodies, i. e., mostly young Americans and innocent civilians. Listening to Panetto (that I basically like) is what makes someone like Ron Paul credible. His foreign policy sounds drastic but only compared to what we have been doing and the way Panetto is talking.

Look at the objective evidence of the past three wars. Vietnam, we left with our tail between our legs. Ten years and a waste. In a thumbnail view, they solved it on their own. The great strategy of the domino theory was so much bullshit. IRAQ. All we got out of that was a dead Hussein and lost American soldiers. Just a day or two ago, close to a hundred Iraqis killed.

And, for goodness sakes, don't listen to the generals on Iraq or Afghanistan. They have to share some of the blame for our misadventure into Iraq, especially, where we don't even get a break on Iraqi oil. (The only general that kicked the traces on the invasion of Iraq was Shinsik)i. They in essence fired him. And, Afghanistan is a f..king mess by any standards and the only people who say otherwise are the generals and State Department.

It is insane to continue our present strategy. We simply cannot afford it. And, what is equally disturbing to me is the lack of interest in our foreign policy which often involves troops. I heard one of the Republicans criticizing the President for his military cut-backs while singing the tune of a strong military. His audience applauds and why not; He's talking to people who have no "skin" in the game. We have no draft, other people's children are fighting our wars (Romney, for instance, has no military experience and doubt that his 5 sons have served). Here's why Ron Paul is a possibility. His overall strategy wouldn't fly. Simply, couldn't pull it off but he might be able to do enough to move us to a sensible and sustainable position. It is worth looking at. Any possibility that it might happen? F..k no, the American electorate by in large is a selfish entity with only one mantra, "how does this affect me?"

The Only One On This Crowd With Any Real Moxie Is Ron Paul

I am so over Iowa. What amazes me is pollsters are usually right. All this bullshit about American voter getting it right. Give me a break! Romney is a Mormon, has nothing to do with religion. It is a mentality. The f..ker will tell anybody anything to get a vote. Some "right winger" wants to do away with public TV, Romney got it. Santorum is a bigoted Catholic, wants women back in the kitchen, barefoot and pregnant. And, of course, Ron Paul. I admit that I like his ideas on foreign policy. Time to reassess. These two wars probably haven't taught us s..t like Vietnam didn't. And, time to say again: I don't think it makes much difference who is president other than one thing. He can send you to war. And, I think that to have someone like George W. who let the f..king neocons like Rumsfeld and especially Cheney goad him into sending us to war is real with the Republicans. Go figure. All we have gotten out of either war is dead young Americans and costs us money that we don't have. So, Ron is right but he can't win but I hope he stays in to remind us what a foreign policy could be. So Iowa, God bless you and go away.

LET'S CUT OUT THE BULLSHIT

"F..k up a two car funeral precession" is a good Army expression. It aptly rightly to the U.S. handling of many things. Mostly it is the bureaucracy surrounding an attempt to get something done. In this case, it has to do with those Iraqis that helped us in our ill advised adventure into Iraqi. Regardless of how one feels: the utter stupidity and lunacy of many decisions made after the invasion or the lies that got us there. The sad fact, from all appearances, is that our efforts in Iraq were totally worthless. (Don't be waiting for anybody in government to admit it).  Iraq is already sinking into sectarian violence. The democratic process has fallen apart. The "Hoo Rahs" that we are gone: the invaders, the occupiers. All over we hope for us but cleaning up some of our mess remains.

We have to deal with the reality of what is. In our strategy of prosecuting the war, many Iraqis helped us and we owe them some sort of allegiance.  Helping those who helped us is a big priority or ought to be. Getting them out of country NOW is paramount. They will be killed. The State Dept appears to be dragging their feet. Beauracracy. Why not do what we did with the Vietnamese and have a massive airlift and sort it out when they are out of danger. Taking a chance? On what? The risk is only right.