The New VA Chief Nomination.

The Prez's new appointment to be VA Chief sounds good on paper. I am a midget so not a big deal what I think. The big news is that he is a West Point Graduate and business type. His education at West Point costs us a cool mil, minimum. For a great education he had to pay back five years. What I have noticed with West Point, "ring knockers," as we call them: They have loyalty to West Point, not necessarily to the military that serves the country. So, is he a good choice and does touting his West Point connection make him the best. Maybe, he is a paratrooper and this gives him points. VA has some problems and I do think they overall get a bad wrap. Thinking one man is magic, what the f..k are we smoking!!! 

A NO HITTER

Sometimes in life, things happen to you that defy explanation. Not that it is all that unorthodox but still there are times in your life that are "gee whiz" events. I just had one. Sharon, a really good friend, fought breast cancer for two or three years. To say that she was pretty remarkable before the breast cancer diagnosis would be an understatement. After the diagnosis, she ramped it up several notches. 

Cancer is such an insidious disease and it never affects any two just alike. Sharon did everything right. She fought it: a double mastectomy, clinical trials, you name it. None of it worked. All of us who knew her had no doubt she would beat it. She didn't. 

Sharon's life had never been easy. Fighting for things, the child who had to be the parent to a mother with mental illness. Always she was charging. My goodness. A marriage that died because of a narcissistic physician husband who believed what people told him about physicians' place in the Trinity. Finally, divorced, relieved of this burden, she went to school; working, making contributions in her community, her church. In a word, she was fantastic. Her loss to the universe--the collective holes in our hearts; we thought the universe might possibly sink under the weight of our grief. 

Now gone a couple of years, her husband, Nick, calls me. "Want to go to a ballgame." Did I mention that Sharon's sport passion in life was baseball. She didnot just love it, she breathed it, her overwhelming interest; the SF Giants. Equally she loved the Oakland Athletics. Let's face it, she loved baseball. She knew the players, stats--she believed in the strategy. Want to get in a discussion? Start talking about the game being slow. "You have to understand the strategy," she would emphatically say. She could have easily been an announcer or better still, a manager. 

(To Nick, on a game) "Sure." 

"Well, there are a couple of day games." To be honest I was not all that excited (I love to watch baseball but mainly from the comfort of my living room where my ADD could multitask). She mildly chastised me a couple of times for getting restless at games. She only put up with me because I was always up for going mostly to anything, but, for her, my company at baseball was just fine. 

Nick mentioned, "I feel compelled, haven't been to a game lately and Sharon would want to go." I didn't take much convincing as a flood of memories swamped me. So, here we are going to the game. We don't even have tickets. We did make it: went to the ballgame. Saw a "no hitter," We were stunned. I am convinced that Sharon made it happen. She loved baseball and the two people she loved most in the whole world were at the game and she needed to make it special and what better way than a "no hitter." A miracle. ⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾⚾

Iraq

Watching these columns of ISSI trucks in the desert snaking their way toward Baghdad maybe. A half dozen F15s could have laid waste to this group. If we are going to do something, let's do it and get the hell out. Why would we wait on the Iraqis, we have been doing that for years and they haven't done s..t. 

VIETNAM Confession

I heard today a really interesting statistic: 75% of Vietvets are dead. Wow. It is true of my old unit. It reminded me of something confessing at this late date of my life. I am not sure if I told you but when I first got to Germany this Lieutentamt came to see me as he had orders for Vietnam and I had just returned. We had a talk and he left out of my office, got in his MG and defected to Sweden. It got to be a big joke: don't be letting people talk to the chaplain, they'll go AWOL (absent without leave).  Although most took it as a joke, the commander didn't. He became convinced that I talked the Lieutenant into deserting. The commander and I were already at odds, however.  It was a missile unit and he thought I was gone from the headquarters. I disagreed and felt my job was visiting the troops. The commander reported his suspicions to our higher headquarters. Some Major came out to question me. I denied saying anything to the Lieutenant that would cause him to go AWOL. The Major was gung HO, pretty arrogant and I eventually told him to kiss my behind. It was a very tough time in Germany in general. Many of the soldiers had just come from Vietnam. They had been at war and here the Army wanted them to soldier, spit shine boots, etc. They weren't having any of it. Lots got involved in drugs. Many, simply crashed and burned. I blame the Generals and higher ups. They didn't do anything to help. The racial climate was awful. As for my situation, it blew over. 

Did I suggest to the Lieutenant that he should consider another course of action. Yes. I told him what Vietnam was like. That he had a good chance of getting killed, that I had become disillusioned with the war and that I would probably go back to Vietnam because I had an obligation to the troops. Yes, I confess, I probably encouraged him to defect. 40 years later, how do I feel about it. I wish I had talked more into it. 

Richard Pearl

If I am not mistaken, Tommy Franks, the general who led the American invasion of Iraq, called Richard Pearl, one of the NEOCONS, the dumbest man in America. I heard Richard Pearl today on NPRs "Take Away." I think Gen Frank (Although he is not blameless on Iraq) had something but Pearl is in mainly a sense of denial about what is. No politician/General or someone like Pearl will admit they "fucked up."

INCOME EQUALITY

A couple of nights ago, NPR (National Public Radio) profiled a youngster in Washington DC who is the valedictorian of her class, Anacostia High. She is homeless. My wife went to Anacostia High.  

This youngster is an example of why "income inequity" is a crucial issue. Here's a rhetorical question. How many of us are moved/inspired by this story enough to get financially involved? I venture to say that most of the NPR audience would be more likely to help than most.  Those who have the big bucks probably wouldn't do s..t. 

My wife tells me, "wake up and smell the roses," greed is what drives the super rich, many of whom made enough money in the stock market yesterday to fund this homeless youngster through her entire college years. 

In a real sense, our philosophy is simply f..ked. F..ked being the strongest anachronism for the moral ineptitude of most  "Mericans."

"Of my father's children, I love myself the best. If the Lord provides for me, the devil take the rest." 

SCAM

"Mericans" are the most generous people on the planet, let's face it. The Sunday NYT had a story about how orphanes in Cambodia are using kids, many who have parents, to vigorously tug the heart strings of wealthy individuals. In other words, suckering the donors. 

I thought of my Army experience in Korea with orphanges. (We still have 40,000 troops in Korea). The soldiers invariably get involved with orphanages. And, not a bad thing. These orphans are not "orphans" in the strict sense but a cultural thing. Koreans don't believe in promiscuity. Oh yeah! Guess what? It exists in Korea. The female, sans husband, is hidden away; D day and then the baby, at some point is taken to some public place and abandoned, in a responsible way--very organized and never discussed. (Koreans, that I love, wrote the book on denial). The police come, get the baby, take it to a baby orphanage. "Mericans" in the military get involved. I sponsored a six year old. I would get him from the orphanage, take him to the American Camp and let him spend the day: good eats, a present. A feel good thing. I had to teach my little troop how to use an indoor bathroom. I demonstrated. He got it. 

STUPIDITY PERSONIFIED

Honest Abe is reported to have said, "I am not bound to win but I am bound to be true. I will stand with any man when he is right. Stand with him while he is right and depart from him when he goes wrong." I have been a big supporter of the President but if we are stupid about Iraq, I will have to depart from him. The very fact that he is uttering thoughts of intervening is beyond the pale. 

Intervening in Syria was a much better option. But, Iraq, a country that threw us out! Give me a break! Based on the present government, their absolute impotency; and an army that has alienated the people and deserts in the face of armed opposition, what the hell are we thinking. The Mideast is a caldron of confusion and we need to stay the f..k out of it. We have to take responsibility for many things--failure to have a "crystal ball" for one. But, allowing the NEOCONS to lead George W into the Iraq morass is almost unforgivable. Let's face it, for who they were and especially with hindsight, the Iraqis were doing fine with Saddam. 

I don't remember all the players and don't have the emotional energy to call up their mistakes. But, the first one was the General who was suppose to administer the peace. Then there was Paul Bremer. I don't want to give him the benefit of the doubt. Here is where we begin with the idea that we could screw up a two car funeral possession. Bremer was either incompetent or stupid as he singlehandedly dissolved the Iraq Army. 

What happens is what often happens is not only lack of commo but a bunch of civilians sitting around pontificating like war is some sort of f..king chess game. Colin Powell in particular should have known better. Originally, they were going to dismantle just the Republican Guard and keep the Iraqi Security Forces but in former SecDef McNamara's words, in the Fog of War, it all got f..ked up.  

We came in under an umbrella of stupidity--weapons of mass destruction being the major one. With the Army disbanded, along with the institutions of the country, there was no way of insuring the peace. Attempting to impose an American type democracy was like dropping a turd in the punch bowl. We f..k up. 

But, in our own way, we tried to rectify things and gloss over the mess we created by throwing money at it. We pumped billions of dollars into reconstruction in trying to create a democracy, even in the mist of corruption. It didn't work and then a wonderful thing happened, they threw us out. And, now, even hearing the president utter these words of possible "options." What in the f..k is he thinking? 

INCOME INEQUALITY

A couple of nights ago, NPR (National Public Radio) profiled a youngster in Washington DC who is the valedictorian of her class, Anacostia High. She is homeless. My wife went to Anacostia High.  

This youngster is an example of why "income inequity" crucial issue. Here's a rhetorical question. How many of us are moved/inspired by this story enough to get financially involved? I venture to say that most of the NPR audience would be more likely to help than most.  Those who have the big bucks probably wouldn't do s..t. 

My wife tells me, "wake up and smell the roses," greed is what drives the super rich, many of whom made enough money in the stock market yesterday to fund this homeless youngster through her entire college years. 

In a real sense, our philosophy is simply f..ked. F..ked being the strongest anachronism for the moral ineptitude of most  "Mericans."

"Of my father's children, I love myself the best. If the Lord provides for me, the devil take the rest." 

HILLARY

I just listened to an interview with Hillary Clinton about her book, "Hard Choices". None of these people ever admit they f..ked up. Every situation is told from their perspective which is more fiction than anything. What galls me is that scores of "Mericans" will buy her book and reinforce the fiction. 

POW or DESERTER

Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the last known American POW, was freed after five years in captivity — an ordeal that began and ended in Afghanistan under a shroud of mystery."

The shroud of mystery becomes pretty clear once you read the exchanged emails between the soldier and his dad. In the weeks before he walked away into the shadows, he was becoming more and more disillusioned. Going AWOL in the Afghanistan environment would have to be some kind of dumb move. It is not like an experience I had in Germany with a LT who had orders for Vietnam. I had just come back and he was quizzing me. He left my office, got into his MGB and went to Sweden. Afghanistan ain't Sweden. 

There are so many issues surrounding this soldier. His email messages are crucial as examples of the type of wars we've been fighting and what role social media plays in them--crazy. Us Vietnam vets can't conceive of being in a firefight at war and it is over, "have to email home." What the heck is this! 

Unbelievable. Think about it: a lonely, disillusioned emotionally unsophisticated soldier in the wilderness of Afghanistan emailing his Dad these views of what is going on. At best the emails are a distraction and at worse, they often destroy morale or create disillusionment like that of Bergdahl. Bergdahl appears to have brought with him ideas that are wacky (at least to me) and at the same type, "Alice in Wonderland," wakes up in a new world every morning. 

I've read the Rolling Stone article. Good writing but with RS, always an angle. A Rolling Stone reporter did in General McChrystal. And, who knows about that. My Gen. Chrystal conspiracy theory is that he outsmarted the reporter. McChrystal knew that Afghanistan was a "fast train to nowhere" and this was a chance to escape. How best to do it, criticize the commander. 

In order to really get it, you have to understand the mindset of soldiers. It is a herd mentality and one that is geared, under almost any circumstance, to bitch and piss and moan as we call it, about their leaders. Look at Bergdahl's emails, putting the bad mouth on "Merica's" approach to the war. (This guy is a private, in military parlance, he is only allowed to breathe, not think).

"I am sorry for everything here," Bergdahl told his parents. "These people need help, yet what they get is the most conceited country in the world telling them that they are nothing and that they are stupid, that they have no idea how to live."

 Is this true? Probably, but, his "perception" (a person's perception is his reality but does not mean it is accurate) of what is. (Tom, you are the first one I heard this from). He then referred to what may have been a possible traumatic event: (RS) seeing an Afghan child run over by an American vehicle. "We don't even care when we hear each other talk about running their children down in the dirt streets with our armored trucks... We make fun of them in front of their faces, and laugh at them for not understanding we are insulting them."  

According to Rolling Stone, he concluded his e-mail with what, in another context, might read as a suicide note. "I am sorry for everything, the horror that is America is disgusting." Then he signed off with a final message to his mother and father. "There are a few more boxes coming to you guys...feel free to open them, and use them."

Bob Bergdahl responded to his son's final message not long after he received it. His subject line was titled: OBEY YOUR CONSCIENCE!

"Dear Bowe," he wrote. "In matters of life and death, and especially at war, it is never safe to ignore ones' conscience. Ethics demands obedience to our conscience. It is best to also have a systematic oral defense of what our conscience demands. Stand with like minded men when possible." He signed it simply "dad."

His dad is also culpable in my opinion. Knowing his son, this is not the message to give hIs son in the wiles of Afghanistan. He gave his son permission to go AWOL. (Absent Without Leave). 

We too are at fault. It is a sorry war and we have put our soldiers in impossible situations. Did the president do the right thing in getting Bergdahl home? I think so but now Bergdahl has to face the consequences of his actions. I feel sorry all the way around. There are no winners here. We could learn valuable lessons but I doubt we will. 

SLEEP

At war, sleep is always a premium. In Nam, we could go days and seemingly never sleep. You get to a point where you would almost do anything to get a little shut eye. Here's a good sleep story. It was raining and a bunch of us went into this little hut. It was probably two in the morning. The rain was coming down in sheets. I lay down on some straw along with some other guys. Just to get a few minutes would be like heaven. It seems we hadn't slept in days. Fast asleep and instinctantly I woke up. A rat was sitting on my stomach. A rat as big as a cat. If I moved, I could count on a bite and rabies. I was absolutely petrified. Finally the rat moved off. Forget sleep. If I have told war story before slap me. 

TRAGIC

The Santa Barbara thing is so tragic. In my view we are not off the hook. People should have recognized early on that he was crazy. The sexual thing, his sense of rejection, is interesting. 

He is not an attractive guy but there was somebody out there for him. Somebody like me should have grabbed him and slapped the shit out of him. There are many ways to shape him up. One article I read said, "sexually repressed;" everybody in the Muslim world is that. Here is a guy that those like myself should have been on top of it. F..k, in San Francisco, he could get laid for free, could have paid a few bucks, gotten a massage. I would have kicked his ass. I failed. This is being a little facetious but every time something happens like this, I always think there is a moment in time. Dang. 

POW

“I wouldn’t want to do it again but it was part of the experience of my life. Life is sort of an adventure. Sometimes the adventure gets out of hand”

Robert J. Flynn, shot down during the Vietnam war. He spent most of his time in solitary confinement. He retired as a Commander in the Navy. This a LTC. If he had been in the Army, he would have retired as a general. The Marines would have nominated him for Sainthood. Rightly so. What the f..k is wrong with the Navy. Plus, the damn inequity of it all. And, this isn’t to take away from these kids in the sorry ass wars of Iraq and Afghanistan who received the “Medal of Honor.” Commander Flynn should have gotten the Medal of Honor. What he got was what any military type will tell you: “I also served” medals. This p…sses me off to the max. What the f..k is wrong with those Navy weenies. I want to personally apologize to his wife and family.

Pics

EXPERIENCE

Yesterday, I am hanging out at one of  my favorite Coffee Houses (this is the literal name. It has big, great chairs, sofas), the place is mostly empty, very early. I am smiling because of a trite incident but weird. I am getting my coffee after paying and ordering an Elvis bagel (peanut butter, honey, and banana)." This female walks in the door,  off the street with her own coffee cup, puts cream in her coffee and walks out like she thinks this is some sort of community coffee house where you don't have to pay. What the hell is this? I am smiling. 

I sit in one of the big sofas so I can watch the street, busy, very comforting. This lady who honestly looks like you would think a "bag lady" (homeless) comes and sits down across from me. There is this entire place where she could have chosen. She is layered. Clothes on top of clothes. This is Frisco. (Using Frisco as I have just discovered that we were led down the primrose path by SF Chronicle, Columnist, Herb Cain. I never liked him anyway and as my Priest buddy, Ed Kristoff use to say, "he was a gossip."
Anyway, Frisco was the original name). 

I think, "What the hay," I should at least spring for coffee for the woman," although she is not asking for anything. This is an aside but relevant I think. 
If you live in a big city and confront the homeless regularly, you learn tricks: Ignore them, never stop and talk, don't engage. I usually don't pay any attention to these ideas, it is kind of the culture to me and I think, "how best to deal with it." I often fork over a buck or so, to most. I've heard all the arguments, "if you give them money, it encourages. I don't give a s..t. It is worth something maybe for the indignity of having to beg, pander? What the flying fig as my dad would say! 

Some have great scams. "Can you  spare a quarter?" Give me a break, he/she doesn't plan to stop at a quarter. If you give it to him, he knows he has potential for more. I like the guys who are selling the "Street Sheet." It is a small newspaper about homeless issues. Here's an exchange of last week. "OK, give me one of those Street Sheets." 
"Man, you are the best," as I hand him a dollar. He looks to be about 60, thin, very articulate, "Man, I can use some help. I would love a burger. I haven't eaten all day." 
"How much are we talking about?" 
"Oh five bucks." 
"What!" 
"Well, you know things are expensive. However you can help."
I laugh. He has me. "OK." 
"Man, one more dollar will get me a burger and a drink." 
What the hell, I am already into him for $5. LOL. I have been scammed and I know it. A few weeks ago at the ballpark while I am waiting for a friend, this guy kept talking to me and before I know it, he has me for $20. I love the signs. The best one I've seen lately is, "Please help? My family has been abducted by aliens." He got a buck from me for originality. 

The layered look, possibly bag lady/homeless opens up this gigantic satchel. She takes out all these artist supplies and before my eyes draws this really beautiful colored piece of art. Elvis bagel finished, I decide to risk commenting. "Beautiful drawing. Do you ever sell your art?" 
"Yes." 
How much for this piece?" 
"20." 
"I'll take it." 
"Really" 
"Yes." 
"I want to autograph." 
Here is where I think we might be dealing with something. She autographed, put her address on the back. Turned it over. Wrote her name again. Addressed, repeated the same info. I finally said, "I have to go." 
She gave up her art. I handed her $20. Then gave her a $5 for coffee. The money is insignificant, the experience was priceless.  

BASEBALL

There is a voice over in the movie, “Bull Durham,” where Susan Sarandon says something like, “Baseball is America’s game.” So true, Where else in America that we know where you can have an African American 12 year old sing the National Anthem; and, at some point, 40 thousand plus people enthusiastically join in on, “God Bless America.” It is a great time. 

Looking out on the crowd, it is the United Nations: black, white, Asian, Filipinos, Chinese, Koreans; well, you get my point. America’s game. An absolute sampling of a cross section of our great country. 

Such fun. Ballgame is kind of hard for talking, normal sorts of things, etc,—you have the game. There are acres of kids with their team jackets, their baseball gloves, ready to catch that errant baseball. 

Baseball is for kissing somebody you love, for touching, hugging: the excitement, up and down. It’s for yelling, eating, drinking, talking to strangers. It is what baseball is about. It is the “American game.” 

Go “Giants” but it could be with any American team. Maybe it is the reason that we try to preserve the integrity of the game. I don’t know, but, baseball is America’s game I do know.

Shut The F..K UP

Everybody has weighed in on "Racist Sterling." I haven't mainly because I didn't know what to say. Sterling is a f..king idiot any way you look at it. 

There are idiots and then there are idiots. The President had it right. "When you are listening to an ignorant racist, whatever, just let them keep talking." Such assholes. It is intriguing for many reasons. Yes we know he is a racist. He is blindly jeolous. He's 80 Years old and should be home looking after his grandchildren. What fries my ass constantly is the fact these sorry MFers have money. It galls the f..K out of me. I've listened to the debate. Everybody has done their thing, let's move on. 

Everybody has weighed in. Sterling is a first class racist, stripped of involvement in NBA. Who knows, he is old guy and going to "hit the road soon." How is God going to deal with this sorry f..ker. 

Part of his problem is that he is
hanging around with these young "fillys" amd eventuallu he'll pop tpo much Viagra will kill him anyway. He looks exhausted, if you get my drift. I am not a basketball fan so stripping Sterling and never forget the f..k is in a long line of racists. 

We have never dealt with race in the country and I don't think we can, really. In a country like ours, so diverse as a rule. It is just what it is. We have to see people as people. Here is another example: I've been following the Jill Abramson firing at the "NY Times." I think we might as well add gender to the area of "let's lay off." Let us white boys shut the f..k up. 

The VA

The VA does as well as it can, I believe. My experience has always been good. The San Francisco VA will rival any HMO in America, hands down. I am no spokesman for the VA or anybody for that matter. 

My initial experience wasn't great mainly because of the entrenched civilians who were the admin. Ten years later, I decided to try again and as my wife says, I just love to smell the soldiers. True, there simply is an affinity with those who have shared experiences. VA has improved. And, most of the docs (in Frisco) are from UCSF (University of Californis, San Francisco) which is the med school. A vet goes to the doc. Intern sees him. Asks a bunch of questions, tells him he thinks this. Goes out, gets his supervisor who comes in. Asks a bunch of questions. Makes diagnosis. Decides on treatment. This is top notch. Doesn't get any better. 

Is the scandal in AZ a big problem, waiting on appointments and in some cases while waiting, the Vet dies. Pretty sad and complicated and is more intricate than a TV sound bite. It wouldn't happen in San Fran, I assure you. And, shouldn't anywhere. Shinseki's fault? No. Let's give him  slack. I became a fan when Shinseki was the only general who raised questions before our stupidity in Iraq. That alone is enough to give him bigtime slack. 

TOBACCO

I usually don't forward things, leave that to Winnie Ruth. But, because this is our history, very interesting post about tobacco. When we were growing up, nobody thought about age of kids working, just if they could do it. 

I started cropping (we didn't call it picking as the article did) tobacco at age nine. I can't think of another single person in our class involved with tobacco but me. Right/wrong? What struck me about this article and video was the fact that I got sick everyday I was cropping tobacco. What I thought then as a youngster was that because I had to deal with the dew, leaves getting in my mouth, made me sick and throwing up. According to this article, it was probably nicotine poisoning. Amazing. Dang. 

Every small farmer had a small patch of tobacco. It was an allotment, set by some mysterious entity. I think it had to do with how big our farm was.

The strange thing is that usually we had five croppers. I was on the outside and as I got older, I was one of the fastest ones. I was next to what we called the "drag" row. A mule pulled a sled and the croppers laid the tobacco in the drag to go to the barn to be tied and ready for curing. Do any of you know all this. Well, interesting. 

I have always been a friend of tobacco. When I have been in situations here in California where "health nuts" have put the "bad mouth" on smoking, my usual response is that I can't ever criticize those who smoke as when I was growing up on a tobacco farm in NC, tobacco put food on the table. Most of the time, if anybody is paying any attention they give me the" nobody is home look." Anyway, here is video.  

http://npr.tumblr.com/post/85719670546/kids-under-18-cant-buy-cigarettes-in-the-

God bless and as the NASCAR guys say, God bless, "Merica."