Monday, August 25, 2008

Not 5 Minutes Ago My Son Walked Out The Door...

...on his way to his first day of college. I gave him the speech, a short one at that, about paying attention in his studies, about asking the professors questions about what they expect and how they run their classes. I also asked him if he had paper and pens. Of course he did. I also shook his hand, and congratulated him on being a college man. Man I am getting old. Yet for Brendan, who is still young, the world awaits him. Now it is up to him what he will make of the world by way of what he makes of himself.

All the best,
Glenn B

9 comments:

Rita Loca said...

Congrats! Can you share what he is studying?

Glenn B said...

He's a biology major now as an undergrad, hoping to pave the way to a veterinary degree down the road for his Masters.

Pen of Jen said...

Yay, I am sorry that through my blahs I missed this. How neat that Brendan is on this next path of LIFE!!!

Jen

Elmo said...

What? You didn't send him off to war? Why let all that training go to waste? Another chickenhawk on a mission...

Glenn B said...

I have wasted no training on my son. He is a man who makes up his own mind about what to do with his life. I have suggested to him, several times, that he consider joining the military. He is considering doing so after college. I think he feels it best that if he joins he has a good chance of becoming an officer. He may or may not join, that sir is up to him.

As to your chickenhawk comment - do you even know the meaning of the term as applied to a person who preys on young children. It is strictly used to define a pedophile. Only a complete asshole or a disrespectful asshole would leave such an implication in response to one of my blogs. Which are you?

Let's see, you have an ultra liberal blog, you are afraid to post a picture of yourself on your blog so instead you show a picture of a muppet, you brag about having been an army ranger which would seemingly indicate some level of patriotism and pride in country yet you readily put down anyone who is conservative and serves it, you put me down, yet my injuries were not due to lack of dexterity during HS athletics but due to serving my country and I was injured a few times in the line of duty. Additionally you actually have a habit of slamming other people's blogs on a regular basis showing an absolute need to be disrespectful - probably because of poor upbringing - and i can say my son will amount to more of a man and be a better human being than you culd even hope to become.

Of course I should take you comment only after considering from whence it came, and that was from a man (or are you a woman, hard to tell with that Elmo pic). It came from someone who is too afraid to post a pic of him or herself on his or her blog. It came from someone who talks about him or herself in the third person - usually as I see ita sign of mental problems and almost certainly of self esteem problems, and it comes from someone who is apparently just a nasty person in general what with a regular Monday blog bash. So I'll take it as a comment from a spinless, disrespectful, ultra liberal. Would I be wrong in doing so?I'd bet on it!

When you mature and would like to ever have a debate or discussion of some real issues, as opposed to whether or not you like me or my blog, am willing to do just that in front of a public audience. If you would rather discuss something with me in private, well I am amenable to that, and the invite I left at your blog stands.

Try to have a nice day now between your snivelling and disrespectful ranting.

Regards,
Glenn B

Glenn B said...

Elmo,

I have never served in the military. I went to college just after the Vietnam War was over, then went right into federal civil service since there were no conflicts at the time. I did attempt to join the National Guard, and the reserves, in about 1987 or 1988; however, I was told they would not even consider me because of an on the job injury I had sustained in the Customs Service that led to disc removal surgery. I have regretted that I did not try to join earlier, but such are the breaks in life.

I have served in federal law enforcement for over 28 years: about 4 years in the U.S. Border Patrol at Calexico, CA, about 3 years as a U.S. Customs Patrol officer in NYC, about 16 years as a U.S. Customs Special Agent with the Office of Investigations at JFK Airport and in the NYC office, and about 5 years with ICE/DHS in NYC.

In Customs and ICE I have had numerous special details to include: three to the southwest border, one to the northwest border, one to Florida, one to Jamaica, and one to Haiti. I have also been assigned to numerous Secret Service details protecting politicians from both sides of the political fence and protecting foreign dignitaries. I also spent 5months in a temporary assignment as a Federal Air Marshal immediately after 9/11. I volunteered for all of those duties. The majority of my cases have been narcotics smuggling and financial investigations (money laundering and cash smuggling).I also had collateral duties as a firearms instructor for 14 years with the U.S. Customs Service.

I have been involved in several violent confrontations in that time, including numerous gang assaults against me, a knife attack against me, and a guy who attacked me and tried to shoot me with my own revolver. I guess I was the winner since I am still at it, and they were arrested. It has been an interesting 28 plus years of service.

You asked about my service, that was it. Of course now you have plenty more to bring to your web site to tell your readers how gay I sound, or how lame am I, or whatever you please. If that is what you wish, have at it, I will not belittle myself with bothering with you again if that be the case.

Regards,
GB

Elmo said...

Thanks for the honesty, Glenn, and for your service in our government. You know, there wouldn't be no 'elmo' if his liberal patriotism wasn't spit upon...just sayn'. But it is what it is, so I'm just going to drive on too. Have a nice life...

Rita Loca said...

Elmo got a tongue lashing!!!

Glenn B said...

Hey Elmo,

Now I am curious. Correct me if I am wrong, but you came to my blog read some stuff, then left a disrespectful comment to my blog, slammed me on your blog, and now tell me you would not have done that if your brand of patriotism had not been spit upon! I certainly did not do that to you, nor do I do it to others. You seem to be the one who did it to me. I just don't get it.

As a matter of fact, I do not slam patriots based upon their politics, I usually don't even slam unpatriotic people just based on their politics. I understand there are patriots who are right and left and middle of the road, and everything in between. I speak out against those who are ultra whackos on both sides of the fence though, and I speak out against policies that I think are foolish or in violation of my rights. I speak up for those whom I feel are worthy of my support in politics and against those I do not think are worthy, and I speak up for our rights as United States Citizens, or as legal immigrants to this country. That is in no way spitting on someone who is a patriot of a different political slant than am I, that is exercising my right to free speech. It is almost the same as what you seem to do, but I do not go out of my to slam people just because they are on the other side of the political spectrum from me. You seemingly though did just that to me, and I don't quite understand why. Have I ever offended you by mocking you, bad mouthing you, or anything like that prior to you having slammed my blog?

As to supporting patriots, you'll note on the upper right side of my blog I link to Soldiers Angels and other such organizations. I am a member of Soldiers Angels, and have my 2nd soldier assigned to me. I make up care packages for them, email them, and so forth. I don't give a rat's arse if they are liberal, conservative, independent, gay, straight, religious, atheist or whatever. All I know is that the great majority of them are in the military by choice, therefore are patriots, and therefore I support them. Before I joined up with Soldier's Angels, I had sent several care packages to another soldier that I wound up communicating with because of a mutual interest we had in keeping reptiles. When I found out he was leaving he country to go to Iraq (or was it Afghanistan, I cannot recall for sure), I started to communicate with him regularly, then sent him care packages to keep him going. he made it home safe and sound, as did my first assigned soldier from Soldier's Angels. Hopefully my current one will too, I wish they all would do likewise, and whether they are left, right, center - it does not matter to me - they virtually are all patriots.

I respect you too, and think you are a patriot because of your service. I appreciate it maybe more than you can imagine no matter what political affiliation you have. Of course I got upset at you when you wrote my blog up the way you did and such, but what could you expect. Hang in there, just because people argue politically does not mean we should be enemies, or attack one another, but it does mean we are all American exercising our rights to free speech, to assembly, to vote and so on.

All the best,
Glenn B