...now back to WWIII.
Lest you think I am making light of that about which I have written on the subject, I am not doing so by mentioning my having to fold the wash. As a matter of fact, my having to do so is analogous to leaders of the free world having other more mundane things to which they need to attend than solely worrying about whether or not we are on the verge of the breakout of a real world war. Truth be told, those other more mundane duties need to be done too, but our leaders best not ignore the threat that is percolating not all that far beneath the surface, and that promises to erupt and catch us sleeping as it did the last time around in WWII or on 9/11. The problem with it catching us sleeping this time around is that many of our allies' countries, and our own country, have been inundated by hordes of vermin who would do us harm in the name of their god or of their countries, or in the spirit of simply being anti-America (or anti-democratic Republic).
All the signs are there, for anyone to see, that a very large wear is brewing, that promises to be the harshest war we have yet faced (I fear it will make our losses in Iraq pale in comparison). No holds will be barred this time around. We will face the threats of nuclear, biological, chemical, and radiological strikes, as will our allies. We will face a large number of countries run by fanatics, and populated by the same. We will also be faced with attacks by fanatics who are already within our porous borders. It will, mirror, WWII to a great extent, and it will surpass it in the horrors we are bound to experience. It does not matter much what we do now as to whether or not this war will come, but what does matter now is how we prepare for it. We can be ready to strike with conclusive force in the beginning, or we can again get caught sleeping at the helm. I prefer that we wake up sooner than later and ready ourselves for it, how about you?
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, January 31, 2007
Venezuela's Congress Grants Chavez Special Powers to Remake Country
To me the above headline from FoxNews.com @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248929,00.html sure sounds familiar, at least to something that I learned in history class and while watching the World At War. There is an all to familiar ring of Nazi Germany in all of it. Now before someone gets all bent out of shape and says, no it is not like Nazi Germany because Chavez is not persecuting Jewish people, hold your water. Nazi Germany was not only about persecuting Jews, in fact that was pretty much secondary to the goals of the Nazis like Hitler. The extermination of about 12 to 13 million people in concentration camps, (6 million of them Jewish, leaving 6 to 7 million of other belief systems) was a terrible way to try to achieve an end but was not the overall end that was being achieved. The number one goal was the establishment of the Third Reich, the coming to power, above all else, of the Fatherland.
Now, as I said, should you doubt that this is much the same in Venezuela with Chavez, then you are wrong as per what Chavez's own people have to say. In the words of said National Assembly President Cilia Flores, according to the FoxNews article: "Long live the sovereign people! Long live President Hugo Chavez! Long live socialism!" And here is another one, maybe a continuation of the first part: "Fatherland, socialism or death! We will prevail!"
This all makes me wonder how close we are to WWIII, a full scale WWIII. Not all that long before WWII broke out in earnest, we pretty much ignored Adolph Hitler and his brown shirt wearing thugs. We ignored Hitler being voted in office. We ignored Hitler getting similar powers in Germany. All the same while, we ignored Hitler's speeches of hate, and we ignored the rearmament of Germany, something that had been forbidden by international treaty. Hitler ignored the treaty too. We also, for the most part, ignored the Japanese in their expansion throughout China and other parts of Asia. We ignored their bad intent so much that we actually sent them scrap metal that they used to build an air force and a navy. We kept on ignoring them all the way up to what had been the worst single attack on American soil prior to 9/11/2001.
We also ignored Mussolini in his rise to power. We ignored his ambitions to conquer northern Africa. Those were considered the big 3 countries of the Axis powers in WWII, but there were others: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, and Croatia were all Axis countries. Look at that list of countries, and look at the list of those that exist today which could, and quite possibly will, form an alliance similar to that of the Axis powers.
Today we have Iran (with a very Hitler like leader, at least in his rhetoric, and apparently in his military buildup and we mostly ignore it, except maybe for GWB). We talk about but otherwise ignore North Korea with a leader rather like the emperor of Japan, though probably mentally ill too, and we mostly ignore his militarism, his buildup of nuclear technology using know how from USA (thanks president Clinton for giving the North Koreans nuclear tech for power plants now being used for nuclear weapons). We also prety much ignore Chavez (trying to get the gas stations to run well) is sort of like Mussolini, a wanna-be big fish who will probably just wind up being chum in the long run, but who nonetheless is now a supreme dictator. Then look to other countries, the smaller ones maybe, but all of them likely to join an Axis of Evil if WWIII breaks out. (Axis of Evil is, by the way, one of the few smart things GWB ever came up with). Those other countries would quite possibly include Cuba, Syria, Libya, Yemen. We pretty much igonore them, and the threat they pose. Sure we jabber about it, hear it on the news now and then to, but basically do nothing. Much like Chamberlain in the UK before WWII, we bend over backwards to appease and tolerate our probable soon to be enemies.
There also would be what could be seen as those countries against us, but not really allied with our enemies. China could be a big one that way. Either as an ally of our enemies or just our enemy, that would hurt us badly. They have no love for us, and would likely love to be the predominant world power, so who knows if they would join an Axis of Evil? If they did, we would need all the help we could get, and from where would it come?
Who could we depend upon as sure allies in a world wide confrontation on the scale of WWII or larger? The Australians, almost assuredly, they have been one of our most loyal allies. The Austrians probably would be neutral. The British, my bet would be yes, but it would be tough to drag them in. The Danish, my bet would be yes. Italy, would be an ally. Poland would be likewise. Other European countries like Germany, France, Spain would all be questionable at best, and possibly team up with our enemies at worst. Russia might be a wild card here, sort of like China, but my bet is they would see it like they did in WWII and become one of the allied powers with the USA.
African nations are a toss up. Most are so unstable that if WWIII broke out, governments in Africa would or could change drastically overnight. Much of South America is likewise. As far as mexico and Canada go, who can tell, though I would hope they were our allies I am none to sure they would side with us.
In the far east, I believe that India and Pakistan (despite their differences with one another) would ally with us. This would cause major internal strife within Pakistan, as it is doing now, but to a greater degree. Japan, would almost assuredly remain our ally, and would likely take an active part in any military aspects of a WW to include deploying Japanese troops on foreign soil for the first time in over ½ a century. They have bee readying for war for quite some time now, they have the foresight to see it coming and being a big one.
Of course, there are plenty of other countries in the world that I have not mentioned. Some will strive to remain neutral, but I am not too certain they will be able to do so if they have Muslim populations mixed in with populations consisting of those of other religions. Yes I am thinking that WWIII will be primarily a war fueled by religious insanity on the part of Islam.
Now, as I said, should you doubt that this is much the same in Venezuela with Chavez, then you are wrong as per what Chavez's own people have to say. In the words of said National Assembly President Cilia Flores, according to the FoxNews article: "Long live the sovereign people! Long live President Hugo Chavez! Long live socialism!" And here is another one, maybe a continuation of the first part: "Fatherland, socialism or death! We will prevail!"
This all makes me wonder how close we are to WWIII, a full scale WWIII. Not all that long before WWII broke out in earnest, we pretty much ignored Adolph Hitler and his brown shirt wearing thugs. We ignored Hitler being voted in office. We ignored Hitler getting similar powers in Germany. All the same while, we ignored Hitler's speeches of hate, and we ignored the rearmament of Germany, something that had been forbidden by international treaty. Hitler ignored the treaty too. We also, for the most part, ignored the Japanese in their expansion throughout China and other parts of Asia. We ignored their bad intent so much that we actually sent them scrap metal that they used to build an air force and a navy. We kept on ignoring them all the way up to what had been the worst single attack on American soil prior to 9/11/2001.
We also ignored Mussolini in his rise to power. We ignored his ambitions to conquer northern Africa. Those were considered the big 3 countries of the Axis powers in WWII, but there were others: Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Yugoslavia, and Croatia were all Axis countries. Look at that list of countries, and look at the list of those that exist today which could, and quite possibly will, form an alliance similar to that of the Axis powers.
Today we have Iran (with a very Hitler like leader, at least in his rhetoric, and apparently in his military buildup and we mostly ignore it, except maybe for GWB). We talk about but otherwise ignore North Korea with a leader rather like the emperor of Japan, though probably mentally ill too, and we mostly ignore his militarism, his buildup of nuclear technology using know how from USA (thanks president Clinton for giving the North Koreans nuclear tech for power plants now being used for nuclear weapons). We also prety much ignore Chavez (trying to get the gas stations to run well) is sort of like Mussolini, a wanna-be big fish who will probably just wind up being chum in the long run, but who nonetheless is now a supreme dictator. Then look to other countries, the smaller ones maybe, but all of them likely to join an Axis of Evil if WWIII breaks out. (Axis of Evil is, by the way, one of the few smart things GWB ever came up with). Those other countries would quite possibly include Cuba, Syria, Libya, Yemen. We pretty much igonore them, and the threat they pose. Sure we jabber about it, hear it on the news now and then to, but basically do nothing. Much like Chamberlain in the UK before WWII, we bend over backwards to appease and tolerate our probable soon to be enemies.
There also would be what could be seen as those countries against us, but not really allied with our enemies. China could be a big one that way. Either as an ally of our enemies or just our enemy, that would hurt us badly. They have no love for us, and would likely love to be the predominant world power, so who knows if they would join an Axis of Evil? If they did, we would need all the help we could get, and from where would it come?
Who could we depend upon as sure allies in a world wide confrontation on the scale of WWII or larger? The Australians, almost assuredly, they have been one of our most loyal allies. The Austrians probably would be neutral. The British, my bet would be yes, but it would be tough to drag them in. The Danish, my bet would be yes. Italy, would be an ally. Poland would be likewise. Other European countries like Germany, France, Spain would all be questionable at best, and possibly team up with our enemies at worst. Russia might be a wild card here, sort of like China, but my bet is they would see it like they did in WWII and become one of the allied powers with the USA.
African nations are a toss up. Most are so unstable that if WWIII broke out, governments in Africa would or could change drastically overnight. Much of South America is likewise. As far as mexico and Canada go, who can tell, though I would hope they were our allies I am none to sure they would side with us.
In the far east, I believe that India and Pakistan (despite their differences with one another) would ally with us. This would cause major internal strife within Pakistan, as it is doing now, but to a greater degree. Japan, would almost assuredly remain our ally, and would likely take an active part in any military aspects of a WW to include deploying Japanese troops on foreign soil for the first time in over ½ a century. They have bee readying for war for quite some time now, they have the foresight to see it coming and being a big one.
Of course, there are plenty of other countries in the world that I have not mentioned. Some will strive to remain neutral, but I am not too certain they will be able to do so if they have Muslim populations mixed in with populations consisting of those of other religions. Yes I am thinking that WWIII will be primarily a war fueled by religious insanity on the part of Islam.
Just as I got on a roll - she who must be obeyed told me the wash is done - meaning I have folding to do. More on this interesting topic later - no not on the wash, on this WWIII stuff...
All the best,
Glenn B
three CD's down now, The Doors Waiting For The Sun, Kelly Clarkson Breakaway, and finally Joe Cocker Ultimate Collection... some fine music.Tunes for the day...
...actually arrived yestersay in the mail, but I only opened them today. I just started to listen to the first one I grabbed. The Doors Waiting For The Sun; I think it to be one of the best albums at least done by The Doors. They just did not get much better than this one - no one did for that matter.
All in all, this time around, I got myself 6 CD's. Most of what I buy are time pieces, that is albums based on my youthful years way back when. I never had a big selection back then of albums, by my CED collection is growing slowly but surely. I would guess I have about 80 to 90 or maybe 100 by now. As it turns out, most of the music I like very much is from back then, but certainly not all of it (back then would be the late 60s, through the seventies, maybe abit into the 80s. Keeping with that these are the other CD's I just picked up:
Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune
Joe Cocker - Ultimate Colection
The Doors - Watiting For The Sun
The Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed
The New Riders Of The Purple Sage - The Best of...
A more contemporary work I also received in the same order was:
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Thanks to my having joined a music club, I will be listening to good tunes all day today. The BMG Musisc Service membership is a pretty good deal, and I have pretty much bought almost all of my CDs through them over about the past 4 years or so. Mind you, they are only really a good deal when you can get album/CDs on sale at a great price, with free shipping, or when you get the CDs at a lowball price with shipping added. These 6 CD's cost me about $39.00. So about $6.50 each with shipping and tax included. I don't think I could get anywhere close at my local CD joint.
Oh well, so much for the blog, I have to pay attention to Spanish Caravan which at 2:58 is way too short. Then maybe a little Joe Cocker, followed by Kelly Clarkson - all before dinner...
All the best,
Glenn B
All in all, this time around, I got myself 6 CD's. Most of what I buy are time pieces, that is albums based on my youthful years way back when. I never had a big selection back then of albums, by my CED collection is growing slowly but surely. I would guess I have about 80 to 90 or maybe 100 by now. As it turns out, most of the music I like very much is from back then, but certainly not all of it (back then would be the late 60s, through the seventies, maybe abit into the 80s. Keeping with that these are the other CD's I just picked up:
Blue Oyster Cult - Agents Of Fortune
Joe Cocker - Ultimate Colection
The Doors - Watiting For The Sun
The Moody Blues - Days Of Future Passed
The New Riders Of The Purple Sage - The Best of...
A more contemporary work I also received in the same order was:
Kelly Clarkson - Breakaway
Thanks to my having joined a music club, I will be listening to good tunes all day today. The BMG Musisc Service membership is a pretty good deal, and I have pretty much bought almost all of my CDs through them over about the past 4 years or so. Mind you, they are only really a good deal when you can get album/CDs on sale at a great price, with free shipping, or when you get the CDs at a lowball price with shipping added. These 6 CD's cost me about $39.00. So about $6.50 each with shipping and tax included. I don't think I could get anywhere close at my local CD joint.
Oh well, so much for the blog, I have to pay attention to Spanish Caravan which at 2:58 is way too short. Then maybe a little Joe Cocker, followed by Kelly Clarkson - all before dinner...
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
"They did exactly what they were told to do,"
...said Rataczak, adding that the actions of the soldiers prevented an international incident from occurring.
The Rataczak mentioned above is a military commander. The thing to which he refers when he unconvincingly comments about preventing an international incident is the retreat of military troops when confronted by unidentified apparently heavily armed men. While you may think the above statement was made in connection with affairs in Iran, North Korea, Iraq or Afghanistan - you would be wrong. Rataczak is Major General David Rataczak, the head of the Arizona National Guard. The incident took place on the Arizona (one of the 50 United States) - Mexico (a foreign country) border. What happened, according to: National Guard General: Gunmen Likely Came Across U.S. Border Troops by Chance is that 4 Arizona (remember part of the USA) National Guardsmen were on duty, in an observation post, on the north side of the U.S./Mexican border when they were confronted by 4 to 8 unidentified fairly heavily armed men. These men have been reported as having military style firearms, possibly fully automatic, and to have been wearing dark fatigues and body armor (CNN televised report on 01/30/07).
So what did the National Guardsmen do, just what they had been ordered to do, retreat and then call in the Border Patrol. In the ensuing 15 minutes or so that it took the Border Patrol to respond, the unidentified armed men apparently walked into Mexico. We don't know who they were, what they were doing, where they were going. Neither do we know: where they had intended to go, and what they had intended to do before they were spotted. These guys were reportedly given medals for their actions, no not the unidentified gunmen, but the 4 National Guardsmen. What deserved a medal is beyond me, but that is what I heard reported on CNN today. If they deserved medals for their inaction, for their following orders to retreat in the face of a possible armed invasion of the USA, then all I can say is we have already lost the war!
Yes I mean it, we are at a point where we have hopelessly lost the war against terrorism, against illegal aliens, against illegal arms and drug smuggling, against anyone and anything if our National Guard troops cannot protect the borders of our nation from invasion or from outbound smuggling of things like high tech strategic devices (yes smuggling over our borders goes both ways, not just inbound). I have to wonder what would have happened had the scenario played out differently. What would have happened if the unidentified gunmen had instead walked north to a vehicle, gotten into that vehicle, traveled to a major U&.S. City like Phoenix, Arizona, then detonated a nuclear or dirty bomb in that city. I have to wonder what will happen if they were instead in possession of stolen military secrets that they were smuggling out to one of our enemies. I have to wonder, who in Washington, D.C., or who in the government of Arizona, gave the absolutely ridiculous order, for they who are by their name destined to guard our nation, to retreat when confronted by possible armed invaders.
Read the article above, pay close attention to the statement of the major general when he talked about the moment when one of the National Guardsmen was faced down by one of the unidentified armed men. They were reportedly 45 feet apart, both holding rifles, and there was not even a question asked of the unidentified armed man. He was not told to stop, not told to identify himself, not told to drop his weapon, not told anything by the national Guardsmen, or so it seems from the reports I have read and heard.
Of course some politicians and the major general don't see this as a problem. I though see it as a major one. The hands of the national Guardsmen have been tied despite what was reportedly said by Democratic Rep. Tom Prezelski of Tucson, who reportedly said he was certain that the troops were ready to handle the situation had it gotten worse. He also said this: ""I am a little uncomfortable with the idea that we are portraying them as helpless and having their hands tied," Prezelski said" (from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248578,00.html). Well as I see Representative Prezelski knows not of what he speaks. If I had had an armed individual confront me in the middle of the Arizona desert, while holding what appeared to be a military assault rifle, while dressed in dark BDUs, while wearing body armor, you can bet I would have made an attempt to stop him, disarm him, identify him, and determine if he was a threat to my country - instead of retreating and letting the guy(s) walk away unchallenged. It would have taken a split second, and a small one at that, for the bad guys to have opened fire on the troops and killed them. There is no reason they should have to be fired upon first before they take appropriate actions. I have been in law enforcement for over 27 years now, and spent my first few years in the Border Patrol. What these National Guardsmen did was, through no fault of their own, a disgrace to the United States of America, and signifies we likely are being governed by out and out horses' asses in Washington who don't give a damn about the lives of those they send to patrol our borders, and who do not give a damn about our borders or our nation! All they care about is votes. You are the folks who elected them, now do something about it in the next election to get them out. Before then though, write, call, email your elected officials to demand that our borders are made secure, and that our people securing those borders are not hog-tied by ludicrous regulations enacted by stuffed shirts who do not have a clue as to the reality of national security.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, January 29, 2007
Does the USA really need or want socialized health care...
...as Hillary Clinton would have us believe. I think not. I think the adults in this country realize there are many pitfalls in such a system, pitfalls that will lead to terrible health care in our nation. We all probably have heard the horror stories from places like Canada, and Great Britain about having to wait months for required heart surgery, patients dying unnecessarily because of overburdened clinics and hospitals, taxes sky rocketing because of nationalized health care costs and so forth. A prime example of how taxpayers' money is wasted in socialized medicine situations is the one we see today at FoxNews.com in the article: 12-Year-Old Boy Becomes 14-Year-Old Girl, World's Youngest Sex Change Patient @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,248196,00.html. No there was no sudden age change, the headline possibly misleads there, but there was a sex change. Not only is it heinous that such a treatment (hormone treatment) was performed on a 14 year old child, but it was performed at taxpayer expense to the tune of $40,000. My guess would be the taxpayers of Germany, where this was done, will pay for this persons treatments, possible surgery, and possible counseling for years to come. Could you imagine such being allowed here at taxpayer expense on a regular basis. It is disgusting to think this is where we are possibly headed if someone like Hillary Clinton, or another whacko ultra liberal, is elected president.
Heavens help me, I may have to find religion.
All the best,
Glenn B
The Pre-retirement Job Search...
...has commenced in earnest. It is becoming more and more difficult to come to my current job each day; I think I may be ready for retirement from it, and then ready for a 2nd career. Tonight I went to Monster.com, and I applied for 11 positions from Assistant Security Supervisor at 50K, to Senior Investigator at the NYC Public Library (of all places) at 40K, to Insurance Fraud/Field Investigator from 40 K up to 80K, to Tactical Law Enforcement Officer (overseas contract assignments in places like Afghanistan), to Case Manager/Counselor (mental health setting), to Crisis Intervention Specialist, to Training Specialist, to Teacher's Assistant.
I recently have also applied for, and taken some tests for, positions with NY State.
As I previously wrote, I also applied recently for the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. I am really hopeful that I can land that one. Pay starts off at about 42 to 50K, you start teaching after a 6 or 7 week training program, and the program subsidizes you in getting a Master's Degree in education. Summers off sure would be nice - especially with that salary added onto my pension.
The application process, so far, has been pretty easy; and it has certainly stirred hope for me in that I may leave my current job with something else lined up ready to go. If it turns out I do find something else, I will probably retire much sooner than my self selected final cut off date of January 2009 (with a much more realistic self selected cut off date of January 2008).
I sure would like a job with summers off, that would be sweet.
All the best,
Glenn B
I recently have also applied for, and taken some tests for, positions with NY State.
As I previously wrote, I also applied recently for the New York City Teaching Fellows Program. I am really hopeful that I can land that one. Pay starts off at about 42 to 50K, you start teaching after a 6 or 7 week training program, and the program subsidizes you in getting a Master's Degree in education. Summers off sure would be nice - especially with that salary added onto my pension.
The application process, so far, has been pretty easy; and it has certainly stirred hope for me in that I may leave my current job with something else lined up ready to go. If it turns out I do find something else, I will probably retire much sooner than my self selected final cut off date of January 2009 (with a much more realistic self selected cut off date of January 2008).
I sure would like a job with summers off, that would be sweet.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, January 28, 2007
A few Happy (?) Events...
...in today's news.
First I bring to your attention the Lucky Duck story all over again, but with a new twist. Yes I mean the duck that was shot last week by the hunter, then put into the fridge, only to give a scare to the hunter's wife 2 days later when she opened the fridge. Well it seems the duck underwent surgery, and had another close call, it was badly effected by the anesthesia. The doc gave it CPR (can you imagine lips to quacker) and it recovered once again. Amazing bird. This duck may actually be a catbird with 9 lives!
Then there was the story about Ice Block falling from the sky and the guy whose Ford Mustang was obliterated; and while that is not good at least the guy was not driving it at the time, and that has to be very good. In fact no one was injured. The truly amazing thing is that the FAA is uncertain if a plane was involved in the incident, but then again I guess refrigerator sized pieces of ice falling from a clear blue sky are an everyday occurence in Florida.
Yes there are good stories in the news if you look for them.
All the best,
Glenn B
First I bring to your attention the Lucky Duck story all over again, but with a new twist. Yes I mean the duck that was shot last week by the hunter, then put into the fridge, only to give a scare to the hunter's wife 2 days later when she opened the fridge. Well it seems the duck underwent surgery, and had another close call, it was badly effected by the anesthesia. The doc gave it CPR (can you imagine lips to quacker) and it recovered once again. Amazing bird. This duck may actually be a catbird with 9 lives!
Then there was the story about Ice Block falling from the sky and the guy whose Ford Mustang was obliterated; and while that is not good at least the guy was not driving it at the time, and that has to be very good. In fact no one was injured. The truly amazing thing is that the FAA is uncertain if a plane was involved in the incident, but then again I guess refrigerator sized pieces of ice falling from a clear blue sky are an everyday occurence in Florida.
Yes there are good stories in the news if you look for them.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, January 27, 2007
Busy Day Today...
...so I did not get a chance to write until tonight. I went out to a few tag sales this morning, and I picked up a few items. Then I went to visit my mom, sister, brother-in-law and nephew.
As for the tag sale, I think in all I got 4 books, one old fashioned hand press juicer by Wear-Ever, and a beautiful vase for my darling wife Linda. I got em all for the whopping price of $10!
The books I picked up were: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Paddy's Lament by Thomas Gallagher, and Tales of Mystery by Edgar Allan Poe. I plan to read Of Human Bondage if only because I enjoyed one other book I read that was by Maugham - The razor's Edge. I also plan to read Leaves of Grass as I probably never read anything by Whitman except in school many years ago. The Poe book, well I probably have read all the stories in it; I thought it was an older edition possibly worth something, but it is not. As for Paddy's Lament, I have it up for auction on Ebay right now. I'll probably also auction off the juicer, that is after I clean it and try it out on some oranges or lemons just for some nostalgic fun.
As for the vase, well I figure it was worth the cost of all the items combined. I don't know if it really would cost $10 or not, but my wife liked it. Of course you may not agree that it was worth it, but you can judge for yourself by looking at the picture. It is about 10 inches tall. The design is not painted on the glass, it is actually inside the glass, kind of neat however they did it. It will probably look a lot better with flowers in it.
Too bad it does not say Tiffany and Co. somewhere on it, that would make it look even better than having flowers in it. Oh well, I guess I have been watching too much of the Antiques Road Show, and too much of Cash in The Attic. Yet, as I said, the wife likes it, and that is what counts!
All the best,
Glenn B
As for the tag sale, I think in all I got 4 books, one old fashioned hand press juicer by Wear-Ever, and a beautiful vase for my darling wife Linda. I got em all for the whopping price of $10!
The books I picked up were: Of Human Bondage by W. Somerset Maugham, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, Paddy's Lament by Thomas Gallagher, and Tales of Mystery by Edgar Allan Poe. I plan to read Of Human Bondage if only because I enjoyed one other book I read that was by Maugham - The razor's Edge. I also plan to read Leaves of Grass as I probably never read anything by Whitman except in school many years ago. The Poe book, well I probably have read all the stories in it; I thought it was an older edition possibly worth something, but it is not. As for Paddy's Lament, I have it up for auction on Ebay right now. I'll probably also auction off the juicer, that is after I clean it and try it out on some oranges or lemons just for some nostalgic fun.As for the vase, well I figure it was worth the cost of all the items combined. I don't know if it really would cost $10 or not, but my wife liked it. Of course you may not agree that it was worth it, but you can judge for yourself by looking at the picture. It is about 10 inches tall. The design is not painted on the glass, it is actually inside the glass, kind of neat however they did it. It will probably look a lot better with flowers in it.
Too bad it does not say Tiffany and Co. somewhere on it, that would make it look even better than having flowers in it. Oh well, I guess I have been watching too much of the Antiques Road Show, and too much of Cash in The Attic. Yet, as I said, the wife likes it, and that is what counts!
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, January 26, 2007
A great feeling of Political Joy, maybe fleeting joy,...
... swept my spirits to new heights this evening when I read: Rep. Tancredo to form presidential committee @ http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16654671/. In other words, the man I feel would be best choice as our next president of the United States of America is doing what Hillary Clinton just did. he is forming an exploratory committee to see if his running for the office of president would be feasible.
As for me, I can only hope he decides to run, although as I said my feeling of joy is probably fleeting. I say this because I do not believe he will make it through the primaries, though if he did, I believe he would stand a good chance of beating down any candidate the democrats could offer. He stands for strict enforcement of laws against illegal entry of aliens into the USA, he stands for enactment of reasonable laws regarding legal immigration, he stands for a strong national defense, he stands for the war against terrorism, he stands for law and order, he is fairly pro second amendment, and most recently he has come out against hypocrisy in government by calling for an end to racism in the halls of government in that he has called for an end to caucuses based solely upon race - see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16812597/.
He is a conservative, not a moderate republican. I like that even though I am not anti-abortion; I really believe it is a choice to be made in certain instances such as rape, incest, danger to the mother, and so forth. I do not believe abortion is the answer to being a slut. I think he is more opposed to abortion than am I, but I can live with that, especially in light of the other things for which he stands. Yet, because he is a person who speaks his mind, because he seems to be quite up front about his political opinions, because he is conservative in the truer sense of conservatism, I think it will be tough for him to beat more moderate republican candidates in the primaries if only because they spin things better than someone who is straight forward. Yet if he can do that, he can win the election as compared to anything the dems can offer. There is yet hope for the 2008 elections as I see it. I can only hope he decides to throw his hat into the ring, and that he gets enough name recognition from the rest of America. He would be, in my opinion, a good thing for our country.
All the best,
Glenn b
As for me, I can only hope he decides to run, although as I said my feeling of joy is probably fleeting. I say this because I do not believe he will make it through the primaries, though if he did, I believe he would stand a good chance of beating down any candidate the democrats could offer. He stands for strict enforcement of laws against illegal entry of aliens into the USA, he stands for enactment of reasonable laws regarding legal immigration, he stands for a strong national defense, he stands for the war against terrorism, he stands for law and order, he is fairly pro second amendment, and most recently he has come out against hypocrisy in government by calling for an end to racism in the halls of government in that he has called for an end to caucuses based solely upon race - see: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/16812597/.
He is a conservative, not a moderate republican. I like that even though I am not anti-abortion; I really believe it is a choice to be made in certain instances such as rape, incest, danger to the mother, and so forth. I do not believe abortion is the answer to being a slut. I think he is more opposed to abortion than am I, but I can live with that, especially in light of the other things for which he stands. Yet, because he is a person who speaks his mind, because he seems to be quite up front about his political opinions, because he is conservative in the truer sense of conservatism, I think it will be tough for him to beat more moderate republican candidates in the primaries if only because they spin things better than someone who is straight forward. Yet if he can do that, he can win the election as compared to anything the dems can offer. There is yet hope for the 2008 elections as I see it. I can only hope he decides to throw his hat into the ring, and that he gets enough name recognition from the rest of America. He would be, in my opinion, a good thing for our country.
All the best,
Glenn b
The Term Dead Man Walking...
...probably never was more suited than to be applied to guys like John Worman, that is if he is guilty of the attrocities of which he is accused. This guy allegedly has had repeated sexual encounters with children as young as 3 months old - yep folks - not 3 years but 3 MONTHS old. The two women who allegedly assisted him would be suitably referred to as dead Women Walking if they too are guilty. See the article: Man and Two Women Charged With Producing More Than 1 Million Pieces of Child Pornography @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,247320,00.html.
Although I have heard of these types of fiend over and over again, although I am convinced they are part of the world, I still cannot imagine anyone having the desire to do such things to young children, and to do so repeatedly over many years time. My bet is that these three people will face a threat of death whereever they are, in prison populations, on the street, or in hiding. Personally I think death is too good for the lot of them, I would think a life in prison with daily torture would be about right; but of course I know that is illegal, and it is just my personal feeling as to what they deserve if guilty. My bet is though, someone will kill them sooner or later in a sort of vigilante justice. If they are guilty, there is one thing killing them would accompish, that they would never be able to do it again!
All the best,
Glenn B
Although I have heard of these types of fiend over and over again, although I am convinced they are part of the world, I still cannot imagine anyone having the desire to do such things to young children, and to do so repeatedly over many years time. My bet is that these three people will face a threat of death whereever they are, in prison populations, on the street, or in hiding. Personally I think death is too good for the lot of them, I would think a life in prison with daily torture would be about right; but of course I know that is illegal, and it is just my personal feeling as to what they deserve if guilty. My bet is though, someone will kill them sooner or later in a sort of vigilante justice. If they are guilty, there is one thing killing them would accompish, that they would never be able to do it again!
All the best,
Glenn B
Happy Birthday to an Important Ally
Today is the 57th birthday of an ally of the USA, one we should hope remains and ally considering: It is a true friendly ally, it is a republic with democratic elections, it has many of the same enemies as do we, it has great strategic importance, and the fact that it is a nuclear power. Of course I am speaking of the Republic of India which ratified its Constitution and declared itself as a republic in 1950 on this date. To all those loyal Indian citizens, I say: Enjoy a happy Republic Day.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, January 25, 2007
Among The Missing...
...was a term that my great-grandfather, Poppie, used to tell me; I never quite understood what he meant, or maybe I just did not want to understand it. It was an old WWI saying when a soldier or sailor or airman was lost and presumed dead. Poppie used to say it this way: Stay with me awhile longer, soon I'll be Among The Missing. If I had known what he had meant, I would have spent more time with him. Even into his nineties, he was a very good friend, and interesting guy to talk to, and a lovable family member if ever there was one (even though only by marriage - my great-grandmother's second husband). I don't want to rant about my great-grandfather though, at least not more than what I have just done; I want to write about something else, something I heard today that brought that saying to mind.
Right now, there are approximately 3,063 American servicemen and servicewomen who have been counted among the missing in Iraq, their deaths having been confirmed. There maybe others who are considered among the missing but not confirmed dead. It is more than the numbers of Americans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Back when the war in Iraq started, our president told us it would quite possibly be a long war with many sacrifices - by which of course he meant injuries to, and deaths of, our troops. Everyone rallied round him then; and even if mistaken as to the reasons for the invasion, the reason for the continuance of the war seems valid if you think about it logically. Despite logic, the left in this country has shoved that number (our losses) into our souls all the way to the hilt. People like Rosie O’Donnell scream for Bush’s removal from office by impeachment, of course forgetting that if such was done it would leave the current vice president as president - in which case she would scream for his impeachment too or so one would guess. Yet, big mouths like, in my opinion, Rosie are the perfect example, in my opinion, of fools, or better still of people who blast their blowholes only without regard to the ultimate consequences. Rosie screams and her ratings go up among the ultra liberal leftists who support her type, thereby helping her gain more popularity and money. She therefore keeps blowing harder and harder, and more and more drivel seemingly comes out of her pie-hole. That drivel ultimately affects even those who watch her for entertainment only, and I think it badly skews their political convictions, and even their way of thinking. Just as she does not think of the consequences of her foul mouthing everyone with whom she does not agree, Rosie screams for an impeachment of President Bush, somehow not realizing it would put someone she possibly hates more than Bush into office. In doing so, she - like many other big mouthed leftists who clamor for quick fixes without regard to the final outcome - has used the number of dead Americans in Iraq as a battle standard.
The far leftists have pounded away at our military losses so much, over and over again, that even once staunch supporters of the war efforts in Iraq have shied away from that support. Senators and Representatives in Congress have turned against a war effort that has changed into a fight against terrorism in its own part of the world. What the big mouths leftists do not see, is that if we fail there, then there is much more of a chance that the war will be brought here as it was on 9/11. Terrorists will be emboldened by what they will perceive as our weaknesses, number one among them being a lack of unity of purpose to destroy terrorism. Attacks here likely will come again, sooner than later. Sure they will probably come regardless of if we continue the fight in Iraq; but my bet is they will come here sooner and with greater force of purpose, and more often once the terrorists can lick their wounds, regroup, and aim their sights at the US mainland. History would prove me correct in my estimation of what will likely take place. Yet regardless of the likely outcome that our retreating from Iraq would have, people with big mouths on the left such as Rosie, Oprah, Phil what’s his name (that guy with the white hair), John Edwards, Al Gore, leftist reporters, and all the rest go on demanding immediate and/or timed withdrawals, or hammer away at the fact that in over three (3) years of war we have lost just over 3,000 of our brave men and women who served with pride.
It sickens me no end because if you asked these same folks what they thought of John F. Kennedy they would probably tell you he was a great president. If you asked them what they though of Lyndon Baines Johnson, they would probably say he was at least a good president. Yet the war of those two caused us to lose many more people, in much shorter time that has the war in Iraq. Yet the ultra leftist continue to parade that '3,000 plus troops lost' statistic as some sort of holy standard to show their cause is just. While three thousand lives is nothing to belittle, and I will not do so because each one of them was an American who is dearly and sorely missed, I must point out that so few losses in 3 years of out and out warfare is minimal. It is a number to sober one’s outlook about war. It is a number to which we must give due consideration in deciding whether or not to continue the fight. Yet it is not the only thing we need to consider, nor should we ever for a moment lose sight of the big picture because of it. The big picture is: If we lose our enemies grow stronger. They are not doing so now because we are killing them off in large numbers. Sure they kill and kill, but we kill more of them, many more of them, just by numbers we are destined to win. So the perceived magic number of our losses is not something by which to solely judge our performance in Iraq if we judge with level heads. It is, of course, a great number to use to rile people up if you want to inflame their emotions. It is great at doing just that because the tally has now reached more than those killed on 9/11. We should realize though, we are not fighting only as revenge for 9/11, so counting tit for tat does not work here. We are fighting to protect freedom, to protect the United States of America, and to protect lives in the long run. We are fighting an enemy who has avowed to wipe us out, and to wipe out our allies. It would be worth losing more than we have lost to protect what we have, and what we hold dear, and I do not say that lightly because each time we lose more, we lose our own people - and my own son will soon be old enough to go to the fight if he decides to do so.
Still though, no mater what a level headed person on the left or right will say, the ultra leftists, especially those with the big mouths who can easily influence people through the media, will play up our losses to support their cause and to defeat their political opponents. It is their nature to do so, or so it seems. They just miss the damned truth that 3,000 lives lost in a 3 plus year war do not indicate that we are losing! Rather it indicates, at the very least, we are maintaining our own, and in a better light that we are defeating our enemies - for surely we have killed many times more than 3,000 of them.
If you ever want to consider what are truly huge war losses, then consider how many soldiers the Russians lost at Stalingrad and Leningrad. Stalingrad is considered to be the most bloody battle in history. The Russian losses were over 1 million in one battle alone (in less than one year). What would Rosie say about that? Would it be worth it, or would the Russians be better off doing the Goose Step or being put into concentration camps! If you want to consider just American losses, then consider how many soldiers we were losing monthly during the height of our loses in Vietnam, or in Korea. Go back a little further and think about how many we lost just in one battle such as the Battle of The Bulge in WWII (and those losses were extremely small compared to allied losses at Stalingrad). Think of how many we lost in the brief time we were involved in WWI. Look to the Civil War between our own states, and do not even look at battlefield losses but only at prisoner of war losses. Look at Camp Douglas or Andersonville prisons in the Civil War. There were about 6,000 Confederate troops who died at the Union prison Camp Douglas in about 3 years time. Most probably died related to poor prison conditions. There were almost 13,000 Union troops who lost their lives in the Confederate prison of Andersonville in just one year. Yes I wrote that correctly, in just one year almost 13,000 Union Troops were lost at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War (which only opened as a prison in 1864). That is, on average, over 1,000 per month. Those folks are terrible losses. Sure losing even one soldier or sailor or airman is not a good thing, but if the losses are kept at a minimum while we pound away at and destroy our enemies, enemies who would destroy us including our children without remorse, then that means we are winning – and it means our enemies are less likely to destroy us as they have avowed to do. Winning war is not pretty, it is war after all. Yet we are winning, and winning is a necessity. So why are such facts kept among the missing - I just do not understand.
One last thing before I close; please understand that I do not belittle the loss of even one life of our brave men and service women, nor do I belittle the sacrifices others have made who have received terrible wounds. Then again, I cannot and will not belittle the threat that our current enemies pose to us, and that is what we should concentrate upon, that is what the big mouths on the left seem to missing. For some reason beyond belief they prefer to see our own president as our enemy instead of the terrorists who would annihilate us. Although hard to imagine, I think we should be willing to sacrifice an awful lot more than we already have in order to stop them; it surely seems to be better than the alternative our enemies have in store for us, just look back to 9/11. One can only hope that the United States of America never winds up – Among The Missing.
All the best,
Glenn B
Right now, there are approximately 3,063 American servicemen and servicewomen who have been counted among the missing in Iraq, their deaths having been confirmed. There maybe others who are considered among the missing but not confirmed dead. It is more than the numbers of Americans who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. Back when the war in Iraq started, our president told us it would quite possibly be a long war with many sacrifices - by which of course he meant injuries to, and deaths of, our troops. Everyone rallied round him then; and even if mistaken as to the reasons for the invasion, the reason for the continuance of the war seems valid if you think about it logically. Despite logic, the left in this country has shoved that number (our losses) into our souls all the way to the hilt. People like Rosie O’Donnell scream for Bush’s removal from office by impeachment, of course forgetting that if such was done it would leave the current vice president as president - in which case she would scream for his impeachment too or so one would guess. Yet, big mouths like, in my opinion, Rosie are the perfect example, in my opinion, of fools, or better still of people who blast their blowholes only without regard to the ultimate consequences. Rosie screams and her ratings go up among the ultra liberal leftists who support her type, thereby helping her gain more popularity and money. She therefore keeps blowing harder and harder, and more and more drivel seemingly comes out of her pie-hole. That drivel ultimately affects even those who watch her for entertainment only, and I think it badly skews their political convictions, and even their way of thinking. Just as she does not think of the consequences of her foul mouthing everyone with whom she does not agree, Rosie screams for an impeachment of President Bush, somehow not realizing it would put someone she possibly hates more than Bush into office. In doing so, she - like many other big mouthed leftists who clamor for quick fixes without regard to the final outcome - has used the number of dead Americans in Iraq as a battle standard.
The far leftists have pounded away at our military losses so much, over and over again, that even once staunch supporters of the war efforts in Iraq have shied away from that support. Senators and Representatives in Congress have turned against a war effort that has changed into a fight against terrorism in its own part of the world. What the big mouths leftists do not see, is that if we fail there, then there is much more of a chance that the war will be brought here as it was on 9/11. Terrorists will be emboldened by what they will perceive as our weaknesses, number one among them being a lack of unity of purpose to destroy terrorism. Attacks here likely will come again, sooner than later. Sure they will probably come regardless of if we continue the fight in Iraq; but my bet is they will come here sooner and with greater force of purpose, and more often once the terrorists can lick their wounds, regroup, and aim their sights at the US mainland. History would prove me correct in my estimation of what will likely take place. Yet regardless of the likely outcome that our retreating from Iraq would have, people with big mouths on the left such as Rosie, Oprah, Phil what’s his name (that guy with the white hair), John Edwards, Al Gore, leftist reporters, and all the rest go on demanding immediate and/or timed withdrawals, or hammer away at the fact that in over three (3) years of war we have lost just over 3,000 of our brave men and women who served with pride.
It sickens me no end because if you asked these same folks what they thought of John F. Kennedy they would probably tell you he was a great president. If you asked them what they though of Lyndon Baines Johnson, they would probably say he was at least a good president. Yet the war of those two caused us to lose many more people, in much shorter time that has the war in Iraq. Yet the ultra leftist continue to parade that '3,000 plus troops lost' statistic as some sort of holy standard to show their cause is just. While three thousand lives is nothing to belittle, and I will not do so because each one of them was an American who is dearly and sorely missed, I must point out that so few losses in 3 years of out and out warfare is minimal. It is a number to sober one’s outlook about war. It is a number to which we must give due consideration in deciding whether or not to continue the fight. Yet it is not the only thing we need to consider, nor should we ever for a moment lose sight of the big picture because of it. The big picture is: If we lose our enemies grow stronger. They are not doing so now because we are killing them off in large numbers. Sure they kill and kill, but we kill more of them, many more of them, just by numbers we are destined to win. So the perceived magic number of our losses is not something by which to solely judge our performance in Iraq if we judge with level heads. It is, of course, a great number to use to rile people up if you want to inflame their emotions. It is great at doing just that because the tally has now reached more than those killed on 9/11. We should realize though, we are not fighting only as revenge for 9/11, so counting tit for tat does not work here. We are fighting to protect freedom, to protect the United States of America, and to protect lives in the long run. We are fighting an enemy who has avowed to wipe us out, and to wipe out our allies. It would be worth losing more than we have lost to protect what we have, and what we hold dear, and I do not say that lightly because each time we lose more, we lose our own people - and my own son will soon be old enough to go to the fight if he decides to do so.
Still though, no mater what a level headed person on the left or right will say, the ultra leftists, especially those with the big mouths who can easily influence people through the media, will play up our losses to support their cause and to defeat their political opponents. It is their nature to do so, or so it seems. They just miss the damned truth that 3,000 lives lost in a 3 plus year war do not indicate that we are losing! Rather it indicates, at the very least, we are maintaining our own, and in a better light that we are defeating our enemies - for surely we have killed many times more than 3,000 of them.
If you ever want to consider what are truly huge war losses, then consider how many soldiers the Russians lost at Stalingrad and Leningrad. Stalingrad is considered to be the most bloody battle in history. The Russian losses were over 1 million in one battle alone (in less than one year). What would Rosie say about that? Would it be worth it, or would the Russians be better off doing the Goose Step or being put into concentration camps! If you want to consider just American losses, then consider how many soldiers we were losing monthly during the height of our loses in Vietnam, or in Korea. Go back a little further and think about how many we lost just in one battle such as the Battle of The Bulge in WWII (and those losses were extremely small compared to allied losses at Stalingrad). Think of how many we lost in the brief time we were involved in WWI. Look to the Civil War between our own states, and do not even look at battlefield losses but only at prisoner of war losses. Look at Camp Douglas or Andersonville prisons in the Civil War. There were about 6,000 Confederate troops who died at the Union prison Camp Douglas in about 3 years time. Most probably died related to poor prison conditions. There were almost 13,000 Union troops who lost their lives in the Confederate prison of Andersonville in just one year. Yes I wrote that correctly, in just one year almost 13,000 Union Troops were lost at Andersonville Prison during the Civil War (which only opened as a prison in 1864). That is, on average, over 1,000 per month. Those folks are terrible losses. Sure losing even one soldier or sailor or airman is not a good thing, but if the losses are kept at a minimum while we pound away at and destroy our enemies, enemies who would destroy us including our children without remorse, then that means we are winning – and it means our enemies are less likely to destroy us as they have avowed to do. Winning war is not pretty, it is war after all. Yet we are winning, and winning is a necessity. So why are such facts kept among the missing - I just do not understand.
One last thing before I close; please understand that I do not belittle the loss of even one life of our brave men and service women, nor do I belittle the sacrifices others have made who have received terrible wounds. Then again, I cannot and will not belittle the threat that our current enemies pose to us, and that is what we should concentrate upon, that is what the big mouths on the left seem to missing. For some reason beyond belief they prefer to see our own president as our enemy instead of the terrorists who would annihilate us. Although hard to imagine, I think we should be willing to sacrifice an awful lot more than we already have in order to stop them; it surely seems to be better than the alternative our enemies have in store for us, just look back to 9/11. One can only hope that the United States of America never winds up – Among The Missing.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, January 24, 2007
If this law passes the mayor should be impeached,
....and the law of which I speak is the one that the mayor of Brazoria, TX is trying to pass that will make it a crime to say the word 'nigger' in anger. Of course, under the proposed law, it would be okay for blacks to call other blacks by this word as a term of endearment - can you imagine. I can tell you that African Americans do not call one another nigger as a term of endearment, listen to them if you doubt me. They call one another "nigga' as a term of friendship, butwhen they are angry at one another or want to slur another black person, they often call that person a nigger. There is a distinct difference. Regardless of who calls whom what, the law is very likely unconstitutional, and rather presumptive that anyone would be able to tell how someone meant to use the word if just uttered while speaking as opposed to say while assaulting someone. A law like this truly reeks of a 'mind police' state.
To learn more about the proposed law, see: Texas Mayor Singles Out N-Word for Ban @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246279,00.html. As can be seen in the article, those in the know about the law, even though in agreement that folks should be good enough not to use the word, strongly doubt the law's chance of surviving the Constitutional test. I agree with them, and furthermore I state outright that no such ban on usage of free speech should ever be enacted, no matter how vile the word(s) because once we allow such we will have again eroded our liberties and freedoms, and will have helped to weaken our Constitution.
All the best,
Glenn B
To learn more about the proposed law, see: Texas Mayor Singles Out N-Word for Ban @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246279,00.html. As can be seen in the article, those in the know about the law, even though in agreement that folks should be good enough not to use the word, strongly doubt the law's chance of surviving the Constitutional test. I agree with them, and furthermore I state outright that no such ban on usage of free speech should ever be enacted, no matter how vile the word(s) because once we allow such we will have again eroded our liberties and freedoms, and will have helped to weaken our Constitution.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Time to Look For a Second Career
After 27 plus years as a federal agent, I figure it is time to seriously start looking for a second career. I am getting a bit old to play feds and smugglers, so I have begun to look for something else. I have applied for a few jobs here and there that would supplement my pension nicely, but the one that seems to have the most appeal to me is also the one that will require the most work from me. It will not only include working a regular work week, but will require me to get a Master's Degree within 3 years (while working at that job) in a field completely new to me. So in that light tonight, I applied for the New York City Teaching Fellowship program. I always loved that movie Kindergarten Cop, and if it turns out half as fun as that I'll be set for life. Considering the fact that I think I would like to teach, and I would have summers off too, what could be better than that! Wish me luck please.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
I won't ever buy a mattress from them...
...and if you read this article it will be quite clear why I would not do so. See GIs in Iraq Get Their Mats After Enduring Insult From Web-Based Company @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,246100,00.html. Its the story of some of our GI's in Iraq trying to order some mats on which to sleep, and then reportedly being insulted by the company of which they made a purchase inquiry. Just a crying shame that we have people like that (the one who gave the reply to our GIs) here in this country.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, January 22, 2007
Football Playoffs
Okay, so I am not a big fan when it comes to sports, that is unless my kids were involved in playing them. In that case I was a soccer coach and assistant coach, a baseball assistant coach, and a roller hockey coach and assistant coach over the years. As it stands now, I am not much a fan of any spectator sport, but I did watch the two games yesterday.
Here is my rundown:
The first game sucked. It made me wonder how one of the teams had made the playoffs.
The second game was prtetty darned exciting even though I had hoped that the Patriots would win.
The football party I was at was even better, thanks to my brother-in-law Hans, and the friends he invited. Brendan and I went and had a great time. Good food, good drink (limited to 2 beers, one shot, and about 4 or 5 cokes over about 7 hours), and good folks made for a fine time with a lot of laughs. Of course the football games were pretty good too, at least the second game.
That is it for me on football.
All the best,
Glenn B
Here is my rundown:
The first game sucked. It made me wonder how one of the teams had made the playoffs.
The second game was prtetty darned exciting even though I had hoped that the Patriots would win.
The football party I was at was even better, thanks to my brother-in-law Hans, and the friends he invited. Brendan and I went and had a great time. Good food, good drink (limited to 2 beers, one shot, and about 4 or 5 cokes over about 7 hours), and good folks made for a fine time with a lot of laughs. Of course the football games were pretty good too, at least the second game.
That is it for me on football.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, January 21, 2007
Tours Of Irish Wheat Fields...
...are being booked in record numbers. No not because of some new fangled super wheat, nor because of hunting for pheasants, nor because of Crop Circles, nor because the Irish have decided to distill whiskey from wheat. It is all because: Drew Barrymore Likes to Run Naked in Irish Wheat Fields @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244998,00.html. Just picturing that sort of brought a smile to my face, and gave me an urge to visit Ireland.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Duck Soup...
...almost anyhow. Have you seen the one about the duck destined to be someone's dinner, that wound up being just to tough to eat. The thing is though that the meat wasn't tough, it was actually as the headlines says it: Tough Duck Stays Alive for 2 Days in Refrigerator After Being Shot @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245226,00.html. Now can you imagine that! A duck gets shot by a hunter; and just for the record I have no problem with that since I sometimes hunt. The the hunter brings the duck home, probably meant as a meal for a later date, so he or his wife puts it into the fridge. Then 2 days later, when the wife opens the fridge she is startled when the duck pops its head up and gives her the hairy eyeball (okay the feathery eyeball). I do have a problem with that!
Do you see the problem with all of this. No it is not that the hunter was a lousy shot, ducks are not that easy to hit at all, let alone with a kill shot. The problem is that someone put the duck into the fridge - and mind you they did so without making sure it was dead, and then gutting and cleaning it first. What were these folks thinking? I can just imagine the crud that wound up inside their fridge after two days of a live duck being trapped in there. I guess they never heard of salmonella or other delectable things like that. Well, whatever it was they had in mind, it led to a reprieve for the duck. They wound up bringing it to a wildlife sanctuary where it was treated and reported to have a good chance at survival.
All the best,
Glenn B
Do you see the problem with all of this. No it is not that the hunter was a lousy shot, ducks are not that easy to hit at all, let alone with a kill shot. The problem is that someone put the duck into the fridge - and mind you they did so without making sure it was dead, and then gutting and cleaning it first. What were these folks thinking? I can just imagine the crud that wound up inside their fridge after two days of a live duck being trapped in there. I guess they never heard of salmonella or other delectable things like that. Well, whatever it was they had in mind, it led to a reprieve for the duck. They wound up bringing it to a wildlife sanctuary where it was treated and reported to have a good chance at survival.
All the best,
Glenn B
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Marissa Marie Graham - One Smart Girl...
...and because she was so smart, smart enough to see her chance, then because she was brave enough to take that chance, she is alive today and reunited with her family.
I am, of course, talking about the little girl who went missing and was apparently abducted in Oklahoma two days ago, and then became the subject of an Amber alert. More information about her ordeal and her escape can be found in the article Missing Oklahoma Girl Found After Amber Alert Issued; Suspect Still at Large at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244860,00.html.
Before you read it, allow me to point out that the article has it quite wrong at least in one regard since it says the little girl was found. She was not found, she escaped, and she ran directly to those whom she knew could help her. No one found her, no one rescued her, no one saved her - except for herself and possibly whomever taught her that escape was an option. There is an important lesson there to be learned, and I am about to give my opinion about the lesson to be learned. Please note it is my opinion, but one I hold strongly, and one on which I based what I taught to my children about abductions. Taking any of this as advice could wind up getting your child hurt, but it could also wind up saving your child's life. It is up to you as a responsible parent to decide if it is right for your own children. Any child who reads this should show it to a parent to see what your parents think about it.
Apparently this young child, only 10 years old, took action when she had an opportunity before her. Either it was incredibly lucky for her to have realized there was such an opportunity and that she was not too terrified to take it, or her grasping that opportunity and taking action was a preplanned thing that someone had trained her to do. The training could have been given on purpose say by her parents, or in a class at school, or maybe she just saw something on television one day about what to do if abducted. However she got the idea to escape it was a very good one indeed. You see, victims of child abductions often wind up dead after being horribly sexually abused, or they often wind up being held captive and repeatedly abused for many years.
Something that this little lady had going for herself was that she effected her escape while she was probably not totally overwhelmed by whatever terrorizing tactics the kidnapper would likely have used on her later on in order to get her to comply with his wishes. There was no chance for anything like a Stockholm Syndrome to have yet set upon her. She was not yet in anyway emotionally involved with her captor, except that she was in fear of what was happening to her. This is very important in the scheme of such things. The child had not yet lost hope that she could escape because the abductor had not yet been able to exert full control over her psyche. In other words the child was not yet brainwashed nor frozen with fear. It is important that all parents realize this.
Why is it so important. Well because you need to tell your children, if they are ever abducted, they need to try to escape immediately. The reasons they should try to escape immediately are because: they are likely nearby to help, someone else may see the commotion and call police, they are not yet frozen with fear as if held captive for many hours or a day, they have not been brainwashed into hopelessness by the kidnapper, they are strong as they may be throughout the remainder of any ordeal to come. They have the best chance of getting away or just making it impossible for the bad guy to get them in the first place.
Their initial attempts at getting away should include fighting the kidnapper. They can try to run away, try to kick, punch, scrape with fingernails, bite, gouge, scream, squirm, call for help and do anything at all possible to make it harder or even impossible for the kidnaper to successfully get them. Even if the kidnapper gets them into a vehicle they can try to get away. They can try to rake the abductor's eyes with fingernails, they can grab the steering wheel and try to crash the car, they can open a window and scream for help. They can try to escape if an opportunity presents itself and they are left unattended or if the kidnapper is distracted. Even if thrown into a trunk they can try to help themselves. They can pull out the brake light wiring (and mom and dad should tell the police this is what they trained their child to do if abducted), they can try to push out the brake light covers and stick a hand out through the hole, they can search for a weapon like a tire iron with which to strike at the abductor when he or she opens the trunk.
Most of all, at any chance they get, they should try to escape, even if doing so poses somewhat of a risk to them, because if the abductor is successful there is a chance that the kidnaper will pose a greater risk to them. The sooner they do all of this the more likely they are to escape without having been molested by the abductor. The sooner they do it, the more likely they are to never be brainwashed by the abductor. The sooner they do it, the more likely they are never to fall victim of Stockholm Syndrome and then start to see things in agreement with the way their captor sees them. The sooner they do things like these, the sooner they are more likely to be safe and sound, and not in the clutches of a raving evil doer.
No these tactics may not work each time. Sometimes a child may get hurt, severely hurt, or even wind up dead because he or she tried to escape. You have to weigh the odds of that happening against the odds of what a child molester, or other kidnapper, is likely to do to your child if your child is ever abducted. It has been, and still is my opinion, that children need to have a plan that includes escape as their top priority, and fighting back as the best way to effect it right from the very first moment of any abduction attempt. One of the wonderful things about having a plan is that is gives hope. One of the wonderful things about training someone, even a child, to implement a plan is that it gives them the knowledge that they need to take action, and those who are trained, in the great majority of cases, will follow their training. I chose to ready my children to fight back and to escape, what do you choose for your children.
All the best,
Glenn B
I am, of course, talking about the little girl who went missing and was apparently abducted in Oklahoma two days ago, and then became the subject of an Amber alert. More information about her ordeal and her escape can be found in the article Missing Oklahoma Girl Found After Amber Alert Issued; Suspect Still at Large at: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,244860,00.html.
Before you read it, allow me to point out that the article has it quite wrong at least in one regard since it says the little girl was found. She was not found, she escaped, and she ran directly to those whom she knew could help her. No one found her, no one rescued her, no one saved her - except for herself and possibly whomever taught her that escape was an option. There is an important lesson there to be learned, and I am about to give my opinion about the lesson to be learned. Please note it is my opinion, but one I hold strongly, and one on which I based what I taught to my children about abductions. Taking any of this as advice could wind up getting your child hurt, but it could also wind up saving your child's life. It is up to you as a responsible parent to decide if it is right for your own children. Any child who reads this should show it to a parent to see what your parents think about it.
Apparently this young child, only 10 years old, took action when she had an opportunity before her. Either it was incredibly lucky for her to have realized there was such an opportunity and that she was not too terrified to take it, or her grasping that opportunity and taking action was a preplanned thing that someone had trained her to do. The training could have been given on purpose say by her parents, or in a class at school, or maybe she just saw something on television one day about what to do if abducted. However she got the idea to escape it was a very good one indeed. You see, victims of child abductions often wind up dead after being horribly sexually abused, or they often wind up being held captive and repeatedly abused for many years.
Something that this little lady had going for herself was that she effected her escape while she was probably not totally overwhelmed by whatever terrorizing tactics the kidnapper would likely have used on her later on in order to get her to comply with his wishes. There was no chance for anything like a Stockholm Syndrome to have yet set upon her. She was not yet in anyway emotionally involved with her captor, except that she was in fear of what was happening to her. This is very important in the scheme of such things. The child had not yet lost hope that she could escape because the abductor had not yet been able to exert full control over her psyche. In other words the child was not yet brainwashed nor frozen with fear. It is important that all parents realize this.
Why is it so important. Well because you need to tell your children, if they are ever abducted, they need to try to escape immediately. The reasons they should try to escape immediately are because: they are likely nearby to help, someone else may see the commotion and call police, they are not yet frozen with fear as if held captive for many hours or a day, they have not been brainwashed into hopelessness by the kidnapper, they are strong as they may be throughout the remainder of any ordeal to come. They have the best chance of getting away or just making it impossible for the bad guy to get them in the first place.
Their initial attempts at getting away should include fighting the kidnapper. They can try to run away, try to kick, punch, scrape with fingernails, bite, gouge, scream, squirm, call for help and do anything at all possible to make it harder or even impossible for the kidnaper to successfully get them. Even if the kidnapper gets them into a vehicle they can try to get away. They can try to rake the abductor's eyes with fingernails, they can grab the steering wheel and try to crash the car, they can open a window and scream for help. They can try to escape if an opportunity presents itself and they are left unattended or if the kidnapper is distracted. Even if thrown into a trunk they can try to help themselves. They can pull out the brake light wiring (and mom and dad should tell the police this is what they trained their child to do if abducted), they can try to push out the brake light covers and stick a hand out through the hole, they can search for a weapon like a tire iron with which to strike at the abductor when he or she opens the trunk.
Most of all, at any chance they get, they should try to escape, even if doing so poses somewhat of a risk to them, because if the abductor is successful there is a chance that the kidnaper will pose a greater risk to them. The sooner they do all of this the more likely they are to escape without having been molested by the abductor. The sooner they do it, the more likely they are to never be brainwashed by the abductor. The sooner they do it, the more likely they are never to fall victim of Stockholm Syndrome and then start to see things in agreement with the way their captor sees them. The sooner they do things like these, the sooner they are more likely to be safe and sound, and not in the clutches of a raving evil doer.
No these tactics may not work each time. Sometimes a child may get hurt, severely hurt, or even wind up dead because he or she tried to escape. You have to weigh the odds of that happening against the odds of what a child molester, or other kidnapper, is likely to do to your child if your child is ever abducted. It has been, and still is my opinion, that children need to have a plan that includes escape as their top priority, and fighting back as the best way to effect it right from the very first moment of any abduction attempt. One of the wonderful things about having a plan is that is gives hope. One of the wonderful things about training someone, even a child, to implement a plan is that it gives them the knowledge that they need to take action, and those who are trained, in the great majority of cases, will follow their training. I chose to ready my children to fight back and to escape, what do you choose for your children.
All the best,
Glenn B
Silence of the Pigs
With Bizarro World Upon us - How Far Could Silence of The Pigs Have Been Away From Us?
Well, apparently not far enough it seems. See the article Vancouver Pig Farmer Accused of Murdering Six Women @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245118,00.html. Before you go there to read it thoguh, please be advised that reading it may well get you sick, and I mean that.
It is an article about a suspected serial killer, who allegedly lured young prostitutes to his pig farm, killed them, and possibly: disposed of the bodies by cutting them up, putting them through a wood chipper, and feeding them to his pigs. It is also about how the authorities in Vancouver, Canada (city of free roaming prostitutes, at least the last time I was there back in 2001 anyhow, they were all over the place) pretty much completely ignored the fact that a number of prostitutes had gone missing and that some clues pointed toward the pig farmer. That is, they allegedly ignored the clues until they went to his farm to serve a search warrant for an illegal gun, and they then came across ID cards and other items that belonged to some of the missing women. Then they got a search warrant to look for evidence of the missing, and they came up with body parts. Amazingly this apparently was going on for years.
If this guy is convicted, I say cover his body in pig slop and feed him to his own swine while he is still alive.
Beyond Bizarro World indeed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Well, apparently not far enough it seems. See the article Vancouver Pig Farmer Accused of Murdering Six Women @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245118,00.html. Before you go there to read it thoguh, please be advised that reading it may well get you sick, and I mean that.
It is an article about a suspected serial killer, who allegedly lured young prostitutes to his pig farm, killed them, and possibly: disposed of the bodies by cutting them up, putting them through a wood chipper, and feeding them to his pigs. It is also about how the authorities in Vancouver, Canada (city of free roaming prostitutes, at least the last time I was there back in 2001 anyhow, they were all over the place) pretty much completely ignored the fact that a number of prostitutes had gone missing and that some clues pointed toward the pig farmer. That is, they allegedly ignored the clues until they went to his farm to serve a search warrant for an illegal gun, and they then came across ID cards and other items that belonged to some of the missing women. Then they got a search warrant to look for evidence of the missing, and they came up with body parts. Amazingly this apparently was going on for years.
If this guy is convicted, I say cover his body in pig slop and feed him to his own swine while he is still alive.
Beyond Bizarro World indeed.
All the best,
Glenn B
Friday, January 19, 2007
Bizarro World Is Upon Us
If you doubt the title of this post, then just read this article Police: 29-Year-Old Sex Offender Conned 2 Arizona Men Into Thinking He Was 12, Attempted to Enroll in School FoxNews.com @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245065,00.html.
When a 29 year old man attempts to enroll in a school as a 12 year old, and the police have to SPECULATE that such: "may have been an attempt to lure children into sexual abuse" you know something is terribly wrong. When the 29 year old man was reportedly living with two other men, with whom he reportedly was having sexual affairs, after conning them into believing he was a young boy, you know things are really getting weird. When one of those other men, a 61 year old, allegedly tried to enroll the 29 year old in grammar school as a 12 year old, he said he was the so called "boys" grandfather - it is going over the edge. When you realize that school officials caught this, realizing the so called boy looked a lot older than 12, you almost come back to the land of the sane, until you read on to find out that the 29 year old man may have actually already been enrolled in other schools where he pretended to be a child - and that folks is back into the realm of being out and out bonkers - how could anyone enroll this guy as a 12 year old - are they blind? Finally, when the two older men, the 61 year old, and a 43 year old, whom the 29 year old had conned into believing he was only 12, were told by police that the supposed 12 year old with whom they had been having sex was actually a 29 year old, they got upset about that - and that folks is absolute BIZARRO WORLD.
All in all 4 men were arrested, I do not see where the 4th guy came into it all, but am actually glad they did not say, or that I missed them saying it, just in the event it is beyond bizarro world, and therefore even too much for me to take.
So now tell me, what would be a fair sentence for these guys if convicted, maybe banishment to a leper colony, or being thrown into an active volcano. Certainly there is little place for them in the world of the quasi-normal even in a place like San Francisco, let alone the rest of the world. It just boggles the sensibilities that alleged monsters like these are out there.
I've been busy...
...at work, and at home; and just on the tired side when I have gotten home from work each night. Add to that I have not been sleeping all that well, and I have been too tired to post. Furthermore, the job sucks, I mean really sucks, and has me down a bit right now, and I have been debating retirement.
The result of all this has been that I haven't left a good rant since Tuesday. I will try to make up for it this weekend, and will try to be more regular, at least in my posting, in the future.
All the best,
Glenn B
The result of all this has been that I haven't left a good rant since Tuesday. I will try to make up for it this weekend, and will try to be more regular, at least in my posting, in the future.
All the best,
Glenn B
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Cody
Cody was pretty cool, very mellow. He came to us from a neighbor when she was moving away to Florida about 14 or 15 years ago. When my neighbor asked if we wanted to adopt one of her loved ones, I turned to my wife and told her it was her decision. My wife sort of cringed, felt compelled to say yes to her friend and neighbor, and we had a cat named Cody. She was pretty mad at me later on, and demanded to know why I had left it up to her instead of just saying no. I don’t know why for sure, maybe I just figured she and Cody would be good for one another, and besides that I liked cats – and liked Cody. Cody was already about 5 or 6 years old when we got him. All these numbers are as best as I recall, I may be off on how long ago we took him in, or how old he was when we took him in, but the one set of numbers I have pretty much right is his age. He was either 19 or 20 years old, when much to the sadness, we had to have him put to sleep.
Over the past 2 year, Cody was a thin eating machine. He could eat 3 full cans of cat food a day and not gain an ounce, some sort of old age ailment he had for the last 2 years of so. In fact he was very thin, very skinny. The vet could not figure exactly what was wrong with him. Maybe a cancer, maybe thyroid, maybe this or that, but the tests all came back okay a few times. So for the past two years we just fed him more than we had over all the other years he was in our company. Yet he got around okay though slower, was still friendly, played with the dogs, loved his catnip, and had a fairly good life right up through and including his old age.
That was until lately, a few weeks ago, when he started having some problems. He would sometimes do his dirty deeds in odd places in the house, and he looked dazed and confused oft times lately. He walked right into the fridge a few days ago. So my wife, Linda, had scheduled a trip to the vet for today to euthanize him. No one in the family, of course, was happy about it. I guess we were all sort of dreading it. As it wound up, Linda found out she had to work at the time of the appointment, so I was going to be the one to bring him in tonight. So yesterday, since I had off for MLK day, I spent some extra time with him in the house alone except for the dogs and us, and I fed him a nice meal of solid white meat tuna fish, and I gave him some cat nip to enjoy.
It is funny how fate takes a hand in things. No one in the family, not Celina, Brendan, Linda or I was ready to see him depart – he seemed okay most of the time, but I’ll admit that all to often he was failing in his abilities. Then yesterday, while he was eating his tuna dinner, he fell off the ledge where his cat bowl was kept to be out of reach of the family dogs. I went to investigate the tumbling noise on the stairs that had set all 3 dogs to yapping; and I saw him struggling to right himself. Cody seemed dazed, but he went right back to the tuna. He finished most of it. Then he went into the living room and I noticed he was swaying, he did not seem able to control his back legs all that well. That was one of his symptoms a couple of years ago when he first got ill and lost weight, but we had not seen that in quite a long time. After awhile he went back to finish the tuna. Some time after that I noticed he was really walking/falling like a drunken sailor. I picked him up and I laid him in one of his favorite spots for a nap. Soon after he was up and stumbling again. I got him, held him petted him, and he slept for while.
Somewhere in there my wife called me and I had to pick her up from work. I told my wife she must have had some timing to have made an appointment for Cody for the following day because he had gotten really bad that afternoon. On the way back home, Brendan, our son, called to say Cody was at the bottom of the cellar stairs not moving. That was where I had left Cody sleeping. Brendan had gotten home from a friend’s house while I was out, and found Cody in his poor state. Linda told Brendan to call the vet, which is what I had figured to do when we had gotten home, but since Brendan works there I guess it was better for him to call.
When Linda and I got home, Brendan and I were soon off to the vet. We checked in, were told we would have to wait a long time, then decided to wait at home for the vet to call us in since we only lived a few minutes away. This gave Linda and Celina a short while more with Cody, and gave Cody a short while more in the comfort of home. The call back to the vet came too short a time later; and Brendan and I found ourselves back at the vet’s office. My wife had tears in her eyes each time we had left with Cody, and my daughter seemed pretty upset too. We waited in the reception are a short time, then Brendan was called into one of the examination rooms with Cody. He came out a few seconds later. A minute or so after that he was called back in to see Cody, already gone then, for the last time. At least it was very quick, and I suppose painless.
It is hard to lose a friend of many years, even when the friend was just a cat named Cody. Remember how I said Linda had cringed, then got mad at me, because I said it was up to her as to whether or not we took in Cody from our neighbor. Well guess who cried the most that Cody was gone? She loved him an awful lot, they had been good for one another indeed! How could we not love him? Cody was a good cat, friendly, and he loved my kids a lot. He used to sleep with each when they were younger. As one grew older, he slept with the other. Then last year he started to sleep downstairs. I guess old age was catching up, or was it because our newest dog, a baby Chihuahua slept downstairs, and Cody wanted to sleep with the youngster in the house. I think that may have been it, because that is where he slept, with the puppy. He always got along pretty good with our dogs too, once he was introduced to them. He liked to curl up on our laps when we watched TV; that is when our Dachshund was not already in his spot. He was just an all around good family cat. It may have been our imaginations, but yesterday even the dogs seemed to know something was afoot with Cody. They seemed to be paying more attention to him just before we left for the vet, and seemed somewhat skittish. We are all going to miss him very much, but we will also remember the long and good life he had with us with some happiness in our hearts.
All the best,
GB
Over the past 2 year, Cody was a thin eating machine. He could eat 3 full cans of cat food a day and not gain an ounce, some sort of old age ailment he had for the last 2 years of so. In fact he was very thin, very skinny. The vet could not figure exactly what was wrong with him. Maybe a cancer, maybe thyroid, maybe this or that, but the tests all came back okay a few times. So for the past two years we just fed him more than we had over all the other years he was in our company. Yet he got around okay though slower, was still friendly, played with the dogs, loved his catnip, and had a fairly good life right up through and including his old age.
That was until lately, a few weeks ago, when he started having some problems. He would sometimes do his dirty deeds in odd places in the house, and he looked dazed and confused oft times lately. He walked right into the fridge a few days ago. So my wife, Linda, had scheduled a trip to the vet for today to euthanize him. No one in the family, of course, was happy about it. I guess we were all sort of dreading it. As it wound up, Linda found out she had to work at the time of the appointment, so I was going to be the one to bring him in tonight. So yesterday, since I had off for MLK day, I spent some extra time with him in the house alone except for the dogs and us, and I fed him a nice meal of solid white meat tuna fish, and I gave him some cat nip to enjoy.
It is funny how fate takes a hand in things. No one in the family, not Celina, Brendan, Linda or I was ready to see him depart – he seemed okay most of the time, but I’ll admit that all to often he was failing in his abilities. Then yesterday, while he was eating his tuna dinner, he fell off the ledge where his cat bowl was kept to be out of reach of the family dogs. I went to investigate the tumbling noise on the stairs that had set all 3 dogs to yapping; and I saw him struggling to right himself. Cody seemed dazed, but he went right back to the tuna. He finished most of it. Then he went into the living room and I noticed he was swaying, he did not seem able to control his back legs all that well. That was one of his symptoms a couple of years ago when he first got ill and lost weight, but we had not seen that in quite a long time. After awhile he went back to finish the tuna. Some time after that I noticed he was really walking/falling like a drunken sailor. I picked him up and I laid him in one of his favorite spots for a nap. Soon after he was up and stumbling again. I got him, held him petted him, and he slept for while.
Somewhere in there my wife called me and I had to pick her up from work. I told my wife she must have had some timing to have made an appointment for Cody for the following day because he had gotten really bad that afternoon. On the way back home, Brendan, our son, called to say Cody was at the bottom of the cellar stairs not moving. That was where I had left Cody sleeping. Brendan had gotten home from a friend’s house while I was out, and found Cody in his poor state. Linda told Brendan to call the vet, which is what I had figured to do when we had gotten home, but since Brendan works there I guess it was better for him to call.
When Linda and I got home, Brendan and I were soon off to the vet. We checked in, were told we would have to wait a long time, then decided to wait at home for the vet to call us in since we only lived a few minutes away. This gave Linda and Celina a short while more with Cody, and gave Cody a short while more in the comfort of home. The call back to the vet came too short a time later; and Brendan and I found ourselves back at the vet’s office. My wife had tears in her eyes each time we had left with Cody, and my daughter seemed pretty upset too. We waited in the reception are a short time, then Brendan was called into one of the examination rooms with Cody. He came out a few seconds later. A minute or so after that he was called back in to see Cody, already gone then, for the last time. At least it was very quick, and I suppose painless.
It is hard to lose a friend of many years, even when the friend was just a cat named Cody. Remember how I said Linda had cringed, then got mad at me, because I said it was up to her as to whether or not we took in Cody from our neighbor. Well guess who cried the most that Cody was gone? She loved him an awful lot, they had been good for one another indeed! How could we not love him? Cody was a good cat, friendly, and he loved my kids a lot. He used to sleep with each when they were younger. As one grew older, he slept with the other. Then last year he started to sleep downstairs. I guess old age was catching up, or was it because our newest dog, a baby Chihuahua slept downstairs, and Cody wanted to sleep with the youngster in the house. I think that may have been it, because that is where he slept, with the puppy. He always got along pretty good with our dogs too, once he was introduced to them. He liked to curl up on our laps when we watched TV; that is when our Dachshund was not already in his spot. He was just an all around good family cat. It may have been our imaginations, but yesterday even the dogs seemed to know something was afoot with Cody. They seemed to be paying more attention to him just before we left for the vet, and seemed somewhat skittish. We are all going to miss him very much, but we will also remember the long and good life he had with us with some happiness in our hearts.
All the best,
GB
Monday, January 15, 2007
"We will kill all Thai Buddhists"...
... was the content of a note found after two people, both apparently Buddhists, were killed in Thailand, according to the article: Three killed in southern Thailand @ http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6260245.stm. As per the article, a third person was also killed, apparently in a separate, but yet related, incident; at least related in my eyes. The things, I think, that relate the killings are that:
1) It is suspected they were committed by Islamic Militants (in other words Muslim Terrorists).
2) The killings all took place in Thailand.
3) The killings follow a predictable course of events following the spread of Islam.
The predictable course of events of which I wrote above is that: Wherever Islam has spread or attempted to plant itself, violence has erupted; and the violence is virtually always that caused by Islamists who are seeking to spread Islam. In that course of events, if one examines it, one will find that the violence is primarily directed at those who are not Islamic. Muslims around the world simply do not tolerate other faiths or those who practice faiths other than Islam. Islam has sought to spread itself around the globe at the cost of the lives of those who do not believe in its tenets. This has been seen time and time again since shortly after the inception of said so called religion.
Examples of what I just said can be found throughout the history of Islam. Islam has conquered many nations and faiths through use of force and is trying the same in many more today: Spain was conquered by force. Kafiristan, or land of the infidels, now Nuristan was taken over by force. Afghanistan was held captive by a certain brand of Islam through use of terror and force. Much violence was needed to acquire Pakistan. Violence started by Islamists has taken place recently in the following, which is certainly not an all inclusive list: Israel, Palestine, India, Nigeria, England, Thailand, Malaysia, Iraq, France, Turkey, Denmark, England, The United States of America, Bali, Australia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Russia, and on and on. Even China recently raided an Islamic terrorist training camp within its borders. Islamic violence has taken place, within the last year, on every continent with the exception of Antarctica and the possible exception of South America (and maybe has taken place in SA unknown to me).
In other words, wherever Islam takes root, it commences violence. This violence is usually of an abhorrent nature to those of us who are not Muslim. Beheadings, torturing before killing, targeting and killing of innocent children and other innocents, killing of the religious, and so forth are all par for the course once Islam has arrived in a country. Furthermore in the aftermath of Islam arriving in a nation, sectarian violence then breaks out once Islam is established, in order to determine which sect or branch of Islam will be in control. Apparently, unless a country is governed by an iron fist, there is no peace in an Islamic nation; and therefore peace is only maintained through threat of violence.
Are you getting the picture about Islam? If you doubt at all, who is our enemy, just look at an unbiased history of Islam and how it has effected its own spread around the world. If you doubt for a moment that Islam wishes to conquer the world, then go back and read that history again. Despite anything that any Muslim tells you to the contrary, the history of Islam is one of violent conquest of other faiths and of nations. I believe that Islam needs to be dealt with accordingly. Either a reformation, a Renaissance of sorts, or through warfare to defeat it. Make no mistake about it, change to Islam is needed, needed quickly, and in immense proportions, before we all fall victim to it.
All the best,
Glenn B
1) It is suspected they were committed by Islamic Militants (in other words Muslim Terrorists).
2) The killings all took place in Thailand.
3) The killings follow a predictable course of events following the spread of Islam.
The predictable course of events of which I wrote above is that: Wherever Islam has spread or attempted to plant itself, violence has erupted; and the violence is virtually always that caused by Islamists who are seeking to spread Islam. In that course of events, if one examines it, one will find that the violence is primarily directed at those who are not Islamic. Muslims around the world simply do not tolerate other faiths or those who practice faiths other than Islam. Islam has sought to spread itself around the globe at the cost of the lives of those who do not believe in its tenets. This has been seen time and time again since shortly after the inception of said so called religion.
Examples of what I just said can be found throughout the history of Islam. Islam has conquered many nations and faiths through use of force and is trying the same in many more today: Spain was conquered by force. Kafiristan, or land of the infidels, now Nuristan was taken over by force. Afghanistan was held captive by a certain brand of Islam through use of terror and force. Much violence was needed to acquire Pakistan. Violence started by Islamists has taken place recently in the following, which is certainly not an all inclusive list: Israel, Palestine, India, Nigeria, England, Thailand, Malaysia, Iraq, France, Turkey, Denmark, England, The United States of America, Bali, Australia, Somalia, Ethiopia, Russia, and on and on. Even China recently raided an Islamic terrorist training camp within its borders. Islamic violence has taken place, within the last year, on every continent with the exception of Antarctica and the possible exception of South America (and maybe has taken place in SA unknown to me).
In other words, wherever Islam takes root, it commences violence. This violence is usually of an abhorrent nature to those of us who are not Muslim. Beheadings, torturing before killing, targeting and killing of innocent children and other innocents, killing of the religious, and so forth are all par for the course once Islam has arrived in a country. Furthermore in the aftermath of Islam arriving in a nation, sectarian violence then breaks out once Islam is established, in order to determine which sect or branch of Islam will be in control. Apparently, unless a country is governed by an iron fist, there is no peace in an Islamic nation; and therefore peace is only maintained through threat of violence.
Are you getting the picture about Islam? If you doubt at all, who is our enemy, just look at an unbiased history of Islam and how it has effected its own spread around the world. If you doubt for a moment that Islam wishes to conquer the world, then go back and read that history again. Despite anything that any Muslim tells you to the contrary, the history of Islam is one of violent conquest of other faiths and of nations. I believe that Islam needs to be dealt with accordingly. Either a reformation, a Renaissance of sorts, or through warfare to defeat it. Make no mistake about it, change to Islam is needed, needed quickly, and in immense proportions, before we all fall victim to it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Bearded Dragons are among my favorite dragons...
...yes I said bearded dragons; and for those of you who think I am talking about something out of the Hobbit, or a fairy tale by the brothers Grimm, well - think again. What I am talking about is something just as fabulous, maybe even more so because what I am talking about is a real living, breathing (not fire), dragon, even if of a diminutive size.
These lizards, for lizards they are, make one of the best all around reptile pets that money can buy; or that you can catch if you are lucky enough to live in Australia where they are indigenous. Instead of chasing down and eating knights in armor, or dwarves and elves, these critters eat things like crickets, super-worms, leafy plants like red leaf lettuce, mustard greens and the like, and other vegetables like green beans, lima beans, cauliflower, broccoli, shredded carrots, corn, tomatoes, and some fruit (that is at least in captivity).
These are a desert species so like their wild kin they like it hot. They need a basking spot under a heat lamp where the temperature will reach about 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and of course they need a cooler area in their enclosure down to the 80's during the day; the whole set up can get to the low seventies at night. Despite being a desert lizard, they do need water, at least a misting every other day so they can drink.
Their temperament is one of the best of the lizard species normally found available in the pet trade. They rarely, if ever, bite in defense, though sometimes bluff with gaping mouth if alarmed. They normally calm down and take very well to frequent handling. They are fairly easy to care for so long as you supply them with a large enough enclosure - about a minimum of a 35 gallon long tank for a sexed pair (don't keep males together they are extremely territorial with one another), a UV light source such as a florescent reptile bulb, a heat source (such as a ceramic heat emitter or incandescent bulb), a timer for the lights, a branch on which to bask, some stones or bricks on which to bask and keep their nails trimmed, play-sand or another suitable substrate, crickets, vegetable matter, and water. I would also highly recommend buying a book on how to care for them, and reading it in full before even seriously considering purchasing one or more. A good care sheet can be found on the Internet @ http://www.lihs.org/files/caresheets/sheet16.htm.
I picked up a beautiful pair of these last week, the female is up above, the male to the left. I am hoping to either resell them in a quick turn around, or if not, then to breed them if I still have them in 7 to 8 months when adults. They are about 4 months old now. Since a female can produce up to 30 eggs in one clutch, I could make a nice little bit of spare change for my hobby if mine is very productive and all the eggs hatch. I won't count my bearded dragons until then though, that is until the eggs hatch; and I won't count the eggs until they are laid. That is a long way off if I keep them. For now, I am just going to enjoy them, and I figured I share their pics with you.
All the best,
Glenn B
These lizards, for lizards they are, make one of the best all around reptile pets that money can buy; or that you can catch if you are lucky enough to live in Australia where they are indigenous. Instead of chasing down and eating knights in armor, or dwarves and elves, these critters eat things like crickets, super-worms, leafy plants like red leaf lettuce, mustard greens and the like, and other vegetables like green beans, lima beans, cauliflower, broccoli, shredded carrots, corn, tomatoes, and some fruit (that is at least in captivity).
These are a desert species so like their wild kin they like it hot. They need a basking spot under a heat lamp where the temperature will reach about 105 to 110 degrees Fahrenheit, and of course they need a cooler area in their enclosure down to the 80's during the day; the whole set up can get to the low seventies at night. Despite being a desert lizard, they do need water, at least a misting every other day so they can drink.Their temperament is one of the best of the lizard species normally found available in the pet trade. They rarely, if ever, bite in defense, though sometimes bluff with gaping mouth if alarmed. They normally calm down and take very well to frequent handling. They are fairly easy to care for so long as you supply them with a large enough enclosure - about a minimum of a 35 gallon long tank for a sexed pair (don't keep males together they are extremely territorial with one another), a UV light source such as a florescent reptile bulb, a heat source (such as a ceramic heat emitter or incandescent bulb), a timer for the lights, a branch on which to bask, some stones or bricks on which to bask and keep their nails trimmed, play-sand or another suitable substrate, crickets, vegetable matter, and water. I would also highly recommend buying a book on how to care for them, and reading it in full before even seriously considering purchasing one or more. A good care sheet can be found on the Internet @ http://www.lihs.org/files/caresheets/sheet16.htm.
I picked up a beautiful pair of these last week, the female is up above, the male to the left. I am hoping to either resell them in a quick turn around, or if not, then to breed them if I still have them in 7 to 8 months when adults. They are about 4 months old now. Since a female can produce up to 30 eggs in one clutch, I could make a nice little bit of spare change for my hobby if mine is very productive and all the eggs hatch. I won't count my bearded dragons until then though, that is until the eggs hatch; and I won't count the eggs until they are laid. That is a long way off if I keep them. For now, I am just going to enjoy them, and I figured I share their pics with you.Oh yeah, one last thing - what's in a name. Bearded Dragons are so called because when excited they tend to puff up a bit and bluff, when they do so, a patch on their throat darkens and puffs out markedly. It looks very much like a beard, especially since there are lots of little pointy scales on the skin there, like stubble of a beard.
All the best,
Glenn B
Reserving Sundays...
...for rants that are not about doom, gloom, terrorism, killing, war and so forth, is an idea that popped up in my head this evening - heck I mean tonight - since it's dark already. I am kind of toying with the idea being that two earlier rants of mine today were wiped off the virtual face of Bloggosphere by whatever computer heebie-geebies are out (or is it in) there. They were about terrorism, so maybe there is some power greater than my keyboard that did not want them posted, though I seriously doubt it. I figure it was just me screwing up. Well anyhow, that sort of helped put the idea in my head, that is along with me doing things I enjoy more on Sundays than I enjoy writing about the nasty side. So I am fairly certain I won't be blogging about the nastier things on Sundays for at least awhile.
What I think I’ll mostly be ranting about on Sundays is stuff that I find to be on the enjoyable side. Those things would include my hobbies, and other interests like: keeping and breeding herps (reptiles and amphibians) books I have read, firearms, shooting, hunting, fishing, movies I have watched, photography, philosophy, beers and ales, other spirits, and so on. More on this later…
All the best,
Glenn B
What I think I’ll mostly be ranting about on Sundays is stuff that I find to be on the enjoyable side. Those things would include my hobbies, and other interests like: keeping and breeding herps (reptiles and amphibians) books I have read, firearms, shooting, hunting, fishing, movies I have watched, photography, philosophy, beers and ales, other spirits, and so on. More on this later…
All the best,
Glenn B
I have tried to post blogs...
...a couple of times earlier this morning, each time they have disappeared. I am almost willing to bet this silly one goes through.
I don't have any more time to waste trying to get these to post properly, so I'll post something tonight.
I don't have any more time to waste trying to get these to post properly, so I'll post something tonight.
Saturday, January 13, 2007
Ballseye's Boomers - The M1 Carbine...
...is a shooter that I have always sort of wanted, but I never found one at my price level that was in decent condition. I would even have gone for a newly made copycat edition, but most of them were junk, and when good ones were made I was broke.
I am still rather hopeful that I may be able to get one, and maybe in the not too distant future. You see the CMP says they are about to place M1 carbines up for sale, possibly in March 2007. I almost cannot contain my excitement over this one, they usually have extremely competive prices on real military firearms. Hopefully they will have some decent ones up for sale, nothing fancy, I don't need an M1 made by Singer or anything like that. Just a run of the mill good shooter in nice condition, at a decent price, is all I ask.
Go here for the info straight from the source: http://www.odcmp.com/rifles/carbine.htm
All the best,
Glenn B
I am still rather hopeful that I may be able to get one, and maybe in the not too distant future. You see the CMP says they are about to place M1 carbines up for sale, possibly in March 2007. I almost cannot contain my excitement over this one, they usually have extremely competive prices on real military firearms. Hopefully they will have some decent ones up for sale, nothing fancy, I don't need an M1 made by Singer or anything like that. Just a run of the mill good shooter in nice condition, at a decent price, is all I ask.
Go here for the info straight from the source: http://www.odcmp.com/rifles/carbine.htm
All the best,
Glenn B
A Good man I once Knew...
...was very fond of saying:
In loving memory of Leo Ladney (aka: Leo The Lad), he has been too long a time gone, and missed much all those years.
All the best,
Glenn B
Think about it. Is the saying funny, serious, deep, witty, irreverant, just plain out rambunctious, or all of the above? As for me, I think they were words of a certain sort of witty wisdom from a fun loving guy who had a great outlook on life.The earth has no gravity, it just sucks!
In loving memory of Leo Ladney (aka: Leo The Lad), he has been too long a time gone, and missed much all those years.
All the best,
Glenn B
Does Nifong Think This Will get Him Off The Hook...
...because that is all I can think of as the reason he has finally recused himself from this case by requesting he be taken off of it, and a special prosecutor assigned to it. See North Carolina Attorney General Agrees to Mike Nifong's Request to Be Removed From Duke Lacrosse Case @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,243602,00.html. It is absolutely amazing, to me, that the courts did not already remove him from the case prior to his request. I find it hard to believe that he was not been suspended from his official duties by his department. That the physical evidence indicates she had sex with others than the accused and showed no DNA of the accused, that she then reportedly changed her story to say she was unsure if they had actual penetrating sex with her, that she reportedly (as per a Fox News Channel story this morning) now says she is unsure if it was 3 or 2 who attacked her as opposed to the story all along until now that it had been 3, and that the physical evidence and reports were allegedly covered up by Nifong all seem to me to indicate that Nifong should go, be charged adminsitratively, and maybe even be charged criminally. He has apparently, as I see it, just screwed this case up royally, quite possibly for political gain.
All the best,
Glenn B
All the best,
Glenn B
Sometimes Miracles Happen...
...and in the case of the arrest of Michael Devlin, the miracle was a double one beyond almost all hope.
See Missing Boys William 'Ben' Ownby, Shawn Hornbeck Found Alive in Missouri @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,243479,00.html. The double miracle is of course that both of these boys were found alive, the beyond almost all hope part of it was that Shawn Hornbeck was missing since 2002.
According to this article, police serving a warrant on someone else noticed a truck matching the description of one seen in the area where William 'Ben' Ownby disappeared about 5 days ago. According to a report I saw of Fox News (on television) a neighbor of Devlin, living in the same apartment complex, notified the warrant serving police of the vehicle - great observation and great watching out for others by whoever it was). However that vehicle was discovered, the cops then got things in motion, resulting in a search warrant being executed on Devlin's apartment. The result was the discovery of the two boys, a joyous discovery for their families I am sure, and a miraculous discovery at that considering that one of the boys had been missing for over 4 years.
There is another miracle to all of this, and without that little miracle having taken place, these boys would probably not have been found, certainly not when they were found anyhow. That other miracle was that a school mate, and friend, of Ben Ownby told the police that he/she had seen a pick up truck with a camper shell in the area when Ben disappeared. The friend gave police, from what I understand, a good description of the truck. Without the alertness, without the good observation, of that other youngster - these two children may still have been missing for years.
There is a lot more in the article, not just about how the children were found, but on such things as the strain this puts the families of the missing children through. The parents of Ben were obviously still searching for him throughout 5 days of hoping that he would be found alive; the parents of Shawn had gone through 4 years of absolute hell, a hell I am sure would have engulfed the lives of the Owbys too.
As for Michael Devlin, well in my opinion, it is now time to put him on trial and to do so swiftly. If he is found guilty of these abductions, if he is found guilty of sexually molesting these childen, then I believe he should be sent to hell. The only way I know of getting there is through death, and if he is guilty of such crimes I believe the death penalty is what he should receive. If nothing else good comes of his death, we would all be assured he would never commit such crimes again, that is of course, dependent upon his being found guilty.
All the best,
Glenn B
See Missing Boys William 'Ben' Ownby, Shawn Hornbeck Found Alive in Missouri @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,243479,00.html. The double miracle is of course that both of these boys were found alive, the beyond almost all hope part of it was that Shawn Hornbeck was missing since 2002.
According to this article, police serving a warrant on someone else noticed a truck matching the description of one seen in the area where William 'Ben' Ownby disappeared about 5 days ago. According to a report I saw of Fox News (on television) a neighbor of Devlin, living in the same apartment complex, notified the warrant serving police of the vehicle - great observation and great watching out for others by whoever it was). However that vehicle was discovered, the cops then got things in motion, resulting in a search warrant being executed on Devlin's apartment. The result was the discovery of the two boys, a joyous discovery for their families I am sure, and a miraculous discovery at that considering that one of the boys had been missing for over 4 years.
There is another miracle to all of this, and without that little miracle having taken place, these boys would probably not have been found, certainly not when they were found anyhow. That other miracle was that a school mate, and friend, of Ben Ownby told the police that he/she had seen a pick up truck with a camper shell in the area when Ben disappeared. The friend gave police, from what I understand, a good description of the truck. Without the alertness, without the good observation, of that other youngster - these two children may still have been missing for years.
There is a lot more in the article, not just about how the children were found, but on such things as the strain this puts the families of the missing children through. The parents of Ben were obviously still searching for him throughout 5 days of hoping that he would be found alive; the parents of Shawn had gone through 4 years of absolute hell, a hell I am sure would have engulfed the lives of the Owbys too.
As for Michael Devlin, well in my opinion, it is now time to put him on trial and to do so swiftly. If he is found guilty of these abductions, if he is found guilty of sexually molesting these childen, then I believe he should be sent to hell. The only way I know of getting there is through death, and if he is guilty of such crimes I believe the death penalty is what he should receive. If nothing else good comes of his death, we would all be assured he would never commit such crimes again, that is of course, dependent upon his being found guilty.
All the best,
Glenn B
Thursday, January 11, 2007
A Harsh Reality of Life...
...is that as you grow older, you wind up seeing more and more of the people you know pass away. Death awaits us all, some sooner than later. Now while I am quite understanding that it is our inevitable end, it is still hard for me, as I suppose it is for anyone else, to lose those whom we have known over the years. Growing older is not an easy thing for more than just physical reasons such as your health. The stress of losing loved ones, friends, associates, coworkers is always with you, the older you become, the more you lose.
Last week I lost a pretty good friend, he was a coworker. He was 68 and died of a heart attack. He apparently thought he had indigestion, or maybe he refused to admit to himself it may have been a heart attack. His death probably could have been prevented by going to the hospital or calling 911. He was in pain for many hours before he died, all the classic heart attack symptoms, pain in the chest, tightening, a feeling of indigestion, then pain in the left arm. He died on New Year's day. What a shame. He was a good man.
Another person I knew passed away two days ago, I got word of it yesterday. He was 58, and while he was not a close friend, he had been a coworker of many years who had been retired now for about 6 or 7 years. While we were not close friends, we were on friendly terms, and I really liked the guy. He died of lung cancer, another thing that maybe could have been avoided. He had his quirks but he was a good guy too.
I had not seen either in at least a couple of years for one, and several for the other, yet that does not make it easier when people we know die, sometimes it makes it harder for us to accept, to cope with. Yeah, I know, we all have to go, death is unavoidable, at least for mortal men. It just is damned hard seeing people go like that as you grow older. Heck I thought seeing almost everyone I have worked with over the years retire before me was tough, it does not even compare to seeing them pass away. They will be missed, forever - as long as my forever lasts.
All the best,
Glenn B
Last week I lost a pretty good friend, he was a coworker. He was 68 and died of a heart attack. He apparently thought he had indigestion, or maybe he refused to admit to himself it may have been a heart attack. His death probably could have been prevented by going to the hospital or calling 911. He was in pain for many hours before he died, all the classic heart attack symptoms, pain in the chest, tightening, a feeling of indigestion, then pain in the left arm. He died on New Year's day. What a shame. He was a good man.
Another person I knew passed away two days ago, I got word of it yesterday. He was 58, and while he was not a close friend, he had been a coworker of many years who had been retired now for about 6 or 7 years. While we were not close friends, we were on friendly terms, and I really liked the guy. He died of lung cancer, another thing that maybe could have been avoided. He had his quirks but he was a good guy too.
I had not seen either in at least a couple of years for one, and several for the other, yet that does not make it easier when people we know die, sometimes it makes it harder for us to accept, to cope with. Yeah, I know, we all have to go, death is unavoidable, at least for mortal men. It just is damned hard seeing people go like that as you grow older. Heck I thought seeing almost everyone I have worked with over the years retire before me was tough, it does not even compare to seeing them pass away. They will be missed, forever - as long as my forever lasts.
All the best,
Glenn B
More Troops to Iraq Maybe that is what is needed...
...then again maybe it is not. I am not too sure on the president's call to send 21,000 or so more of our brave men and women to that hell hole; but then again I am happy it is not my decision to make; and I do support him having made it. My guess would be that the president himself is not 100% sure this tactic will work either, but he has made the decision. I do not envy him his job right now.
Something else in his plan though, is likely to give our fighting men and women, and the armed forces of Iraq, a much better chance at beating down the terrorists. That will be our changing our rules of engagement. While the president was not very specific about exactly which of the rules would be changed, and to just how they would change, the implication is that the armed forces will now be allowed to act as if they are actually fighting a war and hunt down and kill our enemies instead of trying to be policemen who are overly concerned with getting sued if they do not bend over backwards to honor the civil rights of the criminals with whom they deal. One can only hope so, that is one who truly wishes to see victory in Iraq, and who wishes to see a smashing blow dealt to the terrorist pigs whom we are fighting. If you have not heard his speech or read the transcript, please do so by going to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242958,00.html
Doing something proactive, taking the bull by the horns, is the only way to win in Iraq. Our leaving would be a disaster not only for the people of Iraq, but for the United States and much of the rest of the world in that it would provide a base for terrorists much as Afghanistan had been. We are there now and we need to finish the job we started to protect our freedoms. lease do not doubt this war is helping to do just that since the terrorists have concentrated much of their strength in Iraq. So if we can destroy them there - we do a great deal to weaken them worldwide, and therefore make it less likely they will again attack on our soil. Thus this protects us all.
It was once said that the cost of freedom was perpetual vigilance. When you think of it though, perpetual vigilance is not enough. There is a higher price to pay for freedom. If you are only vigilant without taking action then you will just see your freedom destroyed by your enemies. The cost of freedom requires not only perpetual vigilance, but perpetual willingness to take action to protect freedom. I do not like the prospect of seeing my own son over there, he is 17 and will be 18 before it is all over. He is at the age when duty often calls. Although I hope he goes to college first before entering the military, the choice is his alone. So I know that should my son decide to enlist and go, I would honor his decision as he would be honoring the USA. I like any other loyal U.S. citizen seeing do not like to see U.S. troops being injured and killed, they are all our children or our brothers and sisters, or even our parents. Yet as much as it is abhorrent to see them be injured or die, it is more abhorrent yet to see aircraft full of innocent people slamming into skyscrapers, the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania; it is more abhorrent still to hear the cries for help of the innocents as they called 911 saying a plane had hit the building and it was on fire and they needed help; it was more abhorrent still to see people falling through the air after they had jumped out of the burning twin towers to escape the flames, at least one hopelessly flapping his or her arms like wings in a hopeless attempt to cheat death.
Yes, even though I do not know if President George W. Bush is making the right decision, as only time will tell, I have to go along with the decision he has made if only because he is not turning his back, and the back of the USA, away from what needs to be done to protect us all, and to defeat an enemy that has avowed again and again to utterly destroy us, and those vows were made long before we entered Iraq. No I do not envy him his job, but I have faith in his decision and hope it will work out right, after all - we are fighting for our lives and our freedoms, and life is not worth anything without the freedom to live it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Something else in his plan though, is likely to give our fighting men and women, and the armed forces of Iraq, a much better chance at beating down the terrorists. That will be our changing our rules of engagement. While the president was not very specific about exactly which of the rules would be changed, and to just how they would change, the implication is that the armed forces will now be allowed to act as if they are actually fighting a war and hunt down and kill our enemies instead of trying to be policemen who are overly concerned with getting sued if they do not bend over backwards to honor the civil rights of the criminals with whom they deal. One can only hope so, that is one who truly wishes to see victory in Iraq, and who wishes to see a smashing blow dealt to the terrorist pigs whom we are fighting. If you have not heard his speech or read the transcript, please do so by going to http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242958,00.html
Doing something proactive, taking the bull by the horns, is the only way to win in Iraq. Our leaving would be a disaster not only for the people of Iraq, but for the United States and much of the rest of the world in that it would provide a base for terrorists much as Afghanistan had been. We are there now and we need to finish the job we started to protect our freedoms. lease do not doubt this war is helping to do just that since the terrorists have concentrated much of their strength in Iraq. So if we can destroy them there - we do a great deal to weaken them worldwide, and therefore make it less likely they will again attack on our soil. Thus this protects us all.
It was once said that the cost of freedom was perpetual vigilance. When you think of it though, perpetual vigilance is not enough. There is a higher price to pay for freedom. If you are only vigilant without taking action then you will just see your freedom destroyed by your enemies. The cost of freedom requires not only perpetual vigilance, but perpetual willingness to take action to protect freedom. I do not like the prospect of seeing my own son over there, he is 17 and will be 18 before it is all over. He is at the age when duty often calls. Although I hope he goes to college first before entering the military, the choice is his alone. So I know that should my son decide to enlist and go, I would honor his decision as he would be honoring the USA. I like any other loyal U.S. citizen seeing do not like to see U.S. troops being injured and killed, they are all our children or our brothers and sisters, or even our parents. Yet as much as it is abhorrent to see them be injured or die, it is more abhorrent yet to see aircraft full of innocent people slamming into skyscrapers, the Pentagon or a field in Pennsylvania; it is more abhorrent still to hear the cries for help of the innocents as they called 911 saying a plane had hit the building and it was on fire and they needed help; it was more abhorrent still to see people falling through the air after they had jumped out of the burning twin towers to escape the flames, at least one hopelessly flapping his or her arms like wings in a hopeless attempt to cheat death.
Yes, even though I do not know if President George W. Bush is making the right decision, as only time will tell, I have to go along with the decision he has made if only because he is not turning his back, and the back of the USA, away from what needs to be done to protect us all, and to defeat an enemy that has avowed again and again to utterly destroy us, and those vows were made long before we entered Iraq. No I do not envy him his job, but I have faith in his decision and hope it will work out right, after all - we are fighting for our lives and our freedoms, and life is not worth anything without the freedom to live it.
All the best,
Glenn B
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
A Story About One Heck of A Man...
...who is married to one heck of a woman.
There are all sorts of stories out in the world of which legends are later made, and this has got to be one of them. If a legend or two does not result from this one, then at least a few darned good stories told by dads, and grand dads, to awe struck little boys and girls who dream of adventure will be told. I imagine this will also make for some animated conversations at the local pubs.
You all know that I am in law enforcement, so you may expect me to be a bit biased toward police officers, though in reality I am not; but when you read this story I think you may agree with all I said above. You probably also will agree that this officer was one lucky guy. What I am talking about is the terrorizing encounter an Australian police officer had with death, and his amazing survival. His survival was apaprently due much to his own efforts, but also to those of his wife, also a police officer. You can read all about it at FoxNews.com in the article Wife Rescues Husband from Jaws of a Giant Crocodile @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242501,00.html.
Apparently the officer went for a swim at a beach in Australia. While in the water, he was attacked by a 10 foot crocodile, bitten around the head and shoulders, and dragged under water. Shortly after the attack, they surfaced, and he was able to free himself from the croc's jaws. He was able to swim away from it, and his wife, who was in some sort of a boat, got the boat between her man and the croc. She then pulled him out of the water. That would have been enough for most folks Other people, not police officers, may have thought only of getting out of there after that. Well not the Tanswells (what a name for beach goers - Tanswell). What they did next was to make sure that others in the water got out safely, and Mrs. Tanswell picked up other swimmers in the area.
Was she a hero? I'll bet that Mrs. Tanswell does not think that of herself, but I would bet her husband does. Maybe a few of the other swimmers think likewise. Whatever you think, she was one cool lady, who did what needed to be done when the SHTF; and Mr. Tanswell - well he was one lucky guy.
All the best,
Glenn B
There are all sorts of stories out in the world of which legends are later made, and this has got to be one of them. If a legend or two does not result from this one, then at least a few darned good stories told by dads, and grand dads, to awe struck little boys and girls who dream of adventure will be told. I imagine this will also make for some animated conversations at the local pubs.
You all know that I am in law enforcement, so you may expect me to be a bit biased toward police officers, though in reality I am not; but when you read this story I think you may agree with all I said above. You probably also will agree that this officer was one lucky guy. What I am talking about is the terrorizing encounter an Australian police officer had with death, and his amazing survival. His survival was apaprently due much to his own efforts, but also to those of his wife, also a police officer. You can read all about it at FoxNews.com in the article Wife Rescues Husband from Jaws of a Giant Crocodile @ http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242501,00.html.
Apparently the officer went for a swim at a beach in Australia. While in the water, he was attacked by a 10 foot crocodile, bitten around the head and shoulders, and dragged under water. Shortly after the attack, they surfaced, and he was able to free himself from the croc's jaws. He was able to swim away from it, and his wife, who was in some sort of a boat, got the boat between her man and the croc. She then pulled him out of the water. That would have been enough for most folks Other people, not police officers, may have thought only of getting out of there after that. Well not the Tanswells (what a name for beach goers - Tanswell). What they did next was to make sure that others in the water got out safely, and Mrs. Tanswell picked up other swimmers in the area.
Was she a hero? I'll bet that Mrs. Tanswell does not think that of herself, but I would bet her husband does. Maybe a few of the other swimmers think likewise. Whatever you think, she was one cool lady, who did what needed to be done when the SHTF; and Mr. Tanswell - well he was one lucky guy.
All the best,
Glenn B
Monday, January 8, 2007
The Insidious Plague of...
Islamo Terrorism just keeps spreading as quietly as it can as evidenced in an article I just read. This article is a really enlightening piece, even though quite brief: Chinese Police Kill 17 in Raid on Al Qaeda-Linked Terror Training Camp. It can be seen on Foxnews. com at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,242331,00.html
The interesting thing, the scar thing, the thing that should be setting off alarm bells, is that the Islamo terrorists have now made their way into China, and they have set upr training base(s) therein. At least the Chinese seemingly know how to handle them - with swifteness and with great and deadly force. Of course, the critics of the Chinese government are already saying that the Chinese government uses claims of attacks againt Islamists as a ruse to actually cover up attacks of pro-freedom groups in remote parts of China. As for me, for now, I choose to believe they are actually doing the right thing, and trying to keep their own nation as their own nation. I doff my cap to them for their efforts at eliminating Islamo Terrorists.
All the best,
Glenn B
The interesting thing, the scar thing, the thing that should be setting off alarm bells, is that the Islamo terrorists have now made their way into China, and they have set upr training base(s) therein. At least the Chinese seemingly know how to handle them - with swifteness and with great and deadly force. Of course, the critics of the Chinese government are already saying that the Chinese government uses claims of attacks againt Islamists as a ruse to actually cover up attacks of pro-freedom groups in remote parts of China. As for me, for now, I choose to believe they are actually doing the right thing, and trying to keep their own nation as their own nation. I doff my cap to them for their efforts at eliminating Islamo Terrorists.
All the best,
Glenn B
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