Mamamontezz's Mental Rumpus Room

LCpl. Kyle Renehan Update

I just got out of AIM with Spence, the brother of LCpl. Kyle Renehan, and I have some updated information.

Because of some difficulty with the wounds to his leg, they are giving him a transfusion and are holding him in Iraq until the wound closes enough to make air travel safer. He is still sedated heavily and basically unconscious.

He will remain in Iraq until tomorrow night. They will start the process of waking him tomorrow, and reassess any damage to his brain. LCpl Chris will remain with him until he is moved, which is very good for Kyle. I'm sure he is talking Kyle's ear off, and that's good for both of them at this point.

Spence also said that he appreciates all of the kindness shown during this situation. Good and wonderful people have been hitting the Paypal link and doing what they can to assist his family, and it was overwhelming.

If you can help with prayer, please do so for Kyle and for his parents who are taking this very hard and need your support.

Pray for One of Our Own

Lance Corporal Kyle Renehan, USMC, was seriously injured during a mortar attack in Fallujah today. LCpl Renehan is one of the Loyal Citizens older brother (Spencer,AKA SLG).

Beth has the details on her blog Yeah,right,Whatever and will be updating it as more details come in.

This man is one of our own, please keep LCpl Renehan in your prayers and with the hope that he makes a full recovery.

Outrage!!

Subject: FW: stamps

USPS New Stamp
DON'T BUY IT

How ironic is this??!! They don't even believe in Christ and they're getting their own Christmas stamp, but don't dream of posting the ten commandments on federal property?

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of PanAm
Flight 103!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the World
Trade Center in 1993!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the Marine
barracks in Lebanon!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the military
barracks in Saudi Arabia!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the American
Embassies in Africa!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM bombing of the USS COLE!

REMEMBER the MUSLIM attack on the Twin Towers on 9/11/2001!

REMEMBER all the AMERICAN lives that were
lost in those vicious MUSLIM attacks!

Now the United States Postal Service REMEMBERS and HONORS the
EID MUSLIM holiday season with a commemorative first class
holiday postage stamp.

REMEMBER to adamantly and vocally BOYCOTT this stamp
when purchasing your stamps at the post office.
To use this stamp would be a slap in the face to all those
AMERICANS who died at the hands of those whom this stamp honors.

Ouch! Pow! Zowie! Delinked!

When I checked my inbound links last night, I almost cried. Somehow, over the course of the weekend, I had lost just about 200 unique links as counted by TTLB. But the link totals at Technorati strangely hadn't changed at all. It was overwhelming, confusing and gave me quite a jolt.

Had I offended someone (or a huge mass of someones)? Was my picture frightening away the bloggers with impressionable children or sensitive pets? Worse yet, had I been found out as a fraud, a charlatan, a pretender to the ranking of Large Mammal? Where once I could go for a daily fix of self esteem, I now found naught but a kick in the ample posterior.

Sure, like any blogger I can count on losing links once in a while as people either grow bored with my inane and self-centered chatter, or in some high and mighty snit over any number of incompatible beliefs, stands or theories, even over some silly and ultimately inconsequential perceived slights. That just comes with the territory. But 200? Practically overnight? With no warning? Not even a kiss afterward?

Okay, so I'm a Drama Queen™ of the first order. I freely admit it. Actually, that tends to be one of my more endearing qualities. That and the fact that I once was able to place-kick a football accurately at about 30 yards and do it consistently while under the influence of adult beverages.

Distraught and dismayed, I snagged Russ Emerson of TacJammer in the Loyal Citizens chat and asked if maybe BlogsForBush in it's new incarnation was having a problems with it's massive blogroll, since it was pretty clear that I was far from being the only blogger affected by this massive de-linking. And it was Russ, with his infinite wisdom and superior intellect who knew right off top of his extremely attractive and currently available head that the Blogrolling service was having a problem.

*heavy sigh of relief*

You know, though, as disconcerting as it was to see that many links just vanish into the ether, it was much more disgusting to see how pathetically I had glommed onto the entire Ranking=Worth, Gee I Wanna Be A Big Dog, Link-me-Link-me-Link-me mentality. How shallow and self serving is that?

Does anyone know of a 12-step program for link whores? Could I have the URL? Better yet, can I have my links back?

Liberal Whining

If you want to see just how a Cluebatting™ SHOULD be performed upon one of those deluded individuals known as liberals, go to Poisoning Pigeons and see a master of the art at work.

Elizabeth does all of us in the VRWC proud with a clear and concise cutdown of a person so far out of her mind with fear/idiocy that I don't know how she can continue to function.

True Life

You want to know what the life of a combat soldier is like?

Go read this first person account of a platoon leader in Iraq. These men do what they do because of their devotion to their fellow soldiers, that is the one enduring truth in war.

You might take note of the fact that the war experience is not the same for all soldiers in Iraq. It makes a difference on where you are and what your job specialty is.

That does not denigrate anyone's experience, but it does show that war is like the parable of the elephant and the blind men; each man's description is dependent on what part of the elephant he happened to feel.

I once related to a friend some of my experiences in Cold War Germany, he told me that he had other friends there at the same time who refuted that what I had experienced was what it was "really like". All I can say is that was their tale and I stand by mine. I'm sure that if I had spent all my tour at Ramstein AB, my experiences there would have been vastly different than they were.

In the end, the only thing that truly matters is that you are there for your fellows when the going gets rough, and you do what needs to be done despite the fear, exhaustion, frustration and discomfort, and remembering that while those in the rear may not have experienced the same things you have, you could not have done your job without them.

Yes, it's true.

As Steve said, like two ping-pong balls at the ends of a pair of tube socks. Increasingly elongated tube socks, I might add. Were other women have "knockers" I have "floppers".

Mammalial appendages like hound dog ears: flat and long and will flap in the wind. One of the reasons I avoid Florida during hurricaine season.

Thus ends our moment of sharing.

Thank You!

Thanks for the nominations. I'm sure I didn't make the cut, as there were some very excellent blogs nominated in those catagories, but it was sure nice to see this little site listed.

You all are too kind.

My Christmas List

I've been compiling my Christmas list. I don't want much, and I thought I'd post it here in case you are having problems thinking up the things you might also like to have. Sometimes looking at someone else's list can give you ideas for things you may like to add to your own.

1. For someone who is financially able to click on the Wounded Warrior button and send a backpack to a returning wounded warrior.

2. For people to drop change into the shiny red kettles as often as they can.

3. For someone to go through the pantry and cabinets for whatever cans and boxes that can be spared, and take them to the local food bank.

4. For someone to knock on a housebound neighbor's door and wish them a Merry Christmas.

5. For people to call the parent, or sibling, or child from whom they have been estranged by time or distance and just say "Hello, how are you."

6. For parents to spend an evening making Christmas or Hanukkah cards with their little ones, even if it is just a particularly "spectacular" one they can send to a grandparent or favorite auntie or uncle.

7. For all of you to pace yourselves and not let the season overwhelm you.

It's not much of a list, to be sure, but I sure would like to believe that I could get everything on my list. What's on your list that I might be able to do for you?

The SHAME of our Country

Bill Faith over at Small Town Veteran has a post linked to a story that emphasizes something that in our fervor to support the troops that we don't seem to talk about; what happens to their families when one of our brave men makes the ultimate sacrifice.

We all seem to assume something that couldn't be farther than the shameful truth. We think that the military will naturally assist those left behind.

In fact, unless they meet an arcane and red-tape ridden set of qualifications, the only thing the family gets is a one time death benefit of $12,000. They may receive $250,000 IF the service member opted to pay the premiums for the insurance from his already meager pay. Think how far that amount of money would go when raising a family on your own for the next eighteeen years,and you can see that we do not seem to return the soldiers sacrifice with anything but yellow ribbons and a hollow thanks.

If they are in base housing, they will be asked to vacate within a month of the service members death. The health coverage at military/veteran facilities only last for three years after the service members death. SOME long time service members do receive SBC(survivor benefit compensation)...it amounts to 55% of a service members RETIREMENT pay, which in the best case is 75% of his last highest permanent pay grade.

Remember that in many cases,especially in the enlisted ranks, a soldiers FULL rate of pay qualifies his family for food stamps and ADC payments in the civilian world! Now imagine trying to live on 55% of 75% of that same pay, and realize that only a fraction of servicemen's families even qualify for that, and we have what can only be termed a national scandal on our hands.

We as a nation owe it to the Briannas that are left behind.

I join my voice to Bill Faiths:

... GOD DAMN IT TO HELL, PEOPLE! Is this what our Warriors deserve? Is this how we reward an all volunteer force? Don't the men and women dying for our country deserve to at least know their loved ones will be taken care of? Who's going to help me make some noise about this? Here's the least that I'll be happy with, and I don't care which side of the aisle it come from. Hell, I could end up voting for a Democrat next time if they do what's right here. I want full pay and benefits continued to surviving spouses for life, or to their surviving children until they're 21, whichever comes last...

Like Bill, I DON'T CARE WHICHside of the aisle this comes from; the only important thing is that IT GETS DONE! Expensive? you bet!, but if we can give a Congressman/Senator a full retirement benefit for life after only two/six years service in the congress, we can damn sure provide for the families of those who gave the last full measure in the service of this country.

Maybe it's time we revisit the compensation we give our Solons in government....put THEM through the same restrictions, qualifications and red tape we put a fallen servicemembers family through in the worst time of their lives, maybe it will serve to wake some of them up.

"A Father's Farewell"

I cannot imagine the gut-wrenching sadness of writing my own child's obituary. In a perfect world, no parent would ever be placed in the position of burying a child.

Today, on the Federalist Patriot site we see a father doing exactly that, and doing so in a powerful, personal, and touching way.

"My son, the soldier, comes home for good.

At last report he had left Iraq and was waiting a flight in Kuwait. With luck he will be in Germany today and then on to Texas. By the way, he is called "remains" but I know better. He is my son.

I want to tell you about him. Not because he is so great a guy - although I think so, but because he represents the thousands of sons and daughters America is sending to far away places to secure our peace and our liberties at home."

Retired Colonel Tom Sims, a grieving yet proud and realistic father, saw his son through the eyes not only of a parent, but of a fellow warrior, and articulates this with an honesty and a love no one but a father can feel.

This is a better country for having know both father and son.

Phantom Warriors

I have always been a reader, generally a pretty indiscriminate reader
who could find something of interest or pleasure in almost any
collection of printed words. Yes, I have even been the butt of jokes about
reading cereal boxes and beer bottles if there was nothing else to read.

But as loose as the quality control may seem to be for my reading
habits, things are not always as they appear.

Currently I am in the midst of book 1 of Phantom Warriors by Gary A.
Linderer. Originally I purchased the book on Ebay because I was meeting
an individual who's story was in the book, and I wanted to have him
sign a copy for me. Of course, I find out later that he is actually in
book 2, but he was gracious about signing my tome anyway. It is destined
for my father as a Christmas present, but in the meantime I have been
reading it during lulls and breaks at work.

The story of the Long Range Recon Patrols (LRRP), Long Range Patrols
(LRP), and Rangers deployed in Viet Nam is told one incident at a time,
intimately and with no varnish or flowery prose. Each incident it
recounted with a vivid intensity which often times makes it extremely
difficult to move from one to the next.

Even for a woman who has never worn camo or looked down the business
end of a rifle, the read has been exceptional. Gary Linderer has taken
the tragedies, the celebrations, and the visceral, filthy and dangerous
episodes between them, and relayed them in a way that is both
informative and stirring.

It is my understanding that the hardback edition of Phantom Warriors,
Book 1 is out of print, but I have seen both the larger "trade size"
soft cover and the traditional paperback editions at Barnes and Noble.
You can also do as I did and haunt Ebay until one turns up. I have not checked Amazon, but I would almost bet you can get both new and used copies there as well.

My Soldier

Manhattanville College has begun a program to match pen pals to enlisted personnel called the "My Soldier" program.

The program was created by Juan Salas, an active U.S. Army Sergeant who also is a Manhattanville student. Salas, a naturalized US citizen originally from Venezuela, served for almost two years in Iraq, where he saw active combat duty and was commended for his part in saving the life of a child. Though the experience changed his life, today Salas is back home on campus, playing soccer and going to classes. For Salas, the My Soldier program is a way to give something to his fellow soldiers who are still in Iraq.

I was watching Fox News tonight after copious gastronomical delights, and they interviewed Sgt. Salas and the president of Manhattanville college, Richard A. Berman. They were very enthusiastic about their program, and this enthusiasm was infectous.

Follow the link above and read about this great outreach on the Manhattanville College web page. And if you have the time in your lives and the place in your heart for participating, please do so. As Sgt. Salas said, nothing feels as good as a letter from home in your hands. The letters are read and re-read, passed from one friend to the next, and are a real morale booster for those who genuinely need it.

And if you, too, are a blogger, spread the word to your readers. The more the merrier. Small Town Vet is already on the bandwagon. And Jack at Conservative Insurgent is on board as well. Join the party. There's plenty of room for all.

"Promise Kept"

And speaking of those I consider my online family, Russ at TacJammer has written a beautiful post on a promise kept.

Honorable people are honorable because they do that which is right and honorable. Russ, you are truly one of them. You have a good heart and a lovely soul.

This is one of the most beautiful and touching things he has written. I encourage you to experience this post.

Happy Thanksgiving

For all of you who took the time to be supportive and kind when we needed that, I am eternally thankful.

For all of the brave men and women to stood up and took an oath to protect this country both at home and abroad, in relative safety or on the front lines, I am eternally thankful.

For all of the bounty of this blessed nation, be it the fruits of farm and field, the outcome of industry, or the invention of gifted minds, I am eternally thankful.

For all of the civic minded citizens of this county, this state, this nation who kept themselves informed and raised their voices by way of the voting booth on November 2nd, I am eternally thankful.

For our elected officials who face difficult and thankless work over their terms in office, even if they don't always see things the way I do or vote the way I would have, I am eternally thankful.

For the parents to brought me into this world, raised me to be independent and to work hard on my education and later at my chosen work, I am eternally thankful.

For my beautiful daughter and understanding husband, I am eternally thankful.

For my online family, and you all know who you are, I am eternally thankful. God bless you all.

Aww, shucks.

It's snowing. Sloggy, wet stuff, but not much of it. Thankfully the ground is much too warm for it to accumulate, so it's not much more than something to look at while airborne.

Funny thing is, there was a tornado watch three counties away, and lightning just south of us at about 5pm. In November. Amazing.

Kroger Makes it Right.

I received a call this afternoon that I was unable to get to. When I checked the *69, it was a number I didn't recognize. As I was dialing the number, my email alert let me know I had received mail from Kroger regarding my complaint.

I opened the email, and it was from the manager of the store where I had experienced the poor customer service. The manager, Jodi, stated that she would like to discuss the incident with me, and to call her at (lo and behold) the number I had just taken from my *69.

She was very unhappy with the incident that caused my complaint, explaining that she had been the manager at this particular store for only a few months and that this was not a type of behavior that she found acceptable. Between the two of us, me giving a description and her going through her employees on the clock at the time of the incident, we tried to determine who it might have been.

She apologized for the incident, and told me that she would mail a gift card to me, or if I preferred to have one at the customer service counter in my name. I opted for the customer service counter, because the hams I had originally wanted were still on sale, but would not be when the card would arrive.

So, I bundled the family into the car and drove up to Kroger. True to her word, the gift card was at the counter, and Jodi was busily sacking groceries for one of her cashiers. I introduced myself, we spoke for a few minutes, and I went off in hunt of my ham.

As I was making my selection, Jodi approached me to ask if I had found what I wanted, and to ask me if the young man who took my ham to slice it was the one from the prior incident. He was not, as he was much younger than the man I remembered.

We stood and talked a few minutes. I told her about Kroger's online comment page being down, and that I had used PlanetFeedback to make my complaint. She was curious about that site, and I believe that she will take a look at it. She also stated that she had read my post, since I had referenced it in my letter through PlanetFeedback.

As she was leaving to go take care of other issues in the store, she said that there were a couple additional people who may have come over from the deli that day to help out in meats. I agreed to go see if one of them may have been the one, but on "hanging out" at the deli counter, I never saw either one of them. Apparently they were busy in the back, or on break, as they never stepped out to the front.

Well, my ham looks great. The young man who sliced it for me cut it just as I wanted it and even wrapped it in three packages so that I can freeze two and leave one down for the next few days sandwiches or beans. He was very courteous and even endeared himself to Anna by offering her the trimmed off ends of the ham to nibble on while we waited.

Considering this must be the busiest day of a grocer's year, I was very impressed with the time Jodi took to talk to me, both on the phone and in the store, to resolve this and to make me satisfied with her handling of the incident. I truly believe that she will continue to work to find out who this person was and either re-train him in customer service, or take some sort of action, depending on his prior history as an employee.

I will certainly give the Kroger at 86th Street and Township Line Road another chance. I am certain that if I have any further disappointment with the service or quality in this store, I will be able to approach Jodi or her other managers and reach a suitable resolution.

Thank you, Jodi, for your time and for your dedication to providing a good experience in your store. I appreciate it greatly.

Uh-Oh...

Looks like I may be in trouble.

Linky Lovin's

Let me preface this by saying that B.D. Faith is one of the good guys. His site, Small Town Veteran, is always a good read from the perspective of (in his words) a "Baby boomer, nerdy kid, Viet Nam veteran, engineer, daddy, grandpa, Politically Incorrect, Proud Anti-Idiotarian". You always know exactly where he stands.

I'm glad I sent him the link to the story of Marine Lance Corporal Cory Hixon the other day, because true to form he did the story of the brave young man justice. And he copied the entire article from the small town newspaper so that it would not be lost.

Go, read, and make sure you have Small Town Veteran in your blogrolls.

"Why can't we go to the children's museum, mommy?"

The great Goddess Art, and her grand temples, the Museums, truly do
seem to be for none but the elite these days. Where here in Indianapolis you can enter and enjoy the permanent collection of the Indianapolis Museum of Art for nothing but a free-will donation or small nominal fee at the door, at New York's Museum of Modern Art you now must pay the recently increased admission fee of $20 for the permanent exhibit, not to mention the additional admission charges for travelling exhibits. And people just are not happy about it.

We were just discussing a similar situation the other day while driving past the impressive exterior of the Indianapolis Childrens Museum. I said to the Spousal Unit as we sped along on Illinois Street that I was certainly glad that Progeny was sound asleep in the backseat. Had she been awake, she would surely have seen the lifesized dinosaur erupting from the block wall of the Dinosphere, prompting yet another discussion of the current state of our family fiscal health.

True, it's not what you could call an art museum, but it's a great and wonderous place for children and those who are still a child at heart. Science, arts, a fully restored carousel, one of the largest electric train displays compiled, a restored steam locomotive, a full dinosaur ecosphere complete with full sized dinosaurs and a carefully concocted approximation of fresh dino-poop just to bring even your olfactory senses into the experience. At one point there was a limestone cave, at another a fossil dig, and let's not forget the mummy in the ornate case, or the huge hands-on hall of science.

But try to take a family there. Most of us will never be able to afford a membership, so we must pay the retail ticket prices. Currently those are $11.50 for an adult, $10.50 if you are a senior citizen, and $6.50 for a child between 2 yrs old and 17 yrs old. This will get you into the museum and get you access to the bulk of the exhibits. So now we're at $30.50, and all we've done is walk in the door.

But say your child has seen the lifesized dinosaurs in the Dinosphere and just HAS to have one to take home. Well, of course there's the museum gift shop. I suppose you could get her a t-shirt with the dinosaur parade embellishment on the front. It's only $19.95, since you're not a member. We're now at $50.45, and all we have are three ticket stubs and a t-shirt.

Walking has made you all hungry, and Progeny is getting a bit cranky from lack of sustenance. Well, they have a food court complete with Starbucks and McDonalds, Pizza Hut, Charleston Market (think Boston Market), and a deli. When last the Spousal unit went, a small spinach salad cost him $8.00, and we all know how expensive Starbucks can be.

So, let's estimate that it takes another $5.00 per person to eat. We're now talking $65.45, and that's only if don't end up with one of Progeny's playmates along, manage to keep impulse buying to a minimum, and keep everyone on the McDonalds value menu.

How many families, particularly those with more than one child, can truly afford to spend that much money on a one day experience with any sort of frequency? I can tell you the last time I was in the Children's Museum with my daughter: Progeny was still in a stroller. Big Sis was in high school.

So it isn't just Art that seems to be only for the elite sometimes. Even what should be so simple a pleasure as watching your child experience new and wonderous things in a fantastic place can seem a rather elitist thing as well.

Bi-partisianship!

I stole borrowed this from Grouchy Old Cripple in Atlanta. It was just too funny NOT to swipe show here!

Mama will probably make me take it down, (Pixie, when will my new digs be ready?) seeing as how she's a HomespunBlogger and all, but I thought it was hilarious!

update: Darn it! I was right...that mean old lady made me take it down, you'll just have to go to Denny's place and see it there.

Torture Rooms Found

A Marine makes a split second life and death decision; it's caught on tape by an embedded camera man/reporter;It's FRONT PAGE news for days...

Now in the course of liberating Fallujah, our men have found evidence of Torture Rooms in at least 20 locations.

What amount of coverage is there in the MSM? It is an AP report, so they certainly have seen it, yet the only place that has put it out as of yet is Yahoo Online News....

Just the fact that Coallition forces took control of Fallujah at a 21.4 to 1 casaulty rate is a story in and of itself; conventional wisdom has always predicted that in an urban warfare scenerio, the attacking force would sustain at least a 25 to 30% casaulty rate. Yet all we would garner from listening to the MSM is that we are in a deep quagmire, where the insurgents Islamofacists are striking at will and decimating the Marines, indeed, WE have no control of anything at all in Iraq, according to the MSM reporting.

"Journalists quick to judge the Marine are more forgiving when it comes to the terrorists. "They're not bad guys, especially, just people who disagree with us," said MSNBC's Chris Matthews."

Who could take anything that Chris Matthews says seriously ever again?

STILL think the MSM DOESN'T have an anti-American bias?

Maybe Europe is waking up?

David Kaspar of Davids Medienkritik has a link to a blistering attack on the European attitude towards Islamofacism, the thing that makes it unusual is that it is an opinion piece by Matthias Döpfner, Chief Executive of German publisher Axel Springer AG.

Here is a taste:

For his policies, Bush risks the fall of the dollar, huge amounts of additional national debt and a massive and persistent burden on the American economy—because everything is at stake. (emphasis mine)

While the alleged capitalistic robber barons in American know their priorities, we timidly defend our social welfare systems. Stay out of it! It could get expensive. We’d rather discuss the 35-hour workweek or our dental health plan coverage. Or listen to TV pastors preach about "reaching out to murderers." These days, Europe reminds me of an elderly aunt who hides her last pieces of jewelry with shaking hands when she notices a robber has broken into a neighbor’s house. Europe, thy name is cowardice.

Maybe with one of the most powerful members of the German media writing such a clear and harsh indicment of the European "appeasement" attitude, we can hope that Europe in general just may be waking up to the threat that Islamofacism poses not just to the US, but to Western civilization as a whole.

Well, most of Europe anyway, I'm sure the *spit*French*spit* will be trying to sell arms under the table to the terrorists, even in the unlikely event they would ever even try to pay lip service to fighting the Islamoterrorists.

Joke of the Day

Hat tip to Catfish!

A young man named John received a parrot as a gift. The parrot had a bad
attitude and an even worse vocabulary.

Every word out of the bird's mouth was rude, obnoxious and laced with profanity.

John tried and tried to change the bird's attitude by consistently saying only polite words, playing soft music and anything else he could think of to "clean up" the bird's vocabulary.

Finally, John was fed up and he yelled at the parrot.

The parrot yelled back. John shook the parrot and the parrot got angrier and even ruder.

John, in desperation, threw up his hand, grabbed the bird and put him in the freezer.

For a few minutes the parrot squawked and kicked and screamed. Then suddenly there was total quiet. Not a peep was heard for over a minute.

Fearing that he'd hurt the parrot, John quickly opened the door to the freezer.

The parrot calmly stepped out onto John's outstretched arms and said "I believe I may have offended you with my rude language and actions. I'm sincerely remorseful for my inappropriate transgressions and I fully intend to do everything I can to correct my rude and unforgivable behavior."

John was stunned at the change in the bird's attitude. As he was about to ask the parrot what had made such a dramatic change in his behavior, the bird continued, "May I ask what the turkey did?"

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

F-16 30, Islamofacists 0

I have a cousin-in-law that is in a defense related field that sometimes can send me some de-classified field footage from the battlefield perspective.

Go right here and you can observe just how flexible our field operations can be.

What you will see is the F-16 pilots eye view of a tasked mission. The mission was to deliver a laser guided munition on a building suspected of being an insurgent Islamofacist sally point. After the missile is fired, the pilot notices that aproximately 30 of the goblins are exiting the building, heading to a nearby gun battle of Goblins and Marines; the pilot notifies his Forward Air Controller and asks if the mission task should be changed to the new threat, the Air Controller agrees and the targeting of the missile is changed to the group of combatants. Keep in mind that the pilot is flying the plane, talking with a controller, and managing the flight of his armament all at the same time.

Results? Scratch 30 threats to our ground troops, HOO--AH!

Hero or War Criminal?

All of the crap being put out in the MSM and Al Jazeera about the incident involving the young Marine in Falluja "executing" aninsurgent Islamofacist has brought home just what a spot our guys in uniform are going through. The fact is that this is the same thing soldiers have gone through for time immemorial,. The only thing that has changed is that with modern comunications being as good as they are, now the general population hears about these incidents as the echo of a gun shot is still hanging in the air.

Small Town Veteran has a post up with a first person account of something similar that occured in Viet Nam in 1969. The results were different, but the situation wasn't all that dissimilar.

The general population has no right to judge any of these incidents; unless you have been there in a split-second life or death decision moment, you can not know what is really going on in the minds of any of these men. The ironic thing is that this young Marine is being hoisted on the petard by one of the representatives of one our most cherished rights, that of a free press with free speech as the standard norm, and what he is there in Iraq defending.

The problem as I see it is that the press has forgotten that with the right of free speech comes the responsibility of presenting ALL the facts surrounding any story, and thinking of how their reporting may affect the attitudes of the general population, our soldiers, and our enemies.

This was true in Viet Nam as well. In fact, I would contend that this lack of living up to the responsibilities led to our "loss" in that conflict. We lost not a single military encounter in that conflict, but biased reporting made it seem as if we were losing not only the battles, but that we were animals in pursuit of combat operations.

People that had no experience of combat and guerilla warfare were sitting safe at home decrying the actions of men who were living moment to moment with death as the reward of a wrong decision made in less time than it takes to take one breath. And only the "brutal" decisions made under such circumstances were portrayed, with none of the background surrounding those decisions being shown. You can not judge combat under civilian conditions.

This is not to say that we should not hold our soldiers accountable for their decisions, we can, for we MUST; but you must have all the facts before coming to any judgement, and the MSM is doing a very poor job of that.

It is time that we as a people must demand that the MSM is held as accountable for their actions as are our soldiers.

If we applied the same standards to the media as we demand of our soldiers, I sincerely believe that the media would be found more derelict in their duties than 99.8% of our men and women in uniform.

We still have Abu Gharib thrown up as the definitive example the "brutal" conduct of our soldiers, and yet how much do we hear of the prosecutions of those same soldiers?

During WW2 my father was a member of the Dutch Underground. One of the activities he participated in was lying in wait as his sister would lure a lone German soldier into a dark alley with a promise of sexual favors, whereupon he and and a compatriot would slit the soldier's throat and steal whatever was of use in his possession. Had they even been observed on the streets, they would have been shot by the Germans without even a second thought. They were fully aware of that fact. This was an accepted risk of their activities.

They knew the possible consequences of their actions and accepted the risks. They never held the Germans wrong in doing this, because they knew that in war both sides accepted the consequences.

It seems that our media has forgotton that standards of behaviour in war are different than in a safe civilian environment. It is up to all of us, especially those of us who have experienced the horrors of war, to remind them of the difference and demand that they be held as accountable for their actions as are our soldiers.

update: Lest you still run into Moonbats crying about how Eeeevil our Marines are; refer them to THIS and ask THEM if they still think that Marine was overreacting, or protecting himself and his compatriots...INCLUDING the MSM cameraman that made him the focus of possible war crimes charges...

Tin-foil Hat Time

Okay, I admit it. In the back of my closet, behind the pair of ugly shoes and the box of old ballcards and comic books, lies a smaller, inconspicuous box. Its drab and nondescript appearance give no clue to the terror that lurks within. Yes, inside this innocuous little carton is, dare I say it, a tin-foil hat.

Sure, sure, laugh at me if you will if it makes you feel better about your own secreted tin-foil hat. Scoff, if you must. But naming my demons takes away their powers, and such is also true of my Alcoa headgear.

Why, you might ask, do I even admit to having one, much less discuss it openly?

Well, because today I actually found myself considering putting it on. Yes, I read something yesterday, followed by a related story today, that stirred up that whole grassy knoll, black helicopter, LSD in the resevoir, Michigan Militia are massing at the Indiana state line, aliens stole my DNA line of thinking that both shames and excites me at equivalent levels.

Yesterday, while entering a building at the summit for Asia-Pacific leaders, Chilean security personnel refused to allow Secret Service agents to enter the dinner, causing a fracas, and necessitating the physical intervention of The Most Powerful Leader in the World (take that, Chiraq) to pull his head of security through the melee and into the building.

My co-worker and I were discussing the incident this morning, very early this morning, as we attempted to clear the cobwebs with copious cafinated infusions. "Makes a person wonder," I said to her, "if there wasn't something going on there and the Chilean Security people didn't want the Secret Service agents there to stop it from happening."

I mean, you hear about the corruption within the militaries of South and Central America all the time, and how easy it would be to infiltrate a group if you really wanted to get someone. It's not like we operate in a vacuum and don't see news about this coup here, or that assasination attempt there.

And then, just when I had moved on to another topic, I find another article about Yet Another security FUBAR at the same summit.

SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) - Hours after President Bush dove into a fracas to rescue his lead Secret Service agent from a confrontation with Chilean security officials, word surfaced of another security dispute. This time, an elaborate state dinner Sunday night was the casualty.

The dinner planned for Bush and 200 others by Chilean President Ricardo Lagos was reportedly scrapped after Chile was unwilling to accept security measures sought by the U.S. Secret Service, including a demand that all guests pass through metal detectors.

Is it just me, or does anyone else see where I'm going here? Are those black helicopters I hear in the distance, or does anyone else see a problem with the goings on at the Chilean Summit?

My ears are buzzing and I think I can hear the transmitter in my head. I need to get home and retrieve my tin-foil hat from the back of the closet. It looks as though I may have become a potential candidate for membership that as yet undeveloped forum, RepublicanUnderground. To borrow Elizabeth's term at Poisoning Pigeons, I am starting to sound like a Screaming Squirrel.

Folks you need to know

There is an old maxim associated with the armed forces that is more fact than fiction: no man left behind. And for the veterans of Indianapolis and the surrounding area, this is especially true.

The Fort Harrison Veterans Center, operated primarily by Chapter 295 of the Vietnam Veterans of America, provides assistance to veterans, regardless of branch or conflict. Where for two years there was once a vacant building, there is now a facility which provides help for the area's disadvantaged vets, as well as active duty personnel and their families.

The many groups currently housed at the Fort Harrison Veterans Center also try to help the soldiers still serving overseas and the families they've left back home. This past summer, the VVA took the families of an Indiana regiment in Afghanistan to a ball game at Victory Field and has held a cookout. The VVA made a DVD of the event and sent it overseas so soldiers could get at least some small feeling of being home. The gesture was well appreciated.

"We got letters from guys overseas that appreciated it," [Gene] Gigli said. "We've experienced what they're going through and wanted to let them know we cared."

No man left behind. Take a moment to read this story of, to paraphrase Blackfive, Some People you need to know.

Kroger Update

Just wanted to give you an update on the Kroger thing. I received a letter from one of their customer service representatives asking for clarification on which store it was. I looked up the telephone number, thinking that the best way, and provided it to her.

Now we wait.

2004 Weblog Awards!

It is time to go make your voices heard at Wizbang's 2004 Weblog Awards. Nominations were opened this evening, and the catagories run the gamut, from Best Overall Blog, through the political spectrum, and across the TTLB Ecosphere as well.

I've made a few nominations myself (no, not for me. I'm not worthy) and encourage you to do the same (no, not for me. I'm not worthy). Lots of great blogs out there that you may be reading and that I'm not even aware exist. Just read the instructions, drop your nominations in the comments below each catagory, and move on to the next. Don't feel like you have to nominate someone in every catagory, because that's just impossible. I don't think I even read any true Tech Blogs.

Head on over. Let your voice be heard now, and start amping up for the actual voting in mid-December.

Wanna Be Santa?

And speaking of Big-Box stores, have you heard the ads for Kmart lately?

It seems they are having a promotion where someone will win their wishlist, up to a total of $500, one person every day until Christmas. As a matter of fact, they are encouraging people to register a person or family that is currently in need, enter a wishlist for that person or family, and enter them daily in the contest. There will be a winner every day until Christmas, and the winner will be notified by email. What a nice way to be a "Secret Santa" for someone.

I'm sure you all know someone, including deployed military, who could really use $500 toward Christmas. Sign up a friend or neighbor who's in Iraq or Afghanistan, or on a ship at sea. Enter someone you know is in physical rehab at Walter Reed, or recuperating at Camp Pendleton. Compile a wishlist pulled from Health and Beauty, Apparel, even some sports items, up to a total of $500, and then hit the website and sign your selected person up for the drawing each day.

Can you imagine a huge box from Kmart arriving unannounced at Camp Rhino or Baghdad Airport? How much fun would it be to get a perplexed email from the sandbox trying to figure out how they won, and little Secret Santa you would be the only one who knows.

It's really easy to do. On the Kmart home page has a place for entering, and another for building a wishlist. I wonder of Greyhawk from Mudville Gazette has a wishlist. Questing Cat perhaps could use a box of things to distribute to his crew, too. Cruise along the Milblogs list and find one you'd like to "sponsor" and get them signed up. Just make sure you check "no" for receiving Kmart ads via email, so they aren't tipped off to what you're doing.

I just know you all would make great Secret Santas, and this one won't cost you anything but time.

Pre-Season Musings

I was asking the Nephew yesterday if they still had a Santa who made appearances at the Base Exchange during the Christmas season, and it got me to thinking about Christmas this year.

Anna is understandably a big fan of Christmas and it's most visible symbol, Santa Clause. From a very early age, she loved the whole Santa thing, and for all but that first encounter with the Bearded One, she has had no problem settling into his lap and whispering her secret wishes into the ears below the edge of the fur-trimmed hat.

I'm afraid this will be the last Santa's Lap year for her, though. She wants to believe so badly, but takes quite an amount of ridicule for it at school and from her older and more worldly 11 yr old cousin Mariah. She has written and re-written her letter to Santa several times over the last month or so, and in almost every one she asks for Pawpaw Jake and all of her fallen pets to come back home from heaven. We've told her this just isn't going to happen, any more than the magical appearance of a Ferret and cage under the tree at Gramma's will happen, but she continues to start each letter that way.

Gramma and Grampa have already started rearranging the front room to accommodate the tree, which has become more eccentric each of the last several years, culminating in the addition of several rather large plush Santas and Snowmen last season. It's nothing if not a festive tree. The kids love it, up to and including the biggest kid, "Grampa." Yes, it was at his instance that the fuzzy toys were added to the tree. They make him happy. Mom just rolls her eyes and shakes her head and smiles at him. I guess after 48 years of being married, she has the right to roll her eyes at him.

I suppose I'll have to break down and dig out the little white tree with the fiber optic twinkles, and load it down with shimmer and shine some day next week. It sits nicely on the coffee table or atop the old, antique RCA Victor stereo in the tall mahogany cabinet. I might even dig a string of those Icicle lights out of the basement and find a way to hang it over the curtain rod in the living room to frame the little tree and give the room a glow.

Decorating for Christmas was never something I really enjoyed doing because eventually you are forced to reverse the process, but I do love both making little holiday gee-gaws and having the decorations up and lit. I can't tell you the number of trees I have decorated with specific color or a particular look, then put them in boxes and maybe not use that particular tree for a couple of years. I have one now, naked and waiting, that is really only half a tree for hanging on the wall. I just haven't decided exactly how I want it to look yet.

I have until Thanksgiving to decide exactly what I want to do. Somehow, it just seems right to put up the tree on the Friday after the Feast of Outrageous Consumption. To be marginally woozy from left-over turkey, mashed potatoes, and sweet concord wine, and climbing up on the step stool to retrieve boxes of ornaments and lights seems to be the perfect way to spend that Friday. It's much better than dealing with crowds at the malls and big-box outlets.

Awwww, Too bad.

Thanks to Jack, the Conservative Insurgent, the intrepid seeker of excellent news and generous sharer of links, we have news that the Washington Post has awakened and smelled the coffee.

WashingtonPost.com is no longer running the cartoons of hard-hitting liberal Ted Rall.

Rall said he thinks the site dropped his work because of a Nov. 4 cartoon he did showing a drooling, mentally handicapped student taking over a classroom. "The idea was to draw an analogy to the electorate -- in essence, the idiots are now running the country," he told E&P.

Ted Rall, the malcontent "cartoonist," and I use that word loosely to describe his drivel, will no longer malign the dead, ridicule the handicapped, or jeer at the survivors of tragedy on the pages of the Washington Post. Nor will he be gracing the pages of the New York Times, which banished him from their pages last winter.

Couldn't happen to a nicer misanthrope.

Just an Innocent Observation

A co-worker and I were talking about the Marine shooting incident and he reminded me of an old WWI story I had forgotten about...

But first...let's put things in perspective:

Marines fight insurgents.

Insurgents play dead, blow up Marines.

One Marine takes no chance, shoots wounded insurgent.

Liberals and MSM release bowels, cry war crime.

Now...ponder this little tidbit:

Henry Tandey, a British infantryman, finds a wounded enemy soldier.

Tandey, being an honorable man, spares the life of his wounded enemy.

Wounded enemy soldier recovers, survives WWI.

The soldier returns home...
Takes over his country...
Invades Poland...
Plunges the world into a devestating war...
Thanks Henry Tandey by bombing Britain relentlessly...
Kills millions of Jews...

So much for a noble British soldier's good intentions.

I'm slowly coming under the impression that this young Marine has done us all a big favor...maybe I'm over-generalizing...but then again...

Media Bias Redux

Tell me something....The Left claims that the MSM isn't biased, or if it is, it's got a conservative slant. Every study I've seen refutes this view, but in any discussion of the subject, this is the view that is blared the loudest by the far Left.

Now we have another example of just how biased the MSM really is. We have had story after story about a Marine supposedly executing an unarmed, possibly already wounded, Iraqi during a sweep of a building which insurgents Islamofacists had been using as a base from which to attack our troops. No background of the circumstances are given, just that one of OUR Marines was to be considered as having committed a war crime.

Now that the clean-up phase of the operation in Fallujah is in it's early stages; what activities that the Islamofacists were engaging in during their hold of the city are starting to come to light....the only problem being that that the MSM isn't shining, or even reflecting, that light.

Read that link and ask yourself WHY THE HELL isn't this in any headline or lead story in a newscast?

Oh, I forgot, they are too busy trying to crucify one of our own as a figure as bad in behaviour as Ghenghis Khan to even try to report on what the animals masquarading as human beings are doing (after all, it would be hard to continue to equate them to our revolutionary war soldiers if these activities came to light, wouldn't it?)

They blather that OUR Marine was in contravention of the Geneva Convention, disregarding the fact that the enemy in this isn't subject to the Convention. (and of course they NEVER explain that only regular troops of a government entity who is a signatory to the Comvention are covered by that Convention) The majority of the populace, having not been educated because of their indoctrination in the Government Day Care Centers (where, these days, the emphasis seems to be on self-esteem and obiesiance to The (non)Education System) is not conversant with the "rules of war" (talk about a oxymoron!) In truth, these so called rules are a very recent artifact, and have never been followed in much more than lip service except by the "Civilised" Western world anyway.

The fact remains that what we are told by the MSM about the situation in Iraq doesn't jive with what we are told by people on the ground there through the alternative media (mainly internet), both by our troops and the Iraqis themselves.

It really is becoming more and more obvious that most of the MSM seems to be moving to the beat of Left wing idiological drums of blaming America for any evil in the world.

Hello Red State...

Mistress Key, the Dominatrix of the Jawja Blogfest, has a post up by her guest blogger Dave that is one of the funniest things I've seen in a long while.

Any of you old enough to remember Alan Sherman? Well, this little ode is right up his alley and a great parody of one of his more memorable little ditties.

Get thee over there and lavish some praise upon Dave, or Mistress Key may see fit to punish you.

Yeah, Right, Whatever

Beth of Yeah, Right, Whatever is suffering from post-election blahs over in her corner of the blogiverse.

She's a hellacious writer, right on point with her observations, and a good read any day of the week. Skip on over there and give her a read and drop a few comments on her. Perk her up. Just remind her, we only have a year before HillaryWatch fires up in earnest for the 2006 Senatorial elections.

And while you're at it, slip her into your blogrolls if you haven't done it already. You'll be glad you did.

The Sheepdogs

I found this in an unlikely place....the site of the Embedded "journalist" that has put a young Marine through hell for doing his job. Most of his stuff is anti-war, then he comes up with a personal account of an ambush that shows that he almost "gets it" and this great poem:

That Mr Sites knew the probable result of the tape he turned over to the general feed, there can be no doubt, judging from the stories on his site.

In my mind, the fact that Mr Sites MUST have known the results of his actions on the morale of our troops and the propaganda uses of the tape by the Islamofacists and their mouthpiece Al Jazeera, makes him, at the least, a collaborator, and at the worst, an active, willing agent of the enemy.

I would hope for his sake that he is sent home to the US on the next plane outbound. If he is sent out with another unit as an embed, I do not believe that he would survive the next encounter with an enemy force. I personally would be hard pressed to lay my life on the line for him, given his prior actions.

Thank you, Dr. Savage.

Dr. Michael Savage made a excellent point on his radio show last night, and I hope someone from the White House or Pentagon was listening. It needs to be done by them, and it needs to be done quickly.

Savage stated that someone in authority needs to make a public statement of support for the young Marine who shot the insurgent who was trying to pretend that he was asleep. Rumsfield, at the very least, should do this. It would be better if Bush did it. The statement should be something to this effect:

"Brave members of the Marine Corps are currently fighting the terrorists who have kept the good and law abiding citizens of Fallujah from living their lives free from fear, virtual prisoners in their own homes. During the course of fighting, one of these young men, was both observed and taped killing a known insurgent inside a mosque, and this tape has found it's way onto Al Jazeera.

"Needless to say, this has sparked "outrage" among some individuals, the same individuals who defended the beheadings of Daniel Perl and others, and the summary execution of a defenseless woman, a Muslim, who had dedicated her life to the improvement of the human condition in Iraq.

"We are examining this situation carefully and we will determine if this was appropriate to the situation or if there was any wrongdoing on the part of this Marine. Until that time, however, we recognize his had work and bravery in the face of fierce fighting and the unimaginable horrors both witnessed and experienced by he and his fellow warriors during the battle for Fallujah.

"This nation supports him during this time, as we support all of his brothers in this fight. We will not second guess this young man's decision or actions based solely on a video tape taken out of the context his unit's actions during the period preceding this singular event. Nor will we allow a brave member of our armed forces to be damaged unnecessarily. When, and only when, we have indisputable evidence of any wrong doing, actions will be taken.

"Until then, God bless you young man, and thank you for your service in protecting the members of your unit, and ultimately in protecting the United States of America."

Yes, this is what needs to come out of the White House. And it needs to happen now. The people of the world in general, and specifically the terrorists need to know that we will not walk away from one of our own just because they have been able to generate a stench. No arbitrary "Stench" level can be seen as having any effect on our support for the war on terror or the brave individuals involved in it.

Marlboro Man Photo Distresses Donks!

Coldfury has the scoop on a pack of liberal ninnies, who are a bit non-plussed over that evil marine and the cigarette dangling defiantly from his weary face...Go there...now...

....why are you still reading this, you insolent curr!!??

Cathy's World

One of the best quotes I've read today:

A disappointed Kerry-voter asked me in frustration the other day if I'd rather people with red state values be in charge of Hollywood content. Of course not! I don't want George Bush writing sitcoms any more than I want Sean Penn writing foreign policy. But if Sean Penn and friends don't want someone like Bush elected next time, they might try skipping those "fact-finding" trips to Baghdad and visit Middle America instead.

You have to just love this. Take my advice and go read this woman's blog. I had never seen it before, but there was a hit from in my Sitemeter listing. I wandered over there and I was amused and impressed.

I don't think you'll be disappointed by what you see. Cathy's World needs to have a place in your reads.

Sad Little Man

This has not been a good month for the North Korean dictator. Kim Jong Il's favorite consort has died, and he's in seclusion. Add to that, John Kerry lost the election on November 2nd. Think that hasn't had an effect on him?

"The loss of this woman was a blow," said a foreign diplomat.

"But (US Democratic candidate) John Kerry's loss in the US election was a harder one. These are now very worried men."

They've cut off phone service from foreigners, and the secret police have taken over cellular service. How much of this is from mourning, and how much is fear of what could happen next in the War on Terror? Time will tell.

Condi Rice

I have two words:

I have absolutely no problem with that attitude. When can we start.

William F. Buckley, Sr. has weighed in on it too. Whee.

WHEW!

Here's a story of one damned lucky paratrooper. He fell 3500 feet and only ended up with three cracked vertabrae and a dislocated finger! I can imagine the scene in the house that he landed...

Motunga: Pass the dried cow tongue please.

Mozumbo: here..whats that noise?

Motunga: sounds like a banshee wailing!

CRASH !!

Lt. Williams: I say, old boy, would you get that tongue out of my face? Sorry about the roof, I'm sure Her Majesty's government will pay all damages. Oh, and would you call me an ambulance please?

Motunga:

Mozumbo:

Lt. Williams: I say, you do speak English don't you? I'm in a little pain here, that first step was a little longer than I had expected!

Motunga: Try to get a decent lunch, and it starts raining men! Maybe those old Disco ladies in America were right! Lets's Dance!

Mozumbo: My Roof! My lunch! My God! We weren't prepared for lunch guests!

A New Awakening?

Well, the Dutch have woken up to the threat of Islamic presence in Europe and are starting to fight back, and now the Germans are starting to be roused from a sound sleep too. Even the mass media in Germany is starting to let the alarm ring. The *spit*French*spit* have had more than one wake-up call, but prefer to hit the snooze feature and go back to a deep slumber.

I just wonder if Europe needs it's own 9/11 or Breslan before they realize the danger they are harboring in their midst. I sincerely hope not, for the sake of the innocents at peril, but sometimes it takes a harsh lesson to bring it home to the sombulent denizens of the old countries. I only hope that they awaken before that occurs and join us in rooting out the evil that is Islamofacism.

Update: If you want to see the film that inflamed the sensibilities of the Dutch Muslim population to the point of murder, it is here. This will take you to the IFilms page with the film. Thanks to Nancy for asking about it, or I'd have never thought of looking for it.

One year Blogiversary in Iraq

I hear from the Left side all the time that we have "no business" being in Iraq; it's a "quagmire", and we are only engendering hatred towards us by being there.

To all of those doomsayers and self-hating LLL's I can only say, ask the Iraqi's themselves.

It is the one year Blogaversary of Iraq the Model and the authors of the blog have posted how they feel about the events of the last year.

I challenge any of the left to read that and say that there is not a new feeling of hope, and that what they are seeing in the MSM isn't biased against the US efforts there. Yes it's only three people and their friends, but add a number of other Iraqi blogs, and almost all of the blogs of our Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen there on the ground, and you start seeing a whole different picture from that given in the MSM and from the Left side of the political spectrum.

None of these sources say that's it's easy, or that all will soon be sweetness and light, in fact they all make the point that these are hard, dirty, dangerous times, and there is no assurance of success unless we see it through to the end, and even then, the effort WILL have some setbacks and false starts, but through it all comes the sense of a new wind of freedom and hope for a brighter future showing through all the pain and frustration with the birthing pains of a new type of government never before seen in the Middle East.

Note from Mama: Iraq the Model is in the blogroll here along with three other excellent Iraqi blogs. Take the time and go read a bit. It's an eye-opener.

Breaking News

Idiotarians Stripped of Medal
ESPN

Today, in the 14th Annual Idiotarian Game being held in Worcester, MA, Maude Frumeweiser and her partner Chip Wigglesworth were disqualified and their medals taken from them after a post-race urine test failed to indicate any presence of drugs.

"It is a widely embraced tradition in the Idiotarian subculture that hallucinogenic and mood altering herbs are a vital part of games participation," stated Moonbeam Dragonfly Jones, current president of the International Idiotarian Games Committee. "We take it very seriously, and when, like, some Just-Say-No Fascist tries to take part in the games, it like totally makes a mockery of the spirit of Idiotarianism."

"It was so totally bogus of these people to think they could get away with it."

When asked for comment, Chip Wigglesworth stated "I completely fail to understand the attitude here. I'm just a qualified as any of these other people. Sure, I don't drop acid or fire up a fatty after work or during my lunch hour, but sheesh, some of us are just natural Idiotarians."

"I mean, I voted for Kerry," he continued. "I read the Washington Post. I work as a door-to-door community political activist. Hell, I even helped make Molotov cocktails for ELF last summer during a PETA sensitivity camp. That should count for something."

Because of the disqualification, the Moonbat Medal was given to the second place team, Roxie "cb" Meadowlark-Jones and Sophia Soppleworth of the Vassar Rainbow team.

Mama's Moment of Moronity

I got up this morning and rushed around getting ready for work. I had to be there by 7am, which means I need to be out the door by 6:30. Period.

Well, just as I'm getting ready to head out the door, Anna wakes up and needs some attention. Morning hugs, check her forehead to see if she's still warm (which she is), reassure her that she'll be fine and leave instructions for her to drink lots of water and her Vernors, and I make it to the car at 6:38.

I drive like a bat out of hell to get there by 7am, and hit the clock at 6:59 which is definitely cutting close. As I walk in the door, my co-worker Mary asks "Why are you here? Isn't it early for you?"

"No, I work today. 7am to 3pm."

And Loetta, the actual 7am to 3pm person, pipes up, "Then can I go home?"

What???

So we check the schedule. I'm scheduled for the 10am-6pm shift.

D'oh! I have no idea what schedule I looked at, but it sure wasn't the right one. So, I hung out, had breakfast, checked a few news sites, and clocked in at 10am. And tomorrow? Rest assured, I checked that. 2:30pm-10:30pm. I start the evening shift tomorrow to get the differential. Hopefully it will help pay the bills. Or at least more of them more regularly.

So concludes this exciting episode of Mama's Moment of Moronity.

Whine, whine, whine.

Okay, I'm going to devote an entire post to whining about something that torqued me off yesterday. I can only hope that someone from the Kroger home office gets wind of this, because I don't generally get angry enough to pitch one, but yesterday's experience was just the last straw.

You know, once a store honks me off bad enough, I'll generally leave and never go back. I believe that if they don't want my patronage enough to treat me decently, they certainly don't need my hard earned money. Many are the stores and restaurants where a bad attitude or lousy service has pushed me out the door, never to darken their cashier stand again. And I do mean never for the vast majority of these poor attempts at running a business.

Once in a great while, however, generally because I'm short of time or need something specific, I will go back to one of those previously written-off stores. And for the most part, during the interim they never have gotten it together and most have actually gotten worse. Such is the case yesterday with the Kroger store at 86th Street and Township Line Road in Indianapolis, Indiana.

Anna stayed home sick yesterday with a bad cold. Apparently the teacher had tried to get her to come back home on Thursday but she refused, and by the time she woke up Friday she had developed a very croupy cough and a mild fever. One of her requests as I left for work was that I stop at the store and get her some Vernors, her favorite "I'm sick and need fluids" beverage.

Well, on the way home I decided to stop at the Kroger store at 86th Street and Township Line Road, in Indianapolis, Indiana, since it is close to the hospital. Because there had been a Shopping Trip From Hell in that store about a year earlier, I had foresworn ever going in there again in protest over the complete lack of customer service. But I'll give them another chance, I thought. They were having a good sale, and I thought I'd pick up a few sale items in addition to the Vernors.

I wandered through the store, looking for tags on the shelves that denote Plus Card savings, picking up a can of this, a jar of that, a box of something else. When I walked by the meat case, I saw that they had a good price on Cumberland Gap "Flat Hams", those long, loaf-like boneless hams that slice nicely for sandwiches or to serve with eggs for breakfast. A big orange sticker affixed to each ham promises that if I decide to purchase a ham, I can have it "Sliced free to [my] Specifications." What a great idea, I think to myself. With winter almost here, I can mince a few slices for making beans, or pea soup. And hash some up with potatoes and onions. Yes, I will just have to get one of these hams. I'll put some of the other stuff back to get one.

Looking into the case, I select my ham and take it to the meat counter. No one is there. I walk over to the other meat counter, the one with the poultry and beef on it. No one is there either. I looked at the wall clock and noted the time was 4:10.

Looking down the length of the meat aisle, I see a guy in a white coat and puffy head cover, pushing a cart loaded with hamburger packages. I look at him. He looks at me. He finishes putting out the packages on his cart, and begins to make his way in my direction. I feel a small thrill at the prospect of getting my ham sliced, and I prepare to hand off the ham as he passes by. But there isn't enough room for him to pass by me unless I scoot my shopping cart closer to the case, so I put the ham in the kidseat and proceed to do just that. Just before he reaches me, he says "I can get by you," steers the cart around me, parks it behind me, and leaves it there while he walks over into Condiments to
chat up some guy-pal who's shopping.

So there I stand. And stand. And stand. And on they talk. I turn to watch as he converses, and he turns his back so he doesn't see me any longer. I watch the clock behind the counter. 4:12... 4:15... 4:20... He's still standing there, yakking it up with his friend. And like some flashback, it all comes back to me why I haven't been in this store for a year. Frustration escalates to anger, and I walk back to the display of hams to very unceremoniously pitch the ham back with a distinct "thud." As I walk away from the meat counter, the two buddies are still standing near condiments, just talking away like they were in one
or the other's living room.

I still have to get the Vernors, so I go to that aisle, pick up a 12-pack, walk over to get a $1.99 gallon of milk and the 4/$3.00 mini frozenpizzas so no one goes hungry next week, and I make my way to the cashier.

My first thought as I unload my cart (and ring my own groceries and sack my own groceries and then place my own groceries back into my cart) is that I should ask the cashier to get the manager when I've completed my unloading, checking, sacking, paying, and reloading. So of course, when I've completed my "job" of checking out, I look for my cashier. She is gone.

I go to the customer service desk and find a guy trying to buy a money order, a chick buying one of every scratch-off ticket in the place, and some guy who's just got his cart shoved under the little rope to prevent anyone from getting into line, but he's obviously not in line himself. The guy behind the counter is some over-nourished, pasty-faced guy with a mustache and bigger breasts than I have, and he can barely handle the money order guy and the scratch-off ticket lady without flaking out. And no manager in sight. And my cashier is finally back at her station, but I'm several lanes away now, and my anger has further distilled into just plain contrariness.

So I leave. I vow once again never to go back into the Kroger store at the corner of 86th Street and Township Line Road in Indianapolis, Indiana to shop for anything. The little bit of convenience just is not worth being ignored, not getting an acceptable level of customer service, or being unable to get a manager when I want or need one.

Caption-Madness

So? You're waiting for what? Caption this.

Vandalism as Dissent?

I understand the necessity of political protest. I even embrace it as a tool for groups interested in producing a climate conducive to immense social and political change. Carrying a placard, marching, making speeches, writing and performing protest songs, and holding rallies have all had a place in this country for drawing attention to situations and initiating changes. Everything from Tom Paine's "Common Sense" to the Swiftboat Vets is protest.

Much political protest is civil, much is not. Chanting and conducting well organized marches and parades is civil. Pitching bricks through windows and throwing marbles under the hooves of police horses is not. Some protests can be extreme. Some is merely wanton vandalism disguised as dissent.

Vandals tried to put a damper on Ashland's Veterans' Day celebration by putting gravel and wet cement into 65 flag holders along the town's main street.

But Kiwanis Club members discovered the vandalism early enough that they were still able to put up more than 200 flags through the rest of the town to commemorate Veterans' Day.

Acts like this protest nothing less than our very existance as a nation. This isn't dissent. It is criminal act which makes real debate impossible.

The punks who perpetrate acts like this deserve it when the full weight of the law falls on them. Eventually it will.

A Hat in the Ring!

It seems that Dick has entered the fray already, and has thrown his hat in the ring.

I haven't quite determined his party affiliation, except that it involves the consumption of copious amounts of alcohol, as all good parties should. And he's auditioning potential interns, to boot.

Thank you all.

I want to tell everyone who took the time to mail Anna a card or a gift (and in many cases both) Thank You so very much.

She was shocked when she saw the sack of envelopes last Friday, and the envelopes and boxes are still arriving. She was delighted, and the Spousal Unit and I were overwhelmed.

You are all wonderful, generous people, and I appreciate everything you did to make this a very memorable birthday for Anna. She will begin the Thank You notes, perhaps this weekend. It's a good practice for her, since her handwriting is her downfall. It may take a while, but you will all receive one.

And I will be posting pics as soon as I get my camera back from the Parental Estate and download them.

Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.

Veterans Day

Mad Ogre has the best comment on Veterans Day I've ever seen:

Just a word to you cake eating civilians out there… You don’t say Happy Veterans Day. You don’t say Merry Vets Day. But just because you don’t have a meaningless Seasons Greetings for it doesn’t mean you don’t say anything. This isn’t some fat bunny in a sled passing around Jack O’Lanterns because it’s Santa’s birthday… This isn’t about some old fable-become-tradition. Veterans Day is a day for those that are still alive, and for those who are dead… those who died for your freedom to flip soldiers the bird and to call them baby killers and spit on them in the airport. Veterans Day is for the guys that died fighting for your personal independent liberty… It’s for that Veteran that walks with just a slight limp and seems otherwise fine, but he doesn’t have a spleen because an enemy of our country blew it out his back with an AK-47 so you can get 15% Off that new leather fat-ass reclining couch that your going to sit on to mock the President from while watching your 42 inch plasma TV flipping through the channels trying to find some Friends rerun. Veterans Day is for the guy that came home while all his friends didn’t. Veterans day is for the woman who gave up the best years of her young adulthood so she could press her hands over the sucking chest wound of some guy from her own home town 6 thousand miles away from home. Veterans day is for that old woman over there that raised 2 kids alone because when she was young she sent her handsome young husband off to fight for your freedom and came back as a flag folded into a triangle. That’s what Veterans day is for… and what do you say to those people who served? You just say “Thank You”.

THANK YOU, ALL VETERANS PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE!

Golden Corral

Again this year, on Monday, November 15th, Golden Corral will be extending an invitation to all veterans to come to their restaurants for a dinner on them in thanks for their service to this nation and to the world.

I attended this event last year with my father, a veteran of the occupation force in Italy, the Korean conflict, and a 20 year retiree of the Air Force, and my husband, a Vietnam era vet who served in a trip-line unit in Germany during the Cold war. I can tell you from personal experience, it is a wonderful outreach by this restraurant chain and it gave many vets of many conflicts an opportunity to sit together and celebrate their service, remember those who did not come home, and acknowledge each other.

Even if you are not a Vet, I encourage you to go that night and be warmed by the comraderie and patriotism you will see there. And if you are a Vet, take the family and let them see and talk to your fellows over a great meal.

My hat's off to you, Golden Corral, for providing a much appreciated Thank You to our Veterans.

Ding-Dong...

Someone finally pulled the plug on Arafat. About time.

My prayers are with the IDF and the civilian population of Israel right now. I certainly hope that this does not lead to the kind of bloodshed I'm afraid might be in store for them. At least they have had time to brace for the onslaught of terrorists mourners thronging in the streets in armed insurection inconsolable grief for their fallen pig spawn leader.

At least this phase is over.

Semper Fi and Happy Birthday

Congratulations, Marines, for a job well done each and every time. I have a special place in my heart for the Marine Corps, even though I was an Air Force Brat. When I was in high school, it was the Marines who looked at my records, my scores, my background, and my aptitude tests and regularly contacted me by mail and eventually by phone. It was the Marines I truly wanted to join, but my physical condition and poor eyesight prevented me from ever being able to raise my right hand, take that oath, train my ass off, and wear that uniform.

I've always regretted that I was just too big and too poorly conditioned to ever consider military service. I double that regret that I couldn't be a Marine.

Happy Birthday to the Corps, and Semper Fi to all of the men and women who serve under her banner. Hoo-rah!

Ah, Wednesday.

Okay, it's Wednesday and it was supposed to be my day off. Ah, but exactly like the proverbial best laid plans of mice and men, things didn't go as expected. A call-in by a co-worker, an offer of overtime, and of course I went in. Well, it won't be overtime, but I do get tomorrow off instead. In the meantime, while busily answering phones, paging doctors, and dispatching shuttle buses to various places around the hospital campus, I did manage to get a few thoughts together and things I wanted to direct you to today:

Is it just me, or has Yassir Arafat expended more lives over the last several days than a whole herd of cats at a pitt bull kennel? The last time I saw a death scene this long, it was in a bad amateur theatrical. Ah, melodrama.

Big Dick's Place has become Campaign Central for the Dick in 2008 presidential campaign. He even has his platform spelled out and posted. Yours truly has been tabbed for Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. Applications are now being accepted for HUD internships, as well as a really hot Under Secretary. Remember, the best kinds of hot tend to be between the ears. Beefcake photos, however, are encouraged.

Upheaval continues in the Blogosphere. Apparently Mblog isn't the only host to set about screwing their clients. Not only do journalists and media types not take us seriously, neither do some of the services we utilize as blog hosts. It's open season on bloggers. Drop by WeaselTeeth while you can and lend him your moral support and any kind words you can spare. And if you find he's gone, keep an eye here for updates. He and his wonderful wife don't deserve the crap they're getting, and are searching for a dependable Wordpage host. If you know of one, let me know and I'll forward your addy and comment to them.

You know that great Geico commercial with the cool guy and the gecko sporting Raybans, driving a cool convertable through the tunnel, and listening to that awesome song? I love that song. It was haunting me, because I had never heard it before nor had any clue about finding out what it was. Well, the vacationing Eric at StraightWhiteGuy has that song up in a post. Needless to say, I was delighted. Go click and enjoy. And while you're there, enjoy the postings by his guest bloggers.

It as been announced that a large part of us are now the demented denizens of the evil and nationalistic rogue nation of Jesusland. I guess that's supposed to be a derogatory announcement. Of course, as Velociman pointed out yesterday, Jeff's way ahead of the curve yet again. Not to mention, he has gained unprecidented access to Martha Stewart's private jailhouse diary. Mind altering substances are not enouraged, as his posts pretty much do the same thing at a much lower cost and we hate redundency, except perhaps in the bedroom.

And speaking of Bedrooms and such, anyone know where V-man can get a Caning Rack? I suggested searching Ebay for "dungeon furniture" as I've always had luck with that search, but you might have a better idea.

Andrew, Andrew, Andrew. In case you're reading today, how much longer before I get this freeloader respected guest blogger off my site and onto his own? Please? A little mercy on me the spousal unit. You can email him at Delftsman3(at)sbcglobal(dot)net if you need any info from him.

Marine Mom makes Moore her bitch

When I read this story in the Tennessean, I felt a whole range of emotions...

Sorrow at the loss of another brave member of the Armed Services, anger at the continuing Anti-American antics of the moronic Blubberbut from Flint,and last, but certainly not least, pride that the victoms of the mendacity of the Blubberbut are finally finding their voice and speaking out against him and everything he stands for.

For far too long Blubberbut has put up his twisted screed without a protest from those he has wronged the most, the parents,siblings,mates, and children of those that put their bodies on the front lines and in doing so, payed the ultimate price. That has now ended.

As Mrs. Savage said:

''People like Moore would have you believe that we hold President Bush responsible for my son's death. Michael Moore has not spoken to me — ever. So he cannot profess to know how I feel. He is a coward who thrives on the lives of others by twisting the truth and rewriting it to suit his own agenda...

...''I have a voice, and it is about damn time I stop being silent. My son died giving me the right to speak, and speak loud. I will not allow his name or even his picture be disgraced.''

All the bloggers in the country speaking out against the evil filth that the Blubberbut spews on a daily basis are great, but the voice of one Marine mother has more standing and power for the truth than all those bloggers put together.

THANK YOU MRS. SAVAGE May your son rest in the peace he has well and truly earned, and may your voice be continued to be raised against all those that would disturb that peace and denigrate the service of far braver people than them.

Light 'Em Up!

Eat your heart out Steve McQueen...

Image provided by The New York Post, via Michelle Malkin

Yeeaaaaaarrrrgh!

Howard Dean is bidding to be the next chairman of the DNC.

Dean has been outspoken since the beginning of his presidential bid in saying that the Democratic Party must establish a separate and unique identity from Republicans.

Even as the voting machines from this election are being packed away in preceincts all over the nation, the Democrat party is already trying to sabotage their chances in the next election cycle. Life is good.

Someone Gets It!

Someone not only gets it, but actually explained it well enough that even the daft will understand it!

Let me explain by answering the obvious question that never seems to get answered in stories about poor Mabel Anne: Why do drugs cost less in Canada, which is just America Jr. anyway, than they do in America Sr.?

Answer: Because the Canadian government is using its total power to make law in Canada in order to force the drug companies to sell drugs below true cost in Canada, or be ruined financially. You see, drug prices are not artificially high in the US, they are artificially low in Canada.

I'm so tired of hearing about the Cheaper Canadian Drugs by people who have no Clue™ that seeing this item was like a breath of fresh air. He explodes the fallacy of that belief like Mr. Creosote at the Super Lucky 8 Buffet.

We Are Subsidising Canadian Drug Prices With The Increased Cost Of Our Own Prescriptions! Wake up, people. Do the math. Oh, and enjoy a beautiful use of satire at the same time.

Crook gives up

With all of the somber post election crying by the DimocRats and the gloating by the Right side, it's good to have a little levity for a change...so how about THIS?

I"m sure I would give up if I thought Shrek was chasing me too!

Guy must have been a DimocRat...after all, it was just a "fair redistribution" of alcohol from an eeeeevil business that was, no doubt, gouging the working man engaging in his "right" to get plowed. And one of "Ashcrofts Jackbooted Thugs" stepped in to take the poor fellow off to the Gulag; must have been a CIA agent, or why a green disguise?

Damn it! I can't even put a link to a humorous incident without engaging in political polemic!, what has this election season done to me?!?

Sending Old Men To War

My sister sent me this, I don't know who wrote it, but it fits me....I wish they would let ME go in the place of some young turk with his whole life before him;
I would like to believe I could still give a good accounting of myself (a few remarks are mine):

If I could, I'd enlist today and
help my country track down those responsible for killing thousands
of innocent people in New York City
and Washington DC. (HOO-AH!)

But, I'm over 50 now
and the Armed Forces say I'm too old
to track down terrorists.
You can't be older than 35
to join the military.

They've got the whole thing backwards. Instead of sending 18-year-olds off to fight, they ought to take us old guys.
You shouldn't be able to join
until you're at least 35. (well, still let the young-uns join, but use us old farts in the rough stuff first!)

For starters:

Researchers say 18-year- olds think about sex every 10 seconds.
Old guys only think about sex
a couple of times a day, (well, I guess I'm STILL 18 in this area LOL)
leaving us more that 28,000
additional seconds per day to
concentrate on the enemy.

Young guys haven't lived long enough
to be cranky,
and a cranky soldier is a dangerous soldier. If we can't kill the enemy
we'll complain them into submission.
"My back hurts!" "I'm hungry!"
"Where's the remote control?" (This one fits me to a tee!)

An 18-year-old hasn't had a legal beer yet and you shouldn't go to war until
you're at least old enough to legally drink. An average old guy, on the other hand,
has consumed 126,000 gallons of beer
by the time he's 35 and
a jaunt through the desert heat
with a backpack and M-60
would do wonders for the old beer belly. (I could SURE use this!)

An 18-year-old
doesn't like to get up before 10 a.m.

Old guys get up early every morning to pee. (not to mention get up half the night!)

If old guys are captured
we couldn't spill the beans because
we'd probably forget where we put them.
In fact, name, rank, and serial number
would be a real brainteaser. (what was the question?)

Boot camp would actually be easier
for old guys.
We're used to getting screamed
and yelled at (I've been married twice, I don't even hear the yelling any more)

and we actually like soft food.
We've also developed a deep appreciation for guns and rifles.

We like them almost better than naps.

They could lighten up on the
obstacle course however.
I've been in combat and
I didn't see a single 20-foot wall
with rope hanging over the side,
nor did I ever do any pushups
after completing basic training.
I can hear the Drill Sergeant now,
"Get down and give me...er...one."

And the running part
is kind of a waste of energy.
I've never seen anyone outrun a bullet.

An 18-year-old
has the whole world ahead of him.
He's still learning to shave,
to actually carry on a conversation,
and to wear pants without
the top of his butt crack showing and
his boxer shorts sticking out.
He's still hasn't figured out that
a pierced tongue catches food particles, and that a 400-watt speaker
in the back seat of a Honda Accord
can rupture an eardrum.
All great reasons to keep our sons at home to learn a little more about life
before sending them off to possible death.

Let us old guys track down those
dirty rotten cowards
who attacked our hearts on September 11. The last thing the enemy would want to see right now is a couple of million old farts with attitudes.

Housekeeping

Well, with the election over and the evil menace of insurection past, it's time to do a little blog-cleaning and pull some of the old campaign stuff down. Oh, of course they'll be packed away until such time as they're needed, in the hall closet with the Christmas decorations and the old Easter baskets. Can't bear to part with them completely.

So if things look a little different around here for a while, that's what's going on in the Rumpus Room. And be sure to take a gander at the links. I've found a few great new blogs that I will be adding as well. Read a few bloggers you haven't read before and expand your horizons a bit. You'll be glad you did.

Update: Well, if you peruse the blogroll over on the right, you will find about a dozen new bloggers I found had linked me but that I had never reciprocated. Damn, I hate it when I miss linkage like that.

Right now, they're in the section "Folks That Make Me Think" but as soon as I find out where they really belong, they'll be moved.

AmpDead
Bittersweet Me
Boudicca's Voice
Chabliz
Paulie's World
Dogwood Dreams
Leslie's Omnibus
New York City Blog
News and Current Events
Ol'Dad Thinks
Orc Hunter
Political Teen
Rechter Geisteszustand
Shadydown's Soapbox
Six Meat Buffet
Solomonia

Click around and leave a "Hello" on these new additions to the blogroll. And be sure to support them by perhaps adding them to your own. Linky-Lovin's are a wonderful thing.

Oh, and another thing. If you're not looking at your Tehnorati link list once in a while, you really should. You'd be amazed at what you'll find. I find folks there who have linked to a post or have put me in their blogrolls, and if not for that site I'd have never known. You don't have to sign-up or pay for the service. Just enter your full URL and let it search. It's a great tool for bloggers interested in maintaining a good, full blogroll that includes the good folks who have them linked.

What Monty Python charactor are you?

You are Dennis the Repressed! A political activist
way ahead of your time. Everyone is always out
to get you...but you'll fight the dirty
bastards to the death!


Which Monty Python & the Holy Grail Character are you REALLY?
brought to you by Quizilla

Hmmmm..... Repressed? Moi? I dun' theenk so Lucy! LOL

Oh, No!

It seems there was an embedded reporter from a national newspaper at the Jawja Blogfest!

I was at the grocery store and found this at the check-out counter. I was shocked! I don't ever buy those rags papers, but I had to have this one just to scan in the cover so you'd believe me. And I had no idea about the orgies.

Oh, the horror! Oh, the humiliation! Oh, the great scoops! I had no idea we were being watched.

Say it isn't so!

Some Men Don't Learn!

A husband and wife are getting ready for bed. The wife is
standing in front of a full-length mirror taking a hard
look at herself.

"You know, dear," she says, "I look in the mirror, and I
see an old woman. My face is all wrinkled, my boobs are
barely above my waist, and my butt is hanging out a mile.
I've got fat legs, and my arms are all flabby." She turns
to her husband and says, "Tell me something positive to
make me feel better about myself."

He studies hard for a moment thinking about it and then
says in a soft, thoughtful voice, "Well, there's nothing
wrong with your eyesight."

Services for the husband will be held Saturday morning at
10:30 at St. Anselm's Memorial Chapel.


ANOTHER good one from Catfish!

Moonbats on Parade

Acidman stole borrowed this from Jim at Parkway Rest Stop and I stole borrowed it from him.

All I have to say is I hope that some of my (misguided) friends who voted for Kerry see these pictures and re-evaluate the type of people that form the backbone of the Kerry campaign. I would ask them if they really want to be associated with these idiots?

At Last!

Mama found this story from First Coast News.

It demonstrates just what kind of people we were dealing with in Iraq.

Saddam had sent a pound of flesh saying that it was the remains of Capt. Speicher..DNA testing proved to the contrary. Now after 14 years, it is believed that the true remains may have been found, maybe allowing his family to have the closure they need.

The fact that Capt. Speicher survived being shot down and was held captive for an unknown length of time prior to his demise, as the prior government of Iraq claimed that he had died on impact shows that government to not have even had the first concept of honor in war. I, for one, celebrate that we removed that government.

I hope that the DNA testing does prove that the remains do belong to Capt. Speicher. He has waited long enough to return home from his last mission to the rest he earned in his native soil, and his family deserves the chance to lay him to that rest.

When Anarchists Attack

I encountered an act of cruelty so vicious, one that I found so disturbing last night that I was unable to sleep.

It all started in the chat room associated with the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler. We were directed to a post where the anti-American, anti-Military anarchist trolls had done a number on a Milblogger.

The young soldier at Questing Cat had written a post a few days ago about an incident involving an bomb in a vehicle which injured a young man in his unit. Not only was the event in itself pretty traumatic, but QC was the person who acted as the medical responder who had to stabilize the injured man and keep him alive until reaching the point of evac, the Dust-off Point.

As you can well imagine, he was having some trouble decompressing, and during that process wrote a graphic and very stirring post. He vented, ranted, analyzed and relived that event. He killed a few of the demons of self-doubt, and set others back on their heels for awhile. In the process, he gave his readers a significant slice of the experience.

The vast majority of his reader/commenters were very supportive and appreciative. Current and former military personnel gave insights on dealing and coping. Moms, Dads, sisters, brothers and friends of active duty personnel were appreciative of his service, both in that situation and overall. And then the trolls showed up.

I cannot repeat the filth and hate contained in those comments. I cannot adequately express the emotions they evoked. But it did not compare to what I felt when I followed a link into the forum from which these individuals sprang.

I strongly suggest you find your way into this young man's site and give him a read and your support. You will also find a post regarding this situation on his home page. In that post, you will find a link into that forum. It is a disturbing read. Make sure that young, impressionable children or the faint of heart are not within earshot when you get there.

And no, I will not be posting that link here. There are levels of decency even I won't cross. You'll have to get there from Questing Cat.

Update: After reading the comment left by RedFalcon, what he says is true. In no way do I want to imply any weakness on the part of this young man.

However, I want you to consider that it's not just the blogger who is potentially affected when trolls leave their spoor the way these did. I'm sure he's read by other milibloggers, and families feeling abandoned and left behind by the sacrifice of spouses or children or parents. They don't need that crap. None of us does.

It's demoralizing. It causes doubt. It is divisive. It undermines the cohesion of the team, whether it's an LLRP or a knitting bee of moms and wives making caps for winter in the desert.

And the trolls know it.

That's why they do it.

Joke of the Day

Five surgeons are discussing who has the best patients to operate on.

The first surgeon says, "I like to see accountants on my operating table because when you open them up, everything inside is numbered."

The second responds, "Yeah, but you should try electricians! Everything inside them is color coded."

The third surgeon says, "No, I really think librarians are the best; everything inside them is in alphabetical order.

The fourth surgeon chimes in: "You know, I like construction workers. Those guys always understand when you have a few parts left over at the end, and when the job takes longer than you said it would."

But the fifth surgeon shut them all up when he observed: "You're all wrong. Politicians are the easiest to operate on. There's no guts, no heart, no balls, no brains and no spine, and the head and the ass are interchangeable.

Thanks Catfish!

Thank you everyone

I want to take a moment and extend my sincere thanks to everyone who selflessly responded to the post for cards for my daughter. I was overwhelmed by your kindness, and extremely grateful for your response.

We are saving the cards as they arrive, and will give them to her en masse on Friday. She has no clue that this is happening, and will be very surprised.

The digital camera has new batteries, and there will be a plethora of pictures. Heck, I may post a lot of them.

Again, you really went way above and beyond with this, and I value each and every one of you. I feel truly blessed to know you all. God bless you.

Thank Goodness

It's over, truly and finally over. Conceded and accepted. No riots, no vandalism (yet), no pathetic excuse making... Well, there is a bit of sour grapes and there have been a few calls for insurection from some of the more left fringe pundits, bloggers, and celebs. That was to be expected, as they do it even when they are ahead.

The next several weeks will be telling, both about them and about the direction this country takes as a whole. I genuinely hope that level heads prevail, and that people show some restraint and at least try to find the common ground that we all share, whether we will admit it or not.

Elizabeth and John Edwards can go home and print up new business cards for his law practice. I'm sure there are plenty of Vioxx patients around who will take their imaginiary problems to him, as well as the few remaining Fen-Phen cases still laying around eating cheese-doodles and watching Jerry Springer from their couches. Hell, I hear there's a load of money to be made from a Twinkie Liability suit when someone files it. They'll be fine.

T'Ray-za and John Kerry can take the family SUV to Jackson Hole for some early snowboarding. At least now there won't be any of those damned inconvenient Secret Service men in the way to slide into on the slopes. I'm sure Jeeves won't mind being on hand with his ever present Igloo cooler of Fois Gras, duck confit en salade, Napoleon Brandy, and imported water wafers. The next session will start soon, so he has something to look forward to missing 60% of the time. Life will go on, and will be good. He can always do like Friend Bill and join some overpriced speakers bureau.

Sure, it will be hard for them to give up the photo-ops at Wendys and traveling in the motor coach. But they won't have the Swifties haranguing them either. Think of that as a bright spot, at least until his next bid for Senate. Think people will forget by then? Well, in a normal state, no, but we are talking Taxechussets.

So NOW they're Mages!

OoooKay...Seems that Karl Rove is an Mage and a member of the Illuminati, at least according to some thinking over at the Pagan Live Journal and all of the votes for Bush were a result of Psi tampering.....
(scroll down to magical tampering)

Yahoo!

Well, as I write this, it seems that I have to eat a little bit of crow, but I have to admit that it isn't that bad when you flavor it with the sweet taste of finding out that, at least in a small part, Mr. Kerry has bowed to reality and ISN'T putting up a fruitless legal fight, and is conceding defeat in the election.

Mr. Kerry, THANK YOU. I was wrong. You have shown a modicum of class, and have put America first over your own ambitions and that deserves some respect.

I still believe that you do merit a cell in Leavenworth, but at least now you have earned a mattress and not just a hard pad.

I sincerely hope that the DU types follow Mr. Kerry's lead and strive to move forward from here.

DAMN Kerry

Well, as I write this, I believe that President Bush has won a second term, but of course, since it wasn't a blow-out, Kerry isn't admitting defeat yet, and the Idiotarians over at DU are plotting mayhem, their battle cry:

All I have to say is: BRING. IT. ON! weapons are locked and loaded, fields of fire mapped out; all that is required are the moving targets.

Yeah, I know, thats hyperbole (heh heh), but judging from the tone at DU; they don't know the meaning of that word. I would link to them, but for two things, for one, I don't want a bunch of raving moonbats from there invading Mama's site, and two, they've closed their threads to anyone but their partisan loyalists,seems they want privacy to plan their uprising against the Eeevil Republicans Masters.

I had stated in a prior post that if the election was close; there would be trouble, the next few days will tell the tale.

At least Nixon had the grace to put the country ahead of his own ambitions in 1960 when there were a number of disputable results, too bad the DemoncRats don't have the same class and grace, for them, it's all about THEIR power and their seeming thought that they deserve said power as a natural fact, regardless of the will of the electorate.