Okay, you're afraid of a depressing, ponderous, mournful post here, and I Humbly do not blame you. Rest assured, Humble Reader, that I will try to keep this from being a dirge.
My father served in the Navy for 22 years, retiring as a Master Chief Petty Officer after relinquishing his Warrant--his officer status--to gain a greater set of retirement benefits for his family, not for his own prestige.
A navy career is almost always a great sacrifice. Either your family stays home waiting months for your return, or sometimes they don't wait, and you lose your family. Some sailors just don't start a family, putting it off until the leave the service. In all of these, the serviceman (or woman) makes a huge sacrifice. It's not unique to the Navy, but it's probably the worst service for family.
The sacrifice is often just as great a load upon the family of the serviceman as it is on himself. The proper place for a husband and father is at home, not floating in a boat halfway around the world. It is so hard, you can barely imagine it if you have not lived through it. On top of the deprivation of half of the parental support, there are frequent relocations. Imagine what happens to kids whose efforts to make new friends is completely wasted, demolished, because their father was assigned to a new duty base. Imagine what happens to these children after the 3rd or 4th time, how they just give up on having friends. Imagine the loneliness. If you do, you have a small idea of the sacrifices made by a serviceman and his family.
My father made those sacrifices. My family made those sacrifices. Why? For the furtherance of my father's career? To gain prestige, status, rank, pay, authority, or personal sense of accomplishment? NO! My father paid this price to keep his family, his homeland, his nation free and safe. Dad was the best at what he did--it doesn't matter what his specialty was, he was a professional, and one of the best in the world at his occupation--and he chose not to leave his assigned tasks to a lesser person.
As I said in front of a room full of friends and family, part of the reason they were there to honor him, part of the reason they were safe and free and alive, was because my father and millions of servicemen like him, made sacrifices.
I asked those at the service who had served to please stand, and help me honor my father. They stood. And then something happened that I was not expecting.
Everyone there who was sitting, applauded.
To the servicemen out there who have made sacrifices in honorable service to this nation, AND to the families who have made sacrifices, as well, I Humbly salute you, just as I and those standing in the church saluted my father.
Sacrifice, service, and honor. For all these, all you get is a flag on your casket.
And the sincere gratitude of more people than you would ever believe.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
They Put Up!!
Again, forgive me for not having posted recently. (I Humbly assume there is someone out there who cares. Arrogant of me.) We suffered a loss in my family. The only hero I ever had in my life, my father, passed away on Wednesday, May 13, in his sleep. I do not say this to garner sympathy, but to explain where I have been. In this difficult time, I have been with my family, as I always will be during any trials that arise.
In my last post, Put Up or Shut Up, I told you about the decision to save money in our local school district by releasing the best teacher I've ever seen. I submitted a letter to the editor in the local newspaper.
While I was out of state, working out funeral arrangements with my family, I got a call from the principal of my son's school. He thanked me for having spoken up about the situation, reassured me that the termination was only due to low seniority, not any lack of competence or any cause for termination. The teacher was to be kept on as a substitute, and given high priority when hiring resumed. But there was some good news. The former kindergarten teacher had just been reassigned and put on contract for next year as a first grade teacher.
Now, I am not saying my Humble letter to the editor had any effect. I don't know if anyone who makes decisions was at all aware of it. Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that I opened my yap, and spouted my opinion; that the principal of the school stated that he considered it to be a well-written opinion; and that the day after it was printed, Miss Redacted was re-employed. In order to maintain my Humble standing, I have to believe it's all coincidence. But I got a very nice thank-you note from Miss Redacted.
It's hard to be Humble sometimes. Especially when you're being bombarded with praise.
My father would have been both amused and proud.
In my last post, Put Up or Shut Up, I told you about the decision to save money in our local school district by releasing the best teacher I've ever seen. I submitted a letter to the editor in the local newspaper.
While I was out of state, working out funeral arrangements with my family, I got a call from the principal of my son's school. He thanked me for having spoken up about the situation, reassured me that the termination was only due to low seniority, not any lack of competence or any cause for termination. The teacher was to be kept on as a substitute, and given high priority when hiring resumed. But there was some good news. The former kindergarten teacher had just been reassigned and put on contract for next year as a first grade teacher.
Now, I am not saying my Humble letter to the editor had any effect. I don't know if anyone who makes decisions was at all aware of it. Maybe, maybe not. All I know is that I opened my yap, and spouted my opinion; that the principal of the school stated that he considered it to be a well-written opinion; and that the day after it was printed, Miss Redacted was re-employed. In order to maintain my Humble standing, I have to believe it's all coincidence. But I got a very nice thank-you note from Miss Redacted.
It's hard to be Humble sometimes. Especially when you're being bombarded with praise.
My father would have been both amused and proud.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Put Up or Shut Up
Forgive me, readers, for I have sinned. It has been almost a month since my last blog post. My child has had some medical issues, and as he demands attention, I have less to spare for You, the Humble readership. Am I up to 2 yet?
Not too long ago, we had elections for municipal offices in the town where I reside. For months before that election, I had people drop by my home, and tell me how I should vote for them, because they were dedicated to the people they would represent, and to their platform. EVERY ONE MENTIONED EDUCATION as a top priority.
Think about that. Education is important. Who would dare say it wasn't that big a deal? Who would destroy their political aspirations by saying children were their parents' problem, not the taxpayers. Who would even contemplate saying educated people are everywhere, so if we don't produce any locally, some will move in from other places with well funded schools.
Okay, fine. Some got elected. All of those elected claimed education was a top priority. Last week, my son's kindergarten teacher mentioned that she wasn't being renewed for next year. I Humbly admit to some bias, because this lady treated my son with all the care and compassion I could have ever dreamed of, sparing his feelings and dignity, while gently guiding him through his first school experience. I Humbly admit my bias when I say she has to be one of the best teachers in the entire state. But she got pink-slipped. Budget cuts were required because of the economic climate. Tax revenues are down everywhere, and our town is no exception. In fact, please bear with me as I paste in a copy of my letter to the editor:
Okay, bottom line, either EVERY cost cutting measure was tried without eliminating budget shortfalls, or SOME elected official lied about education being a top priority. TEACHERS are getting axed??? TEACHERS??? We're not talking eliminating frills here. We're talking about taking the most critical members of the educational team out, and playing shorthanded. I know I don't need to say that the opposition isn't a competing school.
It's ignorance.
Not too long ago, we had elections for municipal offices in the town where I reside. For months before that election, I had people drop by my home, and tell me how I should vote for them, because they were dedicated to the people they would represent, and to their platform. EVERY ONE MENTIONED EDUCATION as a top priority.
Think about that. Education is important. Who would dare say it wasn't that big a deal? Who would destroy their political aspirations by saying children were their parents' problem, not the taxpayers. Who would even contemplate saying educated people are everywhere, so if we don't produce any locally, some will move in from other places with well funded schools.
Okay, fine. Some got elected. All of those elected claimed education was a top priority. Last week, my son's kindergarten teacher mentioned that she wasn't being renewed for next year. I Humbly admit to some bias, because this lady treated my son with all the care and compassion I could have ever dreamed of, sparing his feelings and dignity, while gently guiding him through his first school experience. I Humbly admit my bias when I say she has to be one of the best teachers in the entire state. But she got pink-slipped. Budget cuts were required because of the economic climate. Tax revenues are down everywhere, and our town is no exception. In fact, please bear with me as I paste in a copy of my letter to the editor:
My son has been in kindergarten this year at the local elementary, and another will follow him in August. When we requested my son's teacher for his younger brother, we were informed that Miss Redacted won't be renewed in the coming year. I was floored. Ms. Redacted is a super example of the outstanding professionals teaching our children, and part of the reason why the local elementary is a highly rated school and credit to this community.
I know the weak economy has caused a drop in tax revenues, that belt tightening is required in every department of every level of government, and that schools are not excepted from the budget scalpel. But this strikes so close to home that it feels like an axe!
I'm confused. Someone out there made decisions involving the termination of teachers. Presumably, after all the lesser means of cutting costs were exhausted, the school staff budget was cut. Yet, during the last election, EVERY candidate told all of us that education was the highest priority! Obviously no elected official would have allowed one of the finest teachers in the state to be let go. So, who did? Who made the decision to axe Miss Redacted? Was any public discussion held, or was this a decision made behind closed doors?
To simply say that firing teachers is a cost cutting measure is very shortsighted. our town attracts families partly because of the superb reputation of the schools here. If this tragic decision is an indicator, the loss of this one teacher is just the beginning of the end of the superior rating of our town's schools. Whoever it was who pink-slipped Miss Redacted, please reconsider. The cost to this community is higher than the meager salary you are saving.
Okay, bottom line, either EVERY cost cutting measure was tried without eliminating budget shortfalls, or SOME elected official lied about education being a top priority. TEACHERS are getting axed??? TEACHERS??? We're not talking eliminating frills here. We're talking about taking the most critical members of the educational team out, and playing shorthanded. I know I don't need to say that the opposition isn't a competing school.
It's ignorance.
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Hail, Barak Caesar!
All my posts are my own Humble Opinions. This is just a warning that this post is more Opinion than commentary.
President Obama enjoyed a historic rise to power. From "community organizing" to state level government, to a Senate seat, and then the White House. No one remembers the political enemies whose wreckage was strewn in his wake, however. No moral or legal considerations prevented Obama's teams from furthering his career. If Jim Ryan was going through a difficult divorce, and his ex-wife accused him of lewd conduct, it didn't matter if the court records were sealed, and a child might suffer, it came out! The point is, his historic rise to power came at a cost that many others paid.
Now he sits at the apex of the United States government. He can dictate a memo, sign a hardcopy, and millions of people will be affected. Executive orders are notoriously difficult to balance. It takes a majority of the Supreme Court, or a supermajority of the Senate. Neither is likely to happen unless Obama is caught being tyrannical. Look at the recent Statue of Liberty "photo op" fly-by. No paper trail leads to Obama. His team made the call and takes the blame, even if it was President Obama's own idea. That's power.
Recently, the president announced both the Chrysler bankruptcy, and then the Chrysler-Fiat merger. He sees no conflict in an elected executive announcing the actions of a corporation. It is his divine right. He is a god-king. He remembers those who anger him, and deals with them. He rewards those who sing his praise. Anyone who speaks ill of him pays a price.
The rights and freedoms we enjoy as American citizens are daily encroached upon by his Praetorian guard. Janet Napolitano, Eric Holder, and Hillary Clinton all do his bidding, and sound oddly alike. Biden is usually off-key, but when was he not?
Bear in mind that even the most despotic of the Roman Empire's caesars were very popular. They held circuses more frequently as life got harder for Romans, and tossed bread to the audiences when the economy soured, or the caesar emptied the treasury. Hence the phrase "Bread and circuses" as a means to mollify the masses.
Those masses worshipped the caesar as a god. The caesar demanded it as his due. Other gods were allowed, as long as the proper ceremony and sacrifices were made to Caesar. Christians defied Nero. Lions ate Christians.
Oh, perhaps Obama won't kill those who fail to worship him properly. But he has the power to destroy lives. It's been 100 days. The honeymoon is over. The price for defying Barak Caesar will come due soon, and his Praetorians will collect brutally.
This is all just my Humble Opinion. Maybe he will be a benevolent ruler. But right now, I'm kinda glad I'm a nobody.
President Obama enjoyed a historic rise to power. From "community organizing" to state level government, to a Senate seat, and then the White House. No one remembers the political enemies whose wreckage was strewn in his wake, however. No moral or legal considerations prevented Obama's teams from furthering his career. If Jim Ryan was going through a difficult divorce, and his ex-wife accused him of lewd conduct, it didn't matter if the court records were sealed, and a child might suffer, it came out! The point is, his historic rise to power came at a cost that many others paid.
Now he sits at the apex of the United States government. He can dictate a memo, sign a hardcopy, and millions of people will be affected. Executive orders are notoriously difficult to balance. It takes a majority of the Supreme Court, or a supermajority of the Senate. Neither is likely to happen unless Obama is caught being tyrannical. Look at the recent Statue of Liberty "photo op" fly-by. No paper trail leads to Obama. His team made the call and takes the blame, even if it was President Obama's own idea. That's power.
Recently, the president announced both the Chrysler bankruptcy, and then the Chrysler-Fiat merger. He sees no conflict in an elected executive announcing the actions of a corporation. It is his divine right. He is a god-king. He remembers those who anger him, and deals with them. He rewards those who sing his praise. Anyone who speaks ill of him pays a price.
The rights and freedoms we enjoy as American citizens are daily encroached upon by his Praetorian guard. Janet Napolitano, Eric Holder, and Hillary Clinton all do his bidding, and sound oddly alike. Biden is usually off-key, but when was he not?
Bear in mind that even the most despotic of the Roman Empire's caesars were very popular. They held circuses more frequently as life got harder for Romans, and tossed bread to the audiences when the economy soured, or the caesar emptied the treasury. Hence the phrase "Bread and circuses" as a means to mollify the masses.
Those masses worshipped the caesar as a god. The caesar demanded it as his due. Other gods were allowed, as long as the proper ceremony and sacrifices were made to Caesar. Christians defied Nero. Lions ate Christians.
Oh, perhaps Obama won't kill those who fail to worship him properly. But he has the power to destroy lives. It's been 100 days. The honeymoon is over. The price for defying Barak Caesar will come due soon, and his Praetorians will collect brutally.
This is all just my Humble Opinion. Maybe he will be a benevolent ruler. But right now, I'm kinda glad I'm a nobody.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Sorry, New York, He's New!
The whole "photo op" thing, where the backup Air Force One and a F-16 buzzed the Statue of Liberty, sending Manhattan folks running into the streets in terror that 9-11 was being repeated, all that was just a misunderstanding. President Obama is really sorry, and it won't happen again.
And that $320,000 pricetag, on top of the hundreds of millions lost by panicky traders, that's just awful, says Obama. He'll look into it. Promise.
Is it even worth mentioning my Humble skepticism?
My Humble guess is, Rahm Emanuel, in his role as Chief of Staff, suggested updating all that Bush era publicity material. Coming as it did from the god-king's head priest, no one was about to say, "Gee, your holiness, won't that cause widespread panic and mayhem?" Louis Caldera, the White House Military Office chief nervously signed off on it. No need to tell him that if it blew up, he was going to "take one for the team". In statements to the press, Caldera is quoted as having "approved" the fly-by. This is HOT! Caldera used code for "it was my superiors poor judgment to do this. I was just the unlucky bastard who had to sign the order." Who actually requested the fly-by that Caldera approved? We'll never know. Caldera is taking one for the team.
Caldera is an interesting case. He's a West Point grad and a lawyer. He has to be as smart as they come. Obama, lacking executive experience must surround himself with experts. Right? Yet this particular expert has been tossed under the bus. His service to this country in the armed forces has been essentially thrown out the window because of this blunder.
So, all in all, sorry, New York. Sorry thousands of terrified financial district workers. Sorry, tourists. Messina is looking into how it ever could have happened.
What a load of crap.
And that $320,000 pricetag, on top of the hundreds of millions lost by panicky traders, that's just awful, says Obama. He'll look into it. Promise.
Is it even worth mentioning my Humble skepticism?
My Humble guess is, Rahm Emanuel, in his role as Chief of Staff, suggested updating all that Bush era publicity material. Coming as it did from the god-king's head priest, no one was about to say, "Gee, your holiness, won't that cause widespread panic and mayhem?" Louis Caldera, the White House Military Office chief nervously signed off on it. No need to tell him that if it blew up, he was going to "take one for the team". In statements to the press, Caldera is quoted as having "approved" the fly-by. This is HOT! Caldera used code for "it was my superiors poor judgment to do this. I was just the unlucky bastard who had to sign the order." Who actually requested the fly-by that Caldera approved? We'll never know. Caldera is taking one for the team.
Caldera is an interesting case. He's a West Point grad and a lawyer. He has to be as smart as they come. Obama, lacking executive experience must surround himself with experts. Right? Yet this particular expert has been tossed under the bus. His service to this country in the armed forces has been essentially thrown out the window because of this blunder.
So, all in all, sorry, New York. Sorry thousands of terrified financial district workers. Sorry, tourists. Messina is looking into how it ever could have happened.
What a load of crap.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Terrorism Enables, Justifies More Terrorism
Governments and dictators throughout history have used the violence of their opponents to justify the tightening of their grip on their own people. Call it the Reichstag effect. My Humble study of history is admittedly weak, so I may have a detail or two wrong, here. Hitler's opponents were blamed for torching the Reichstag, the German equivalent of Parliament or Capitol Hill. He used this act to justify expanding his powers, and weakening the rights of the German people. By my definition, this made Hitler a terrorist.
Gun haters continuously make obscene statements about those who want to preserve their gun rights. In 1981, an emotionally disturbed loser took shots at President Reagan. One of his shots went wide and struck Jim Brady, nearly killing him. He and his wife used their status as victims to justify a campaign to, in essence, repeal the Second Amendment. Now, they fuel the hatred of gun owners.
And today, I see anti-Semitic people using every Palestinian victim of Israel's self-protection as a justification for allowing another Holocaust. Ahmadinejad once again condemned Israel today, calling the entire nation "racist". For a would-be nuclear power, this is a chilling stance to take. This is the rise of a genocidal movement in progress. More chilling, many anti-Semites are thrilled about the looming threat of mushroom clouds over Israel.
The hatred of anti-Semites gives them strength, motivation, determination, and, as far as they are concerned, all the justification they need to wipe out a million or so people. Yet, that diseased toad, Vice President Joe Biden, has the gall to tell Israel that they would be "ill-advised" to use military force to defend themselves.
This administration has been hailed as historic due to the ancestry of the President. I Humbly suggest that this administration is historic due to its incredible lack of testicular tissue. After millions die in Israel, I'm sure Obama will write a sternly worded protest to the UN Security Council.
My applause to those delegates who walked out on Ahmadinejad's rant. That took some guts which Obama lacks. Let's pray he grows a pair before a world war starts.
Gun haters continuously make obscene statements about those who want to preserve their gun rights. In 1981, an emotionally disturbed loser took shots at President Reagan. One of his shots went wide and struck Jim Brady, nearly killing him. He and his wife used their status as victims to justify a campaign to, in essence, repeal the Second Amendment. Now, they fuel the hatred of gun owners.
And today, I see anti-Semitic people using every Palestinian victim of Israel's self-protection as a justification for allowing another Holocaust. Ahmadinejad once again condemned Israel today, calling the entire nation "racist". For a would-be nuclear power, this is a chilling stance to take. This is the rise of a genocidal movement in progress. More chilling, many anti-Semites are thrilled about the looming threat of mushroom clouds over Israel.
The hatred of anti-Semites gives them strength, motivation, determination, and, as far as they are concerned, all the justification they need to wipe out a million or so people. Yet, that diseased toad, Vice President Joe Biden, has the gall to tell Israel that they would be "ill-advised" to use military force to defend themselves.
This administration has been hailed as historic due to the ancestry of the President. I Humbly suggest that this administration is historic due to its incredible lack of testicular tissue. After millions die in Israel, I'm sure Obama will write a sternly worded protest to the UN Security Council.
My applause to those delegates who walked out on Ahmadinejad's rant. That took some guts which Obama lacks. Let's pray he grows a pair before a world war starts.
Thursday, April 16, 2009
I'm a Suspect, I Guess
In my profile, I proudly state that I am a veteran. I cannot and do not claim to be a veteran with combat experience. I've never been within 3000 miles of "action", never been under arms other than firearms familiarization in basic training, and never once put my "life on the line" for my country. I can claim that, having enlisted, I signed up for whatever my country and my service asked of me.
There are millions of veterans of whom was asked the endangerment of their lives, loss of body parts, and even their lives. Now, the Obama administration has made a point of asking more of them. The injured were being considered for a program where they would pay for their own treatment. Fortunately, the Obama administration realized the political cost would be too high, and scrapped that little fund-raiser idea. Now, the Secretary of Homeland Defense, (former governor of my state) Janet Napolitano, signed off on a report to local law enforcement saying that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan were ripe for recruitment by "right wing extremist" groups.
Some people actually fail to see the harm in this. "If they are the most likely to commit violent acts, they should be watched!" was on actual comment I read on the Fox News site. It seems obvious to me that calling groups who have differing ideology from that of the reigning administration and majority parties in both the House and Senate, is a slippery slope which may lead to suppression of free speech, even up to political imprisonment.
Napolitano graciously admitted that she really ought to apologize (someday maybe), and will meet with the leaders of veterans groups. Nevertheless, she signed off on that report to law enforcement, remember? Saying local police and sheriffs were smart to target returning combat veterans, right wing extremists, and "pro-life" radicals. Is it just me, or do left wing extremists tend to view even moderate right wing positions as "extreme"? And is it not just barely possible that the words "returning" and "from Irag and Afghanistan" could be left out of the "people to watch" profile?
I'm a former long-haul trucker. A couple of weeks ago the FBI reported that most unsolved crimes on or near highways are probably committed by truckers.
In the recent reporting of the tragic murder in Tracy, California, whose main suspect is a woman, the reporter pointed out that most murders are committed by men.
I oppose casual termination of pregnancies where other options exist, and the mothers life (NOT lifestyle!) is at risk.
I keep guns, and enjoy target shooting.
According to the Obama administration, all this makes me a suspect.
This nation is in peril, alright. And the source of that peril is the one pointing the finger.
There are millions of veterans of whom was asked the endangerment of their lives, loss of body parts, and even their lives. Now, the Obama administration has made a point of asking more of them. The injured were being considered for a program where they would pay for their own treatment. Fortunately, the Obama administration realized the political cost would be too high, and scrapped that little fund-raiser idea. Now, the Secretary of Homeland Defense, (former governor of my state) Janet Napolitano, signed off on a report to local law enforcement saying that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan were ripe for recruitment by "right wing extremist" groups.
Some people actually fail to see the harm in this. "If they are the most likely to commit violent acts, they should be watched!" was on actual comment I read on the Fox News site. It seems obvious to me that calling groups who have differing ideology from that of the reigning administration and majority parties in both the House and Senate, is a slippery slope which may lead to suppression of free speech, even up to political imprisonment.
Napolitano graciously admitted that she really ought to apologize (someday maybe), and will meet with the leaders of veterans groups. Nevertheless, she signed off on that report to law enforcement, remember? Saying local police and sheriffs were smart to target returning combat veterans, right wing extremists, and "pro-life" radicals. Is it just me, or do left wing extremists tend to view even moderate right wing positions as "extreme"? And is it not just barely possible that the words "returning" and "from Irag and Afghanistan" could be left out of the "people to watch" profile?
I'm a former long-haul trucker. A couple of weeks ago the FBI reported that most unsolved crimes on or near highways are probably committed by truckers.
In the recent reporting of the tragic murder in Tracy, California, whose main suspect is a woman, the reporter pointed out that most murders are committed by men.
I oppose casual termination of pregnancies where other options exist, and the mothers life (NOT lifestyle!) is at risk.
I keep guns, and enjoy target shooting.
According to the Obama administration, all this makes me a suspect.
This nation is in peril, alright. And the source of that peril is the one pointing the finger.
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