Thursday, November 30, 2006

Another media failure...

...the failure to cover the possible capture of "Juba the Bagdad Sniper"

After the self-grandizing "Iraq is a civil war" comment from NBC, it should only be completely clear the mainstream media is not the best source of news.

Frustrations

With the mainstream media pushing so hard to make sound like a failure, I get frustrated. I felt better after watching this (there's excited Marines, so there's a definate language warning):



Get some! That's better.

Sunday, November 26, 2006

Whata weekend

Sarah and I had busy Thanksgiving weekend. It all started with a PFT...with 100 crunches, 13 pullups, and a 22:32 run, I was pretty pleased...just wanted more on the run. That gave me a 238. The fun part was with Sarah, who accompanied me. Still kicking around the idea of joining the Officer reserve program, she put out a highly respectable 264.

Next up was the 8-hour drive to OKC. Fun stuff. We had an interesting Thanksgiving dinner...but definately had good food.

On friday, we went to the gun range and shot a variety of weapons. Among them my Glock 23C. Being the first chance I had to shoot it, I was somwhat apprhensive...but after a couple shots, I was very pleased. It didn't have too much recoil, but I'm confident it would stop any would-be aggressor.

I finally got a chance to shoot my father-in-law's AK-47. Definately fun. The 7.62 rounds do kick a hair more than the M-16's 5.56, but it's still plenty fun to shoot, and plenty accurate for short ranges. The big surprise for me was how much Sarah enjoyed herself (and a plesant surprise that was). She liked the AK and how "in control" she felt with it, though she didn't like how the Glock kicked. She wants some more time with the Glock, but said she really enjoyed the AK.

I've told her several times, if she joins, I'm purchasing an AR-15 (civillian version of the M-16). Pity the fool who tries to break-in our home.

Saturday was my father-in-law's birthday, so we threw him a party. Especially interesting for me was talking with 2 Vietnam-era Marines. Trading boot camp stories was particularly fun...and educational. The biggest lesson? Marines...in the last 40 years, have changed little.

That leads to today and our drive back. We have work tommorrow, but I think we are both looking forward to our Christmas break.

Wednesday, November 15, 2006

San Fransico continues it's campaign of hate toward the military

...by killing the JROTC program there. For some who aren't familiar with it, JROTC is a high-school level program that encourages many of the personal values that people admire in the military through after-school sessions and drilling competitions. Good stuff, right?

Favorite quotes:

Mayor Gavin Newsom called severing ties with the JROTC"a bad idea"that penalized students without having any practical effect on the Pentagon's policy on gays in the military.


It's pretty bad when a lefty that tried to short-circuit the system disagrees with you.

The resolution passed says the military's ban on openly gay soldiers violates the school district's equal rights policy for gays.


You can thank Bill Clinton for that policy.

The board's decision was loudly applauded by opponents of the program.

Their position was summed up by a former teacher, Nancy Mancias, who said, "We need to teach a curriculum of peace."


Yes, continue asserting that the real world is like Barney...while it is really more like Jurassic Park. Enjoy the knowlege that you just screwed 1600 kids out of an after school program due to your hate-mongering against the military. Good job...good job.

"I think people should not despair too much," Sanchez said. "I think now the work begins -- to work within the community to develop new programs that will fulfill the needs of our students."


Oh, so you didn't have a plan when you began your war? Obviously, you started it because you're a money grubbing, oil-loving war-monger. Why don't you start a new after school program...or are you too chicken to serve?

Opponents said the armed forces should have no place in public schools, and the military's discriminatory stance on gays makes the presence of JROTC unacceptable.

"We don't want the military ruining our civilian institutions," said Sandra Schwartz of the American Friends Service Committee, an organization actively opposing JROTC nationwide. "In a healthy democracy ... you contain the military. You must contain the military."


Ok...so the third oldest profession in the world, a massive employer, an instiller of discipline and self-pride, a truely color-blind community...is *ruining* our civilian institutions. Containing the military? Like...on base or something? Like a prison or asylum? What are you thinking, you freak? Your hatred clouds your mind... Ruining? Wow...

Opponents acknowledged the program is popular and even helps some students stay in school and out of trouble.

Yet they also said the program exists to lure students to sign up for the armed forces.

"It's basically a branding program, or a recruiting program for the military," Kelly said before the meeting.


Oh, so the students can't make a decision for themselves when they turn 18...I'm glad they have the student's best interests in mind. That whole keeping them off the streets thing isn't worth the chance that one of those poor, 18-year-old adults will make a choice to serve his country and join the military.

What a bunch of delusional freaks. I'm sure the 1600 kids you crushed will thank you later.

Students, parents and school staff from each of the seven high schools converged outside the school board meeting carrying signs and waving at cars, some of which honked in support.

At least 100 cadets edged into Franklin Street waving their signs before being pushed back to the sidewalk by their ROTC instructors.

Yet, in the end, the effort -- one of several rallies in the last several weeks -- fell on deaf ears.

"This is where the kids feel safe, the one place they feel safe," Robert Powell, a JROTC instructor at Lincoln High School and a retired Army lieutenant colonel, said earlier in the evening. "You're going to take that away from them?"


Good job, asses. Good job.

On other matters, the board introduced a resolution that makes race a factor in deciding what school a child will attend starting with the 2008-09 school year. No action was taken.


Oh, the same group that decided that the military is "ruining" civilian institutions, is now actively discriminating and segregating. Wow...

Let me remember what horrible discrimination was going on when I went through boot. Oh, wait, it didn't matter what your race was... My fire team was made up of a Vietnamese, two latinos, and me (japanese-american). Soooooo much racism going on there...

Sunday, November 12, 2006

Origami Boulder Company


Is the greatest idea ever. I want one: Origami Boulder Company.

Another busy weekend

With drill and school eating up so much time, I haven't had many posts other than a couple bursts here and there. This weekend was no exception with drill taking my friday and saturday. It was good training...and the Marine Ball was fun as always.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Vote for today

Make sure and vote today. Even if you're not particularly political, make sure and take five minutes to nail down who is closest to agreeing with your views and then go and vote. It's been a lot of people's hard work to allow us to vote. We need to make sure that hard work pays off. Go and vote. And if you don't know what to vote, vote libertarian...

A whole can o' worms

The New York Times has this article on making your gender "optional" on your birth certificate...including those who haven't had surgery: New York Plans to Make Gender Personal Choice. If you recall, I posted this earlier in which I mentioned my main concern (through another's quote):
One rider feared predators might dress as women and lurk in the women's room.


Guess what...it didn't take long:
“I’ve already heard of a ‘transgendered’ man who claimed at work to be ‘a woman in a man’s body but a lesbian’ and who had to be expelled from the ladies’ restroom because he was propositioning women there,” Dr. Paul McHugh, a member of the President’s Council of Bioethics and chairman of the psychiatry department at Johns Hopkins University, wrote in an e-mail message on the subject. “He saw this as a great injustice in that his behavior was justified in his mind by the idea that the categories he claimed for himself were all ‘official’ and had legal rights attached to them.”


One problem with flinging oneself headlong into some measures like this one is that they assume everyone will use it properly. In addition, what do emergency workers do when they come on scene and find a female who...well...isn't. The physiology of men and women are different...even normal vital signs are different. You look for something that isn't there, it costs valuable time. At any rate, I plan on watching from the sidelines as this plays out. I really don't think it'll go the way these people think it will.

Monday, November 06, 2006

Soggy morning run

Ugh. Wet running is rarely fun, but it wasn't too bad today. By mile-three, we decided to wait for tommorrow (supposed to be warmer...and drier). Not a worthy time to post (something like a high 8, low 9 minute per mile pace), but the rain makes your shoes pretty heavy.

My big goal this week is to "kill myself"...my term for feeling lots of muscle pain and otherwise pushing really hard, as I've got a PFT coming up. Should be good stuff.

Busy Weekend

I'm continuing my marathon session of busy weekends. This last one involved my "Auto Extrication Lab" in the morning followed by the Marine Corps Ball with the Officer Canidate poolees. It was fun stuff on both accounts, but I'm definately longing for a "lazy-day" of doing pretty much nothing...but that's not happening until after Thanksgiving.

The auto extrication was fun. I ripped the door off a car with a spreader (a hydrolic-powered device that...well...spreads stuff). I busted glass and learned the propper use of a car antenna in emergency situations. We were supposed to have LifeFlight (the local air ambulance helicopter) come out and do a demo, but the weather was getting pretty bad (they don't seem to like sleet much).

The Ball was a blast, and I'm definately looking forward to my unit's ball coming soon. The traditions that are followed throughout the Corps continue to be a major highlight. My wife has posted some pictures here.

The Stupid Game

Making rounds on blogs everywhere is this fun bit o' news:Statement In 'Stupidest Thing' Game Leads To Murder Arrest

A few months ago, a 29-year-old Jackson County man was at a party where people were asked to name the stupidest thing they'd ever done.

Police said Jerry Rose answered, "Shot a guy in the head."

Now, Rose is charged with open murder and armed robbery in the March 22 slaying of 60-year-old Edgar Hawkes.

Police were making little headway in their investigation until police in neighboring Calhoun County questioned Rose's girlfriend about a string of break-ins.

She told them about Rose's alleged confession during the party. They gave the information to Jackson County detectives, who arrested him Wednesday. He's jailed without bond.


Wow. According to Don Surber,
By giving that reply, Jerry Rose knocked the shooting down to the second stupidest thing he has ever done.