2004...

Capitalism didn't fail. Social engineering failed.

Slightly Frightening

I've been living in extremely conservative areas for most of my adult life. Northern Virginia was about as liberal as it got, but I was so close to military bases, that I wasn't exposed to it (the military is overwhelmingly conservative).

With our resent move closer to St. Louis has the by-product of living in much more "blue" areas. The difference is pronounced...and it became especially obvious with this:

Missouri Sheriffs & Top Prosecutors Form Obama "Truth Squads" & Threaten Libel Charges Against Obama Critics

The good news is that the Governor took notice:

Gov. Blunt Statement on Obama Campaign’s Abusive Use of Missouri Law Enforcement

I don't care which side you take, the suppression of free speech is rather frightening. I may think Code Pink is fully of morons, but I fully recognize thier right to go around saying ridiculous things about my fellow Marines. It's free speech.

I'm curious what else will happen in this area. It's been eye-opening thus far. We'll see what else comes this way.

Killing the roots...

...kills the tree. Carefully note the date of this article: Fannie Mae Eases Credit To Aid Mortgage Lending

In addition is this link which explains mortgage structure and how this whole thing came about.

Read and understand.

6 Great Martial Arts...

I guess I'm a sucker for any mention of the Marine Corps, but I found this article from Cracked.com entertaining: 6 Great Martial Arts for Killing a Man With Your Bare Hands

MCMAP is also good out of it's simplicity. It's designed so you can actually perform the moves with a full combat load. I'm close to my next belt, but it'll be December before I can start back up.

Today

Seven years ago, I walked to my campus job and began my day normally. By the time lunch came around, I had experienced a Wiley E. Coyote moment when the ground of my safe little world dropped out beneath me. I realized that the world wasn't quite the place I thought it was.

Over the past several years, I feel like I grew up. My views on the world have changed multiple times. I have changed. As I look back, those events were rooted in a wish to "do something" that was born that day. That fundamental change altered my path for the rest of my life.

I'm convinced.

Wow. Somebody somehow missed middle school science class.

Supervillains and Real Life

Comic book villains have been around for years. I suppose if you just concentrate on those who focus on mass crime, you can go back more most of written...or even oral history. Nonetheless, with Dark Knight still fresh on my mind, I read this:

In Chicago, he called on activists to “avenge” the injuries of co-organizer Rennie Davis, who had suffered a concussion battling the police. Hayden exhorted the throngs: “Make sure that if blood is going to flow, it will flow all over this city.” Hayden wasn’t alone among future Chicago Eight defendants in his violent rhetoric. “If a pig comes up to us and starts swinging a billy club,” Black Panther Bobby Seale counseled, “and you check around and you got your piece, you got to down that pig in defense of yourself! We’re going to barbecue us some pork!” Abbie Hoffman called for “a huge orgasm of destruction,” and (along with sidekick Jerry Rubin) daydreamed of poisoning Chicago’s water supply with LSD. Hearing the reckless pronouncements of the riot’s ringleaders, Americans—already weary from several years of deadly urban rioting across the country—supported the Chicago police by greater than 2–1 margins. “The whole world is watching!” the protesters chanted, but polls showed that not everyone saw events their way.

The focus on this article was actually how 1968 was not a good year, and those protesters that wanted to "Recreate '68" were not helping anything. What caught me was how those statements and ideas were so close to the plans of comic book villains throughout recent history. Poisoning the water supply...stopping the police from keeping order. What are they trying to accomplish? They certainly aren't helping people see the positive side of their arguments. I'd almost think they're acting like grade schoolers on the playground. "If we beat up Mr. Soandso, we could have recess ALL DAY, MUHAHAHAHAHAHA."

We have a system set up. If you're not getting your way, then it's likely that most people don't want that way. Suck it up and move on. Terrorizing citizens and actively fighting police are not helpful strategies to your cause.

I love USOs

It is really nice having a place you can relax during layovers. It's also very interesting when you see all the branches together. Lots of elbowing...at least the old Navy guy was giving a younger Marine a hard time.

Anyway, for anyone who has donated to the USO, thank you, it is appreciated. Not only by me, but based on the reactions of those around me, I'd say everyone appreciates it. Especially those guys in the sleeping area.

Politeness note for today.

Please don't text from a bathroom stall. It's distracting.

Tenative plans are...well...tenative

It looks like we might have had a minor miracle in terms of several time lines coming together. The Lord is taking care of us despite all the craziness going on. Possible apartment found: check. Moving crew: check. Time for TMO: pending.

The pressure is on...

So I have been working on getting our stuff moved back to Missouri from Virginia for the past several months, but technicalities have kept us at bay. Any other military family knows the blessing/nightmare of TMO. It's wonderful everything gets moved, but getting things done can be frustrating. Anyone waiting for orders will agree, since they won't budge without a set of PCS orders.

So everything is coming down to this. I have just over a week to nail down times and places to move our stuff, a modest 4000 pounds. It's starting to feel like a major operation...which is not always good. The more complex the plan, the more can go wrong. I believe prayer is in order. Lots of it.

Poor Financial Management

I was reading through some comments regarding the pick of Governor Sarah Palin for Sen. McCain's running mate and came across a particular statement that bothered me for some time afterward. The commentor was trying to make the point that somehow Mrs. Palin's wealth made her "out of touch" with the average person. Then he relayed he would be voting for Senators Obama and Biden because Senator Biden was not wealthy and understood the plight of the average man. I sat on this a couple days while I mulled it over. The end result: utter revulsion. A man of Sen. Biden's age and position has no business having a net worth that looks as his does. It shows a complete lack of fiscal responsibility and absolutely no future planning. If this is the "plight of the average man," I fear greatly for the future of our nation.

Reporting in

I have graduated my MOS course and am now checked-in with my unit. I'm pretty happy (as is my admin chief who has been acting as the Adjutant in addition to his own duties) with how things are coming along. Next month will start my active duty time. It should be interesting to say the least.