Observation

The other day I went to "Panda Express" for dinner. There were mostly men and women of Latin American ancestory working behind the counter. There was a man of Eastern Asian origins behind me in line.

It took 10 minutes of broken English (on both sides of the conversation) to get that man a to-go box of Chicken Fried rice. After it was all said and done, my friends and I shared a good laugh. From a strictly linguistics perspective, the fact that a (presumably) Chinese man can't order "Chinese" food from a (presumably) Mexican man in America because both have a limited grasp on the English language is hilarious!

*Important Note* This is not meant to come off as condescending, bigotous, or mean. It was just a really funny, SNL-esque situation I wanted to share...

That's all for now.

Obama, Taxes, and Social Security

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama apparently thinks that the answer to our social security problem in this country is a tax increase. That's right, despite the fact that we're already giving an enormous chunk of our hard-earned green, the Senator believes that if we give up...nay, if he takes away even more of our money, the problem might just go away.

I can't believe anyone would ever buy into this...I don't understand it. I'm no economist, but I'm pretty sure that more money I have in my hands the better off I am. More money means more control...

Also, another thing that bothers me about this issue. You can't say that "it's for the aged and the shut-ins" because a good porition of them never see any of the social security money taken from them in their younger years anyway...and I almost certainly won't be seeing any of it. Privative it and let us handle our own damn money.

That felt good...haven't done one of those in a while.

Hooah.

Civl War II: This Time We Mean It

Apparently there are still people who think their states would be better off if they seceeded from the US. A Vermont secessionist group has been conducting talks with the League of the South (mostly comprised of Civil War vets, I hear...heh) to see if they can't bring some plans to fruition.

I can't even begin to take this seriously.

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad

So, a number of Conservatives including myself should unfortunately be eating their words today.

The President of Iran spoke at Columbia University to a surprisingly abrasive crowd. The President of the University, who had received a large amount of criticism for inviting the Iranian despot to speak on campus, actually began the talk with a series of brutal human rights questions for Ahmadinejad.

"'Mr. President, you exhibit all the signs of a petty and cruel dictator,' Bollinger said, to loud applause."

Wonderful.

Throughout the question and answer session, Ahmadinejad was presented with various queries related to Jewish/Palestinian relations and his claims that the Holocaust did not actually take place. By the end of the session, his demeanor had apparently changed from smiling and happy to stressed and slightly irked.

The most ridiculous claim made during the President's ramblings nearly made me fall out of my chair with laughter.

"He provoked derisive laughter by responding to a question about Iran's execution of homosexuals by saying: 'In Iran we don't have homosexuals like in your country ... I don't know who's told you that we have this.'"

That's downright scary stuff, my friends...scary.

I'm happy that this session finished up as well as it did in our favor. No riots, a few nutzy protesters on both sides, but nothing too serious...and Ahmadinejad got his butt handed to him! Fantastic.

Read the articles...they're laughable....scary, but laughable...

First morning of sleeping-in in a week-and-a-half...g'night all.
Hooah.

Where's Alllll?

If you haven't heard of the case of the Jena Six, take a look here before you read the rest of my post.

I've got problems with both sides here...I'll start with the prosecutos. Was this really attempted murder? The victim was beaten, bloodied, and left unconscious...but he attended a school function later in the evening after being manhandled. And the fact that he was left unconscious indicates to me that the six could have easily killed the boy if that had been their true intent, which is in fact required for attempted murder. I'm glad the court agreed with me. Whether this is a case of overzealous prosecuting attorneys or actual racism is not a question I'm capable of answering. Either way, it's wrong.

As for the prosecutors...the Jena Six did in fact assault a fellow human being. That is a against the law! How dare they trivialize the suffering of the victim and demand that the "Jena Six be freed." Al Sharpton is an idiot.

As far as the nooses hanging from the tree and prosecuting the other boys, if there isn't a law on the books, they can't get into trouble. It's a disgusting and horrific act, but no law means no trial, so to even consider using that as an example of a disparity in our system of justice is idiotic because it isn't covered by the justice system. Want a change? Start a petition, get it into the law, and then wait for it to happen again.

I'm off to get new glasses...these contacts are killing my eyes.
Hooah.

Nothing Short of Despicable

Hobbton High School in North Carolina prevented students from wearing American flags on their clothing yesterday.

Apparently the actual rule is that no national flags of any kind may be worn at any time.

What in God's name has gotten into their heads?

As if that pathetic attempt at an excuse makes everything it ok. Words cannot describe the anger and sorrow this makes me feel. So I'll just leave it at this...

I hope these bastards and the people that changed Superman's catchphrase rot.

Hooah.

September Day

I should have found the time to do this yesterday.
It's hard to believe it's been 6 years...

I was in AP American History when the first plane hit.

Where were you?

President Bush

This is an interesting article. It outlines the new Bush biography written by Robert Draper, I believe.

It sounds as if the book paints Bush in a very human light. I like that because he always seemed very human to me...down to Earth and all that.

Hooah.

Simply fantastic

Recently a Japanese whaling ship killed a whale and dragged it on board right in front of a whale-watching boat.

Of course, a lot of the whale watchers were offended (the article specifically mentions a French woman which I personally took a lot of satisfaction in, heh), but the whaling ship stepped it up a knotch and filed a complaint against the whale-watcher company stating that "The passenger boat approached us, which was extremely dangerous. We think this could be considered dangerous sailing, and we want you to issue a warning."

Take a closer look here for the full article.

Happy Mother's Day

Something really cool happened this Friday...

I was in the car with my younger brother (just got his temporary permit), and we were on our way a friend's house. We were getting close, and he looked into the mirror and said, "That Army car's been behind us for a while."

I looked behind us and sure enough, there was a car covered in US Army paraphernalia. Jokingly, I looked at my brother and said that it was probably my recruiter trying to get me to pick a day to go to MEPS.

Well, the Army car pulled onto the street where we were headed and after both of our cars had stopped, two fully-uniformed soldiers exited the vehicle and approached us.

"That's a great sticker you have on the back of your car there!" a Staff Sergeant told my brother. (The bumper he was referring to reads, "Kick their ass and take their gas!")

Sure enough, the two men were recruiters for the county we live in, but they live in the neighborhood in which my brother's friend lives...

So we chatted with them for a few minutes and then I went home.

In our few minutes together though, the soldiers told me something that just about made my stomach turn. Apparently, on a recent trip to the area high school to get permission to talk to students at lunch for recruiting purposes, the principle asked them the following question:

"What's the difference between you and the Neo-Nazis?"

I can't even begin to address the ignorance behind this statement...and it's a high school principle for crying out loud!

In some follow-up news, I got some homebrew apps working on my new PSP. Absolutely fantastic! I highly recommend purchasing one if you're at all into old-school gaming. The platform itself has some decent titles, but the WiFi internet, music player, and homebrew capacity really make the system great.

That's all I've got for now. I'm going to try to keep up with the news a little better from now on so I can make some comments about current events this week.

Enjoy your mother's day!
Peace out.

Final PT / End of the school year

I was planning on posting about VT, gun-law ranters, and related topics...but I think enough has been said on these particular subjects lately. The families of the victims deserve time to heal, and who am I to judge the situation surrounding the University and its police one way or the other.

The MS4s took their record PT Test today. My housemates did fairly well by their own accounts, so congratulations to them. The rest of us take our final test on Friday. I think the swimming and extra workouts that I've been undertaking recently are going to go a long way...The test won't really matter for me no matter how well or poorly I do, but it's certainly a matter of pride. One of the MS3s I pace with tested with the MS4s today...so my run group of 3 is down to 2...we should be able to keep a good pace regardless...I ate up the run route today, so I'm hoping the same thing will happen Friday.

As always, I'm concerned about push-ups...but today, I did 50 without-rest for the first time ever...that made me proud...here's to hoping I can repeat that performance Friday.

Ok...I'm done.
Peace out.

Quick Update

Computer's back up and running...thank you, Travis.

If you haven't heard, there were two shootings at Virginia Tech this morning. ABC estimates 25-29 people dead so far and another 20 or so wounded. I'll post more details and some thoughts about the tragedy tonight after class and work.

Keep the victims in your thoughts and prayers.
Peace out.

Rutgers Controversy and Words from a Fellow Soldier

Ok, Im jumping on the band wagon. I'm going to write about Don Imus and the Rutgers basketball women...but something needs to be said.

Don Imus' comment, joke or not, was out of line. No questions. It really wasn't funny, and I'm not sure what he was trying to prove...ok, that's settled.

Do I really think the women of the team suffered physically because of being called "nappy-headed hoes?" Absolutely not. My room mates and I greet each other every morning with harsher insults than that, and I certainly don't get sick on a regular basis.

I understand the difference of course. Imus' joke was mean-spirited, our greetings are not...but my point is simply that you can't let things get to you. What does it matter what an old white-dude has to say about the black women on a Rutgers basketball team? Nothing...it doesn't matter. Should he have been fired? It's not my decision, and I really couldn't care less. All I know is that I'm sick of reading about how insult is making them suffer...bah.

Imus has handled the aftermath as best as he should...he's apologized again and again for his behavior...on Al Sharpton's show! (possibly a mistake to try that...) But no one will let it go...he deserves some punishment...but think about it: If soldiers had taken Kerry's slip-of-the-tongue as seriously as everyone is currently taking Imus', MA might be out of a senator.

I received this next piece in an email from my recruiter who received it from a friend of his. It's good...really good.

The other day I was reading Newsweek magazine and came across some poll
data I found rather hard to believe. It must be true given the source,
right?

The Newsweek poll alleges that 67 percent of Americans are unhappy
with the direction the country is headed and 69 percent of the country
is unhappy with the performance of the president. In essence 2/3 of the
citizenry just ain't happy and want a change.

So being the knuckle dragger I am, I started thinking, ''What are we
so unhappy about?''

Is it that we have electricity and running water 24 hours a day, 7
days a week? Is our unhappiness the result of having air conditioning
in the summer and heating in the winter? Could it be that 95.6 percent
of these unhappy folks have a job? Maybe it is the ability to walk into
a grocery store at any time and see more food in moments than Darfur has
seen in the last year?

Maybe it is the ability to drive from the Pacific Ocean to the
Atlantic Ocean without having to present identification papers as we
move through each state? Or possibly the hundreds of clean and safe
motels we would find along the way that can provide temporary shelter?
I guess having thousands of restaurants with varying cuisine from around
the world is just not good enough. Or could it be that when we wreck
our car, emergency workers show up and provide services to help all and
even send a helicopter to take you to the hospital.

Perhaps you are one of the 70 percent of Americans who own a home.
You may be upset with knowing that in the unfortunate case of a fire, a
group of trained firefighters will appear in moments and use top notch
equipment to extinguish the flames thus saving you, your family and your
belongings. Or if, while at home watching one of your many flat screen
TVs, a burglar or prowler intrudes, an officer equipped with a gun and a
bullet-proof vest will come to defend you and your family against attack
or loss. This all in the backdrop of a neighborhood free of bombs or
militias raping and pillaging the residents. Neighborhoods where 90
percent of teenagers own cell phones and computers.

How about the complete religious, social and political freedoms we
enjoy that are the envy of everyone in the world? Maybe that is what
has 67 percent of you folks unhappy.

Fact is, we are the largest group of ungrateful, spoiled brats the
world has ever seen. No wonder the world loves the U.S., yet has a
great disdain for its citizens. They see us for what we are. The most
blessed people in the world who do nothing but complain about what we
don't have, and what we hate about the country instead of thanking the
good Lord we live here.

I know, I know. What about the president who took us into war and
has no plan to get us out? The president who has a measly 31 percent
approval rating? Is this the same president who guided the nation in
the dark days after 9/11? The president that cut taxes to bring an
economy out of recession? Could this be the same guy who has been
called every name in the book for succeeding in keeping all the spoiled
ungrateful brats safe from terrorist attacks? The commander in chief of
an all-volunteer army that is out there defending you and me? Did you
hear how bad the President is on the news or talk show? Did this news
affect you so much, make you so unhappy you couldn't take a look around
for yourself and see all the good things and be glad?

Think about it.....are you upset at the President because he
actually caused you personal pain OR is it because the "Media" told you
he was failing to kiss your sorry ungrateful ass every day.

Make no mistake about it. The troops in Iraq and Afghanistan have
volunteered to serve, and in many cases may have died for your freedom.
There is currently no draft in this country. They didn't have to go.
They are able to refuse to go and end up with either a ''general''
discharge, an ''other than honorable'' discharge or, worst case
scenario, a ''dishonorable'' discharge after a few days in the brig.

So why then the flat-out discontentment in the minds of 69 percent
of Americans? Say what you want but I blame it on the media. If it
bleeds, it leads and they specialize in bad news.

Everybody will watch a car crash with blood and guts. How many will
watch kids selling lemonade at the corner? The media knows this and
media outlets are for-profit corporations. They offer what sells, and
when criticized, try to defend their actions by "justifying" them in one
way or another. Just ask why they tried to allow a murderer like O.J.
Simpson to write a book about how he didn't kill his wife, but if he did
he would have done it this way..... Insane!

Stop buying the negativism you are fed every day by the media. Shut
off the TV, burn Newsweek, and use the New York Times for the bottom of
your bird cage. Then start being grateful for all we have as a country.
There is exponentially more good than bad.

Fantastic. That's all I've got. Back to work.
Peace out.

Lead Lab and Duke Rape Case

We had a Lead Lab early this morning. The topic was Combat Medical Care. Lead Labs always make me feel useless because I don't have nearly the experience of any of the other cadets, including the freshmen. I was put on my platoon's secondary Aid & Litter team (taking care of fallen or wounded comrades). When one of my squad members took an imaginary wound to the leg via an injury-simulation-card, I didn't know how to deal with it because I had never seen a card like that before (because I was not allowed to participate in the Field Training Exercise a few weeks ago). In a real combat situation, my squad member and I would have been in serious trouble.

I'm certainly not upset or anything. The MS4s do a good job of explaining and are very patient with anyone (including myself) who's lost or confused. Lead Labs are supposed to be learning experiences, and I sure as heck know what to do for the next time. I always feel like I'm letting people down when I screw up though. I suppose it's better to do that now when it doesn't matter versus going to BTC and blowing it there.

In other news, Crystal Gail Mangum has dropped all charges against the three former members of the Duke lacrosse team. Apparently somebody missed the fact that of all four the DNA samples found in or on her clothes at the time of the initial investigation, not one match could be made to any of the lacrosse team members. This of course is coupled with the fact that her story changed on a regular basis, and the only member of the team she identified in each of the line ups presented to her had a solid alibi; he was not even at the University on the day of the party.

How can injustices like this happen? I certainly understand with making sure the victims get justice, but how about making sure that victims are what they claim to be in the first place? The severity of the screw ups in this case are astronomical. Crystal's allegations will follow those three boys for the rest of their lives, and they were completely baseless from the start! Testimonies from multiple people, a complete lack of DNA evidence, and numerous inconsistencies on the part of the accuser should have gotten the charges dismissed a year ago when this case first came to fruition.

That's all I've got. Peace out.

EDIT: Anyone who has a problem with the validity of using Wikipedia as a source for news and the like ought to take a look at the sources cited on the bottom of the "2006 Duke University lacrosse team scandal" article to which I link above. One-hundred-and-sixty-seven independent articles. Not bad...