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June 25, 2005
Homespun Blogger Symposium XXVI
Sorry I'm a little late this week...but I'm back in El Paso welcoming 16 friends back from faraway lands like Iraq, Afghanistan, and Kuwait. They're now enjoying the finer things in life....like crisp clean sheets, floors with carpet, being able to walk to the shower with a towel around them and not body armor...just those little things that we all take for granted.
That having been said...it's time to take your pulse and see how you're feeling about the Global War on Terrorism or if you'd rather Operations Enduring Freedom and Iraqi Freedom.Are we making any progress? Is this part of the war winnable? Should we "stay and fight" or "cut and run?"
In spite of all the bad news we receive from Iraq and Afghanistan, I have to believe that we are in fact making progress in assisting these two nations in a rebuilding effort. The two countries are most decidedly different...but the bottom line desired end state is the same, taking away a sanctuary from those that would wish us harm.
In both Iraq and Afghanistan, before our intervention, the ruling powers ruled with iron fists. In Afghanistan, it was the radical zealots of the Taliban that kept the people in check with an overbearing radical Islamic "government." I use government very loosely here, as it was hardly more than a group of thugs that kept the population living in fear. Women were forced into the worst of possible situations through using Islamic rule to establish their roles in society. Today, women are going to school, opening their own businesses, and playing a much larger role in the new government.
In Iraq, the era of Saddam's sadistic and twisted rule is over. Yes..yes, he was once an ally of ours against Iran and we chose him as the lesser evil in the region to back. However, following the Iran-Iraq War, he turned his wrath against the people in an effort to establish a cult of personality where he and his two sons were the objects of worship. He ruled through abject terror that was reminiscent of the darkest days of the Soviet Union. The knocks at the door in the middle of the night, the prisons full of dissidents, and the graves filled with those that chose to disagree are no longer something to be feared. Now the issue comes to quelling the foreign fighters choosing to use Iraq as the battleground against the West. The other side of the coin is allowing the vacuum of power left by Saddam's capture to allow for anarchy throughout on the country in some relatively isolated incidents.
Is the war winnable?
I'd say that it is, but it's not going to be an open and shut case like the 100 hour ground war in 1991. As a member of the coalition forces then, I think that we left earlier than we should have...but I'm also forced to remember that we were in the region to liberate Kuwait and not to overthrow Iraq.
Patience is going to be key in establishing law and order in both Iraq and Afghanistan. Both interim governments are indeed working on recruiting, training, and equipping their own forces to take over from the coalition. I would imagine that they're not crazy about having foreign occupiers on their soil, but realize that they do need the help in standing up forces that can restore some degree of sanity to their nations. The key will be to assist these leaders by buying them time to establish their own security forces.
Should we "stay and fight" or "cut and run?"
While I am somewhat flabbergasted by the numbers and types of casualties we're suffering now, I think that the answer is that we cannot abandon the efforts. To do so at this point would cheapen the 1700 lives lost in the effort to date. We started something that has the potential of changing the power of the radical Islamic sects who truly do not have the best interests of millions of Muslims at heart. To leave now would just prove to those followers of radical Islam that the United States and her allies can be taken to their knees. Don't think that's necessarily the message we want to send at this point in the game.
See you on the high ground,
MajorDad1984
UPDATE
Just finished watching President Bush's address at Fort Bragg, NC this evening...and I think that he hit that one out of the park. I've said it once and I'll say it again...the 100 Hour War of Gulf War fame did more to harm American expectations of military operations than anything in history. World War II wasn't ended in a day, a month, or even a year. It took YEARS to establish order in Germany AND Japan after those two Axis powers surrendered. This is no different.
Patience my friends...the end result will be worth it.
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 08:01 AM | Comments (9)
June 19, 2005
Homespun Blogger Symposium XXV
This week's thought provoking question asked:
With all things being equal, are schools today producing better, worse, or graduates of about the same quality as they did the day you graduated high school?
I'm going to sugar coat things a bit and say that I believe that the state of education is different than it was at the time of my high school graduation. (1980)
I'm concerned that school's are wrapped around the axle of being concerned with self esteem issues rather than preparing children for taking their place in the real world. I've taken plenty of abuse on other sites for making that claim, but I'm pretty much decided that we tend to worry more about how kids are feeling about themselves instead of how well they're doing academically.
Part of the problem might stem from the concept that everyone needs to be a college graduate these days. It's not necessary...but to keep pumping that into a child's head, I think it's setting them up for certain disappointment. Some children will be prepared academically for the college experience and others will be destined for the trades. There's absolutely nothing wrong with being a plumber, an electrician, a mechanic. I don't know what I'd do without them!
This week we had a little problem at the University of Kansas. If you missed the story, here it is in a nutshell. The Office of Financial Aid sent out an email to students who have failed ALL their classes informing them that their student aid was in jeopardy. Unfortunately, instead if emailing this note by use of the "blind carbon copy" feature, where only the recipient was listed as an addressee, students were able to see the names of the other 118 students that had failed their courses too.
This administrative error has 119 students feeling bad (as if failing all their classes wouldn't be enough). The person responsible for emailing that note made a mistake...but not one that should be elevated to the national media. My advice to these students, buckle down a bit and you won't be placing yourself in a position where you need to receive this kind of letter.
If I were the king and had my way, this is how I’d change education today:
1. Schools are first and foremost for learning. Treat them that way. Socialization is an important skill too, but should be a by product of the educational process.
2. Education is more important than sports. Again, athletics and education can peacefully co-exist, but keep everything in perspective. (This is heresy in Texas, so watch my back folks!)
3. Schools cannot hold back kids that excel at the expense of those that take longer to master the material. Talented and gifted programs definitely have their place in schools today.
4. Schools must maintain strict discipline. This doesn’t necessarily mean “zero tolerance” policies for typical offenses, but it does mean that no child or teacher should be afraid to go to school. Criminals and thugs belong with their own kind, preferably behind stone walls topped with razor wire.
5. Assist parents by identifying and setting reasonable expectations for students. Some kids aren’t cut out for Harvard…and some adults aren’t cut out for wiring their homes. There’s no shame in working in something less than a white collar job.
6. Money. I’d like to see schools teach more about how this important “thing” works in the real world. Someday “money” will be coming from someone other than Mummy and Daddy. The sooner kids realize that, perhaps they’ll have an incentive to do better in school. (Yes, the kids in Kansas haven’t cracked that code yet either.)
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
1. Schools are first and foremost for learning. Treat them that way. Socialization is an important skill too, but should be a by product of the educational process.
2. Education is more important than sports. Again, athletics and education can peacefully co-exist, but keep everything in perspective. (This is heresy in Texas, so watch my back folks!)
3. Schools cannot hold back kids that excel at the expense of those that take longer to master the material. Talented and gifted programs definitely have their place in schools today.
4. Schools must maintain strict discipline. This doesn’t necessarily mean “zero tolerance” policies for typical offenses, but it does mean that no child or teacher should be afraid to go to school. Criminals and thugs belong with their own kind, preferably behind stone walls topped with razor wire.
5. Assist parents by identifying and setting reasonable expectations for students. Some kids aren’t cut out for Harvard…and some adults aren’t cut out for wiring their homes. There’s no shame in working in something less than a white collar job.
6. Money. I’d like to see schools teach more about how this important “thing” works in the real world. Someday “money” will be coming from someone other than Mummy and Daddy. The sooner kids realize that, perhaps they’ll have an incentive to do better in school. (Yes, the kids in Kansas haven’t cracked that code yet either.)
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:30 PM | Comments (4)
Happy Father's Day
Happy Father's Day to my Dad in Sun City West, Arizona and his Dad in Short Hills, NJ. Hope you had a great day!
To all you fathers out there...enjoy what's left of it!
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:28 PM | Comments (0)
June 15, 2005
Flag Desecration Vote
Here goes the "off the wall" major again!
Thanks to Dagney I caught up with this story...
From YahooNews "Vote on Flag Desecration May Be a Cliffhanger."
In a day and age where we want to do whatever we can to keep from offending others (that would love nothing more than to kill us by the truckload) by holding their holy book in high esteem, nobody seems to think that we should protect symbols of this great nation as well.
Seems like it's a very sad day indeed. I can only imagine what would have happened to a group of German-Americans or Japanese-Americans doing the same thing around the shipyards of Boston or on the West Coast in let's say....1943!
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 12:21 PM | Comments (6)
Well...This Site's Been Denied "Status" with an Affiliate Advertising Program
Yes, that's right dear readers...when I was looking into putting a little more "advertising" on this site...with a large video rental by mail service (no, not telling you which one) I was informed by their affiliate program "provider" that my site might contain:
1. Pornography, obscene, or offensive content.
2. Violence or hate-oriented speech.
3. Extensive religious commentary or attempts to preach or solicit members for a particular church or faith.
4. Gambling.
5. Libel or defamation.
6. Illegal substances.
7. Unsolicited commercial email (Spam) or trademark infringement.
While I'm certainly not content with what I read/hear/see in the mainstream media, I've always thought this site to provide something of a reasoned counterbalance. I don't think that anything I've written here as being so off base and out of line that I shouldn't be able to help a company that is seeking to get their message in front of potential clients. Just because I might be on the politically incorrect side of some issues...and I'm not afraid to speak out on them, seems to keep me from recouping some of the expense I pay of pocket to keep this site functioning.
So much for freedom of expression.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 12:14 PM | Comments (4)
June 11, 2005
Liberal Baiting
Man, it's a hoot to leave your comfort zone in the blogosphere from time to time whether you're a liberal or a conservative.
For my fellow bloggers, try it some time. It's an absolute blast! As a conservative from the right side of most issues, here's a quick list of my observations during my "recon" to some of the liberal blogs here in Texas.
1. I'd have to guess not many people read them. There are almost no comments at all...except those land mines I drop while there.
2. Birds of a feather do indeed flock together. If you look at the blogrolls of most liberal sites, they do not include ANY links to those who think differently than themselves. (Nate, if you happen to check in, you're one of the big offenders here!)
3. Lots of emotions, lots of buzzwords. Short on facts and logic. Make any sense or cause any surprises?
If you're stuck in on a rainy weekend, try seeing how the other half lives, thinks, and acts. (Oh I hope not...if they do, we're doomed!)
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:37 PM | Comments (5)
And So the Kinder, Gentler War on Terror Began...
Folks, you have to go read this short satirical piece! That's an order from your kind and benevolent dictator here at MajorDad1984. I found this piece by Doug Kern at the Tech Central Station. Listen in on secret planning sessions that are undoubtedly just a few scant years away.
Okay? Back yet?
First let me say that I support our troops and military explicitly. They are going into harms way voluntarily, some with a little cajoling, but they're there...and I'm here. They deserve all the support we can provide (which we're not doing) and then some.
Second, I am concerned about the path our military seems to be moving down. Even in an environment where the Army and Marine Corps are undoubtedly at war, I see some troubling signs of "political correctness" being crammed down the throats of our men and women who are "over there" killing people and breaking things.
It's no mystery that the armed forces have always been a testing ground for social experimentation. Look at the way the military led the way in racial integration, gender integration, and yes, even the tacit acceptance of homosexuality (albeit extremely confusing with Don't ask, Don't tell, Don't pursue). Unfortunately, some of the "kinder, gentler" slop just does NOT have a place in the armed forces of the United States. We've been training soldiers about the Laws of Land Warfare and the Geneva Convention for decades. WE GET IT ALREADY!
However, interrogating prisoners captured with the means to cause our forces, as well as our partners in Iraqi uniforms harm is a necessity!!! If we start hauling in suspects and putting them into accomodations that exceed those of the average Holiday Inn Express (Oh, I'm not a jihadist...but I did stay at the Holiday Inn Express last night...sorry, couldn't help myself) I'm telling you folks, we might as be relieving ourselves into the wind. We will not extract the information we need to finish up this Global War on Terror.
Finally, soldiers need to be assigned soldier tasks. See my previous comments about killing people and breaking things. While that might seem harsh, it's being completely honest. You can have a well trained and disciplined force capable of conducting military operations OR you can have one that builds schools, utility grids and the like. You really cannot have both.
I know that we're doing it now, but at what cost? It's time to put the burden of rebuilding the countries of Iraq and Afghanistan back onto the backs of those that will live there in the years to come. Our military can be in place to provide security for native workers completing those projects, but for us to do be doing it ourselves isn't maximizing the use of our forces.
It's time to start listening to the "Snuffies" of the world and putting the "Clueless" ones out to pasture. If the colonels, majors and captains won't fight...the sergeants definitely will!
See you on the high ground! Dismissed!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 08:06 AM | Comments (3)
June 10, 2005
Farewell Mike
Mike Reed aka Bunker Mulligan
Posted by Hello
Today, a friend who I never "really" met, was laid to rest in his native Texas soil in San Antonio. We're both fellow veterans, golfers (although I knew him well enough never to play for money), and of course...bloggers. We had the courage to write from the heart and quite often rise up on our hind legs against what was being spouted in the mainstream media. While I'm sure a number of folks might have labeled us "right wing kooks," I think that Mike was proud...as am I, to be first and foremost right.
Mike became a good friend as we shared with each other on our respective blogs (I was tickled that someone was actually reading mine). Somewhere along the line, I believe it was Mike that got a Corpus Christi talk show host turned onto my blog to the point where I was actually invited on as a call in guest. Mike helped coach me through my nervousness...and even when I thought I fell flat on my face during the call, was there to pat me on the back and tell me that I'd done well. (See...I guess he even liked to tell fairy tales in between loving his wife Ann, raising a wonderful family full of community and federal service, playing golf and blogging.) I haven't been on the show since. But Mike made me feel good about my radio debut and last call all on the same day.
Mike was a leader...organizing a group known as the Texas Bloggers. A project that he started on his own...and with the family's permission, I'd like to continue. No small undertaking, trying to organize a group of Texans, Mike made tremendous progress in getting the word out to those folks here in the Lone Star State that enjoyed our mutual hobby, blogging. He even tried to organize a Memorial Day Weekend for us all in his hometown, Corpus Christi. I felt bad about not being able to attend, but duty called. I was in El Paso saying farewell to 16 men heading to the Persian Gulf region. Mike didn't know that...but I know he knows now, that if I'd been able, I would have gladly joined in his "blogger games."
Over the past week, I've been scouring the blogosphere to find mention of Mike's passing and have found many, many tributes that confirmed my initial impression. Mike was one of the best.
Save me a stool at the 19th Hole, Mike. I might not be there for another 60 years...but that will pass like a blink of an eye where you are now.
You're seeing me on the high ground...from even higher ground now!
Very respectfully,
MajorDad1984
US Army: 1984-1992
US Army Reserve: 1992-2004
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:30 PM | Comments (1)
June 05, 2005
Be Thou At Peace - Mike Reed aka Bunker Mulligan
Last night, when I surfed to visit one of Mike's blogs, I read news that still has me in shock. One of my good friends from the blogosphere passed away from a heart attack on Friday, June 3.
Mike Reed, a retired Air Force officer, avid golfer, and blogger extraordinaire was one of those people that you run across that touches your life without you even realizing it. Now that he's gone...I'm sure we'll all appreciate him that much more.
I had to bow out on a gathering Mike had tried to put together in Corpus Christi last weekend, due to some obligations at work. I'm sure Mike understood, but it sure would have been a great opportunity to meet him. Now I'll have to wait until I pass through the pearly gates. I imagine I'll have to ask Saint Peter when Mike teed off that day. That, or I'll wait for him at the 19th Hole.
This is yet another reminder that life is short and we have to make the most of it while we have it. Mike's legacy will no doubt live on with his family and the people he met through this incredible thing known as the blogosphere.
This post's title, "be thou at peace" comes from the West Point alma mater. Mike was one of those men that lived the academy's motto "Duty, Honor, Country" without having been a graduate. This old soldier stands at rigid attention, saluting Mike Reed.
May it be said, well done.
Be thou at peace my friend.
Sadly from the high ground.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 08:36 AM | Comments (4)
June 04, 2005
Thanks to Banner Desert Medical Center
First, let me apologize for letting the screen go blank again, but I'll plead guilty with an explanation.
About ten days ago I went out to Arizona to be with my parents while my dad went into the hospital to have several growths around his thyroid gland removed. As luck would have it, the largest of the three growths wasn't as concerning as the two smaller ones. The surgeon decided to remove the entire thyroid as a precaution. Good news, all growths are benign, Dad's recovering well, and he'll be back to work at Bank One Ballpark for the next homestand.
My thanks go out to the great staff at Banner Desert Medical Center. Oh yeah, something I forgot to tell Dr. Richard E. Cooper (surgeon), "GO ARMY! BEAT NAVY!"
My travels then took me to El Paso and Fort Bliss, Texas. I was supporting a crew of seventeen folks getting ready to head overseas to continue their very important mission of collecting information about some of the very newest weapons and support equipment deployed there. They're going to relieve another group that's been on the ground since January. To both groups of friends...stay safe, take care of each other, come back when the mission's complete.
Again...I apologize for dropping off the face of the planet for a few weeks, but I was kinda busy with some important stuff. Thanks for understanding.
See you all on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 09:56 AM | Comments (0)
