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September 30, 2005
Teaching the World to Surf
Here's a quickie...
How about a $100 laptop for starters?
Think that this will help level the playing field? I do, but only if parents can decide that this is $100 well spent!
See you on the high ground! (Wonder if you can blog on this thing!?!?)
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:57 AM | Comments (0)
The Joys of Parenthood...and Fighting the Schools
How many of you out there find yourself in a constant battle between common sense and your local school district?
This time MajorTeen gets a little ink thrown her way in the pursuit of higher learning. My latest "battle" to fight with the local high school is the way that a teacher may have chosen to punish students who stole "loaner" calculators.
As MajorTeen is taking a pre-calculus class this semester, the use (and quite honestly having taken math like this more than 25 years ago using the "stubby pencil" method) of a calculator makes pretty good sense. This isn't your run of the mill, add/subtract/multiply/divide/find a square root type of calculator...it's one of the fancy, schmantzy graphing ones with more internal computing power than the Apollo program lunar lander and command module had combined. Compared to the good, old days of graph paper and hair pulling...I'd rather take math today!
In any event, I bought MajorTeen her calculator several years ago because I didn't want her to be left out. Yes, it put a dent in my wallet, but no more so than the average handheld video game system or MP3 player. I chose to spend the money for my daughter's education first...if there's money left over, we can talk about entertainment. (Note...yes, MajorDad does believe in entertainment and yes, Jamie does have an iPod Shuffle). Back to the battle...
Apparently the school district also provides graphing calculators to the "less fortunate" (or students whose parents may not handle their money as wisely as the MajorFamily does) for their use. Unfortunately, MajorTeen's teacher has "lost" three of these calculators due to theft and has banned the use of calculators. Now whether or not this ban will be in effect today as the class has a test on a chapter remains to be seen....do you see a problem with this? A comparison to some of the shenanigans that have played themselves out in the wake of Katrina and Rita?
Life is full of choices, folks! I understand that $100 isn't the same for me as it might be to someone less fortunate but let's get real for a minute. We live in a community that probably has some very unfortunate students, but certainly not at a rate like we've seen in New Orleans or some of the rural communities in Mississippi or Alabama hit by the recent hurricanes. I'm sure that if I held a gun to a child without a calculator's head...and asked them the following questions:
1. Do you have a Playstation 2/Gamecube/XBox?
2. Do you have digital cable?
3. Do you have an MP3 player?
4. Did your sneakers cost more than $50?
I'd probably get at least one "yes" answer. What that tells me is that the child has either mis-spent their money...or their parents don't know how to prioritize their finances. Why should that be a reason to penalize my child or the children of other responsible parents?
I've been down this path once before when MajorTeen was doing a writing project last year. She asked me to read over a paper she'd written...and I do mean on she "wrote" by hand. MajorTeen's an excellent student, but her handwriting....sheesh! If I were the teacher grading it, I'd be hitting the Jack Daniels the minute I came to her paper just to prepare myself for the translation I was about to do. When I asked her why she didn't do her paper on her computer (yes, she has her own...) she said that the teachers won't accept a computer generated paper. While I didn't get as excited as I have over the calculator issue...this bothered me. The teacher gave two weak explanations....first, the concern about plagiarism. It's too easy to plagiarize using a computer. (What the hell is she going to do next year in college???) If that's a concern, teach the children about plagiarism, emphasize how wrong it is, and then watch for it in the paper's submitted. The second excuse was "all children don't have computers." My response is that not everyone has a Lexus and a Hummer in the driveway either.
I'm all for leveling the playing field when it comes to giving children a quality education, but I find it maddening that my child is being penalized by my ability to provide her the tools to make it that much better. I'll be interested in the comments to this message.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
UPDATE 10/1/2005
In the interest of fairness and journalistic ethics...I owe you the rest of the story. The math teacher in question did indeed allow the students to use the graphing calculators on the exam yesterday...and MajorTeen does have a good solid B too. As we're trying to boost her class rank for college applications, I'll have to dive back into a calculus book after being nearly "math-free" for 22 years. Common sense over-rode the prevailing winds of social "progress" and all is well with the world.
The teacher even thanked me for his solution to any future lost calculators. If he loses one now, he's got a school ID to track the student down with.
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:24 AM | Comments (7)
Let's Just Yank the Scab Off....Again
Yesterday a US district judge ordered the release of 74 photographs and three videotapes that document the "prisoner abuse" at Abu Graib Prison in Baghdad as reported today in the Washington Post.
U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein said that terrorists "do not need pretexts for their barbarism" and that suppressing the pictures would amount to submitting to blackmail."Our nation does not surrender to blackmail, and fear of blackmail is not a legally sufficient argument to prevent us from performing a statutory command. Indeed, the freedoms that we champion are as important to our success in Iraq and Afghanistan as the guns and missiles with which our troops are armed," he said.
Judge Hellerstein, you are correct! The terrorists don't "need" a pretext for their barbarism, but what they do need is a steady stream of volunteers flowing into their misguided organizations. What the continued maelstrom of media hype over this event will help give them just that. Rather than focusing on the good that the majority of troops are doing on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan, the "mainstream media" chooses to highlight the bad. The release of these items will be like tossing a couple of bloody steaks into the lions' den.
The feeding frenzy will provide the terrorists just what they need to help recruit young, impressionable Islamic men and women to support their cause. If our media is looking for "good copy" they only have to go as far as reporting about US Army Captain Scott Southworth and his soon to be adopted son Ala'a here on Blackfive.
As far as our surrendering to blackmail...what a crock of sh|t! There are tens of thousands of young men and women from a number of nations, not excluding Iraqis trying to stand up a security force that could be at the center of a backlash. Have you ever heard the term, "clear and present danger," your Honor? At this point in time, the release of this visual information can only serve to harm our troops, the progress they're making, as well as the progress being made by a fledgling Iraqi democracy. I for one would have hoped that a man sitting on the bench of a federal court would have a bit more resolve to do what was right.
NOTE: I do not condone what happened at Abu Graib...but I continue to shake my head in amazement when I read about the outrage of what some sophomoric antics of a couple of bad soldiers had done. "They made the prisoners wear panties on their heads!" shriek the liberals. My measured and solemn response is...."at least they still had heads attached to their necks to put the panties on."
How can people get confused over what's truly a crime....and what's poor judgement and poor leadership supervision?
Shaking my head (I still have it) on the high ground.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 05:03 AM | Comments (0)
September 29, 2005
The Katrina Witch Hunt....
Well, yesterday we ran into some technical difficulties here at Cursed by a Classical Education and I was unable to post what I had thought was a pretty good item about Mr. Brown's appearance in front of the Congressional panel digging into the Katrina failure. When I went to hit the "post" button nothing happened. That post was lost...so here we go again, wish me luck.
On Capitol Hill, Tuesday's highlights included some back and forth between former FEMA director Michael Brown (Yeah, you're doing a heck of a job Brownie) and the stuffed shirts on the other side of the table, Congressional inquisitors. I have to admit most of my inputs and opinions about this effort were formed by sound bites I happened to catch while on the road listening to the radio, but I think they were representative of the kind of cr@p going on in Washington.
Like it or not, Michael Brown was probably unqualified (maybe under-qualified) to hold the post that he was serving in. He's not the first political appointee that has been in this position (and probably not the only one currently serving). Okay, he's not the kind of guy we need to run FEMA. Noted.
What I found amazing was the pompous attitudes taken by Congressmen while they had time on their microphones. I suppose it's pretty darned easy to point the finger of blame...when the bar we set for our representatives is set so low. While you'll never find me aspiring to serve in Congress, I'm not completely sure that if we started to do a review of resumes of our 535 sitting Senators and Representatives that we wouldn't find a few error, ommissions, or bald-faced lies in them.
Folks, if you think it's time for the good old boy system to end...then let's really end it. If we're going to perpetuate what amounts to a "spoils system" then let's all just sit down, shut up and color. You can't have it both ways.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:41 AM | Comments (2)
September 28, 2005
Welcome Apples from Norway!
Cursed by a Classical Education would like to welcome a new international reader....
Apples from Norway who also writes a blog!
While you might not be the first, you are the most recent. We hope you come back again and again to give us a European perspective on what you read here from the Cursed staff and other Americans commenting.
Welcome aboard and see you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:37 AM | Comments (1)
September 27, 2005
Posse Comitatus - Dying?
Yesterday one of the headline stories making the rounds spoke to the fact that President Bush is mulling the increased use of the military in response to domestic natural disaster relief. A hat tip to Breitbart and one of the stories here...Bush Vows to Act on National Rescue Plan.
I think that this "plan" is problematic on a number of levels. The primary job of the US military is to quote Rush Limbaugh is "to kill people and break things." I'll add what Rush seldom does...."and to do so at a moments notice." In order to have a force that is capable of enforcing our national foreign policy's last options, they must concentrate on the probable missions they'll face. Those missions should be military in nature, not confused by a humanitarian spin. While they're capable of doing it, forcing the military to become a national disaster response force dilutes their number one purpose for existing, to fight and win our wars.
I think that we've seen that the military does perform admirably in whatever situation they're put in due to the mindset most of us that have served and are serving have. Give us a mission and we'll try to move heaven and earth to accomplish it. I think that there might be a problem in that our state and local governments might not have this "warrior spirit" that can rise to the occasion OR is it a matter that since they've seen the military come in and help save "the bacon" time and time again...they've become used to being rescued too?
If President Bush wants to increase our collective ability to deal with and untangle the problems so recently uncovered during the nearly back to back hurricanes in the Gulf, maybe the military can help, but only in terms of training. Maybe another solution would be to actively recruit senior retired officers and noncommissioned officers to serve with FEMA and other state and local entities that are charged to respond to such disasters. It might just be time to bring some fresh blood into these organizations that might be suffering from a malaise or business as usual mindset. It's not necessarily a manpower problem....most state/local governments have plenty of people. They just don't have the ability or training to focus on what the real problems are...and how to deal with them. There are plenty of people looking for jobs every day that have served in the military that can certainly assist with this problem.
See you on the high ground.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:31 AM | Comments (4)
September 26, 2005
More from the Email Box....(Am I Getting Lazy?)
Yes, here's another one from the email box. They're so good...I just can't improve upon them....
Here's a quote from a government employee who witnessed a recent interaction between an elderly woman and an antiwar protester in a Metro station in DC:"There were protesters on the train platform handing out pamphlets on the evils of America. I politely declined to take one. An elderly woman was behind me getting off the escalator and a young (20ish) female protester offered her a pamphlet, which she politely declined. The young protester put her hand on the old woman's shoulder as a gesture of friendship and in a very soft voice said, "Ma'am, don't you care about the children of Iraq?"
The old woman looked up at her and said, "Honey, my first husband died in France during World War II, my second husband died in Korea so you could have the right to stand here and bad mouth our country. If you touch me again. I'll stick this umbrella up your @ss and open it."
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:27 PM | Comments (3)
The Bill of Rights...Georgia Style
I got this from my mother today...thought that it only needed a short introduction. Here it is in it's entirety:
This is probably the best e-mail I've seen in a long, long time. The following has been attributed to State Representative Mitchell Aye from GA. He is my kind of guy and should run for President one day...We The People Of The United States
"We the sensible people of the United States, in an attempt to help everyone get along, restore some semblance of justice, avoid more riots, keep our nation safe, promote positive behavior, and secure the blessings of debt free liberty to ourselves and our great-great-great-grandchildren, hereby try one more time to ordain and establish some common sense guidelines for the terminally whiny, guilt ridden, delusional, and other liberal bed-wetters. We hold these truths to be self evident: that a whole lot of people are confused by the Bill of Rights and are so dim they require a Bill of NON-Rights."
ARTICLE I: You do not have the right to a new car, big screen TV, or any other form of wealth. More power to you if you can legally acquire them, but no one is guaranteeing anything.
ARTICLE II: You do not have the right to never ! be offended. This country is based on freedom, and that means freedom for everyone -- not just you! You may leave the room, turn the channel, express a different opinion, etc.; but the world is full of idiots, and probably always will be.
ARTICLE III: You do not have the right to be free from harm. If you stick a screwdriver in your eye, learn to be more careful, do not expect the tool manufacturer to make you and all your relatives independently wealthy.
ARTICLE IV: You do not have the right to free food and housing. Americans are the most charitable people to be found and will gladly help anyone in need, but we are quickly growing weary of subsidizing generation after generation of professional couch potatoes who achieve nothing more than the creation of another generation of professional couch potatoes.
ARTICLE V: You do not have the right to free health care. That would be nice, but from the looks of public housing, w! e're just not interested in public health care.
ARTICLE VI: You do not have the right to physically harm other people. If you kidnap, rape, intentionally maim, or kill someone, don't be surprised if the rest of us want to see you fry in the electric chair.
ARTICLE VII: You do not have the right to the possessions of others. If you rob, cheat, or coerce away the goods or services of other citizens, don't be surprised if the rest of us get together and lock you away in a place where you still won't have the right to a big screen color TV or a life of leisure.
ARTICLE VIII: You do not have the right to a job. All of us sure want you to have a job, and will gladly help you along in hard times, but we expect you to take advantage of the opportunities of education and vocational training laid before you to make yourself useful.
ARTICLE IX: You do not have the right to happiness. Being an American means that you have the right to PURSUE happiness which, by the way, is a lot easier if you are une! ncumbered by an over abundance of idiotic laws created by those of you who were confused by the Bill of Rights.
ARTICLE X: This is an English speaking country. We don't care where you are from, English is our language. Learn it or go back to wherever you came from!
(and lastly....)
ARTICLE XI: You do not have the right to change our country's history or heritage. This country was founded on the belief in one true God. And yet, you are given the freedom to believe in any religion, any faith, or no faith at all; with no fear of persecution. The phrase IN GOD WE TRUST is part of our heritage and history and if you are uncomfortable with it, TOUGH!!!!
If you agree, share this with a friend. No, you don't have to, and nothing tragic will befall you if you don't. I just think it's about time common sense is allowed to flourish. Sensible people of the United ! States speak out because if you do not, who will?
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:20 PM | Comments (1)
Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down...
Well, I can't do anything about your rainy days...but I found a very interesting and thought provoking article out there on the web at one of my favorite techie sites.....Digg.com. Go here to read the article that might help us change life as we know it on a most positive note!
Boiled down, this is what the article above would do to our lives and change the way we "tell time." Instead of have a 24/7 week, we'd drop Mondays (although I'm sure that the ACLU would lobby to drop Sundays) and work four 10 (ten) hour days in favor of five eight (8) hour days each week. This shows the pattern of the typical work day...
The one major drawback I'm seeing with this system is that it would force us to abandon our traditional "diurnal" ways as human beings. We would have to break our love of sleeping when it's dark and working when it's light out. If you look at today's society, the majority of us work the traditional 9-5 schedule now, but there's always been a sector of us that work "odd" hours and shifts that put us off the daylight/night time cycle anyway.
Let's take a look at what a "typical" week might look like if we dropped Mondays and shifted to a six day week.
This chart shows how the cycle of day and night would overlay on a proposed 28/6 week. The idea of walking out the door in the middle of the day and coming home at nearly midnight may not be as hard as it might seem. The benefits from going to this type of schedule seemingly far out weigh the downside. We would only have to commute 4 times a week. For those that are concerned about the pollution our automobiles and other forms of transportation are kicking into the atmosphere should embrace this concept. It immediately cuts pollution due to worker commutes by 20%. It gives us more free time each day....increases our average number of sleep hours....and adds additional leisure hours on the two 28 hour days on the 'weekends.'
Hashing this out with MajorMom this morning, we talked about the possibilities of trying something like this in our standard 24/7 week, but the issue that pops out right away is that you have to work four jam-packed days (with less 'free' time each day) to earn the 72 hours of weekend/leisure time each week. It would seem that this is far less 'family' friendly...putting off interaction with our families until the three day weekend.
In any event, in a time where schools are attempting to move to a four day school week or borrowing against future snow days in order to save on rising fuel costs due to the recent hurricane impact on fuel production in this country, it might be time to take a hard look on ways to change the way we toil and play on a weekly basis.
I'm interested in hearing your thoughts on this bold concept of changing the way we work and play...and count time. This isn't that much different than the concept of daylight savings time. As we've moved away from an agrarian society that depended upon the sun's cycles to bring in the crops...maybe it's time that we move away from tying our lives to the cycle of the sun. That won't change, but the way we use the time we all have will.
See you on the high ground....at 2700 HRS!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:15 AM | Comments (2)
September 25, 2005
Security System Re-set
All...I think I've finally broken the code on how to prevent "trackback and comment spam" here at Cursed by a Classical Education. For those of you who aren't blogging yourselves, you don't have any idea of how annoying this is to deal with.
The way the spamblocker works here is that I've loaded a list of words as recommended by the Wordpress Wiki. If you post something that contains one or more of these keywords, your comment will immediately get tossed to the "junk" bin. I'll go through it from time to time in order to make sure that your valid comments are in fact posted.
Hopefully these changes will cut back on the amount of time I spend doing blog housekeeping...and get you all posting again!
See you on the more secure high ground.
MajorDad1984
P.S. Registering with TypeKey will ensure that all your posts are in fact posted immediately. Otherwise, you and others will have to wait until I review and manually publish your comments. TypeKey isn't a bad program...it allows you to freely post on thousands of other blogs powered by Movable Type or TypePad!
Also, you can still post anonymously if you choose...you'll just never get a personal response from me via email. You'll have to come back and read my blog again. (That's not such a bad thing, is it?)
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 09:23 AM | Comments (0)
September 24, 2005
Navy SEALS might be Navy Guys, But I'd Share a Foxhole with Them!
I got this in email this week...can only hope that it was true and there was really a snotty, arrogant, liberal academian with a shiner for a very happy ending...
Two things Navy Seals are always taught:1. Keep your priorities in order.
2. Know when to act without hesitation.A college professor, avowed atheist and active member of the A.C.L.U., was teaching his college class. He shocked several of his students when he flatly stated that once and for all he was going to prove that there was no God.
Addressing the ceiling he shouted:"GOD, if you are real, then I want you to knock me off this platform. I'll give you exactly 15 minutes!!!!!"
The lecture room fell silent. You could hear a pin drop. Ten minutes went by. "I'm waiting God, if you're real, knock me off this platform!!!"
Again after four minutes, the professor taunted God saying, "Here I am, God-!! I'm still waiting!!!"
His count down got down to the last couple minutes when a Navy Seal, who was just released from the Navy, after serving in Afghanistan and Iraq and had newly registered for the class, walked up to the Professor.
The Seal hit him full force in the face. This sent the Professor tumbling from his platform. The Professor was out cold.
The students were stunned and shocked.They began to babble in confusion.
The Seal nonchalantly took his seat in the front row and sat in silence. The class looked at him and fell silent also ...waiting.
Eventually, the professor came to and was noticeably shaken. He looked at the Seal in the front row. When the professor regained his senses and could speak, he asked:"What the heck is the matter with you? Why did you do that?"
The Seal said, "God was really busy, protecting America's soldiers, who are protecting your right to say stupid things and act like an ass. So, He sent me."
Thanks to Linda for that one!
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 04:21 PM | Comments (2)
September 23, 2005
Mass Evacuations....Why So Hard?
By now I'm sure that most of you have seen the horrendous traffic situations caused by mandatory evacuation orders in southeast Texas. Maybe I'm being something of a simpleton when thinking about this, but I have to believe that there's a better way to do this. Afterall, when you're sitting on an airplane that's just landed...the guy sitting in the last row doesn't make a mad dash to the front of the plane...everybody seems to get up, gather their belongings, and then toddle off the aircraft.
Why can't we seem to figure this out? As part of every major coastal city's evacuation planning, I think that they have to identify areas that have priority in accessing the evacuation routes in an orderly fashion. For an area like Houston, while it's harder to convince people to do....those furthest from the disaster have to get on the road early and start heading to wherever it is they're going to seek refuge. Subsequent groups (moving closer to the area of landfall or greatest danger) then follow them. Putting people out on the road (or ALLOWING them to do so) only creates a problem that includes slow traffic, vehicles running out of gas, etc.
Unfortunately, the American mindset is "what's in it for me...." or it "IS all about me" and "YOU CAN'T TELL ME WHAT TO DO!" Oh, BS folks. You're the ones that decided to live in a disaster prone area...so don't try and tell me how to be responsible! You've rolled the dice and decided to play the game. Don't come to this Blackjack game of life, have a "15" sitting in front of you vs. the dealer's "King" showing and tell me you want to pull your bet back. You play the hand you're dealt.
See you on the high ground folks...and for those that are in Rita's path....best of luck. You're already in the Major household's thoughts and prayers.
MajorDad1984
Update and response to comments:
I understand your logic about evacking the folks closest to the landfall....but it just seems that if you clear the path early, then you can get those closest to landfall out faster...and prepare them better to get out.
Probably a thousand of good ways of doing this...unfortunately it takes a great deal of cooperation from a society that seems to be pretty much stuck on "me."
I'll be blogging about that a little later tonight....
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:12 AM | Comments (4)
September 20, 2005
Is the News that Slow Today?
This is an amazing story being run in something called a "science" website?
Hurricane Center may run out of names
Allow me to issue an "Honore" like response....
Now damn it folks, let's not get stuck on stupid! You pin-headed weather boys better get your heads out of rectal defilade...and do it fast.This is what we're going to do. Once you run through the 24 names those sorry sacks of....nevermind...at the UN done gave you....we'll start with a list of male names starting with "A." Are we clear? I didn't "heeeaaaar" you!
Good! Now let's get some gumbo, red beans and rice. We've got a hurricane to plan for.
That is all!
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 10:51 PM | Comments (4)
September 19, 2005
New Security Measures at Cursed by a Classical Eduction
Okay, kids. Most of you that come here may run blogs of your own. If you do, you've probably noticed quite a bit of comment spam over the past week. I'm not talking about a few here or there, I'm talking about hundreds of spam comments AND trackbacks a day. Even as good as Movable Type is, it's still a royal pain to go through and get rid of this stuff. It's also starting to place a lot of useless traffic on our blog servers, slowing the whold show down.
Let's get a comment policy straight here right now...
1. The only reason I'd ever delete a post is if it contained classified information that I knew to be classified, contained inflammatory speech, advocted armed insurrection against the government, assasination of public officials or the like. Foul language (see George Carlin for a starting point on the words I won't accept here) will be toned down. If it starts taking too much time...I'll send you an email and ask you to try it again....this time for your grandmother.
2. I've cranked up the "junk" settings to the comments and trackbacks. Let's open things back up the way they were before and see what happens. I may have to shut the gates again though.
3. If you choose to post anonymously, your post will go into a pending "box" waiting for me to log in and review the posts. Sorry, but unless you want to read countless comments on online casinos, texas hold-em poker, etc...that's the way it has to be.
4. The highly recommended method of posting is through the use of the TypeKey system. TypeKey works very well with my software here, MovableType. It will create a profile that is recognized by the thousands of other blogs out there powered by MovableType. Your posts will appear on Cursed by a Classical Education immediately upon posting.
If you want, you can go to TypeKey and register today for your username and password.
Thanks for understanding!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 09:10 PM | Comments (0)
We're Burning British Army Rations???
Picked up this little gem over on the DrudgeReport.
Apparently our British allies have ponied up tons of British Army rations to help sustain the survivors of Hurricane Katrina. And we're planning on burning them as "not fit for human consumption."
I'm here to tell you folks, them's good eatin's unless they've changed the menu in 14 years. During Desert Storm in our little tent city out in the middle of nowhere (depending on who you asked, it was either southern Iraq or northern Saudi Arabia) we had some British artillerymen as our neighbors. When the war headed north, so did they...leaving behind a case of their rations.
As we Americans had opted for tear open packets containing inedible food sometime in the early 1980s...the skill and know-ho to get into a can of food was lost on the younger soldiers that found these rations. My trusty noncommissioned officer, SGT B assured the soldiers that he and the Captain would take care of the rations. And take care of them we did. Being pretty young old soldiers, we knew the business end of the "P-38" can opener that was right in the middle of the case of food. A folding can opener...it's not intuitively obvious how to work it unless a grizzled old vet teaches you. SGT B and I had this down having been weaned on C-rations...the earlier version of the American military's field chow.
Suffice it to say, we were able to get the cans open (in record time I'll add) and enjoyed something different for a few evenings. While it might have been on the mean side of us not to share...we had our own vendetta against the "rookies." They'd been stealing the good MRE meals while B and I slept. Before we started to eat the British rations, B and I took a vote. Wound up being 2-0 against! Surprised?
See you on the high ground...and thanks for listening to one of my war stories.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 08:56 PM | Comments (0)
I be needin' t' wish you all a Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day!
Well folks, it almost got away from me again this year...but have a Happy Talk Like a Pirate Day anyway.
The Ultimate Talk Like a Pirate Day Link
See you on t' high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:59 PM | Comments (0)
Attention this is a Test...it's only a Test
Oh boy, this is a fun one! I urge you all to give it a try! Ladies, make sure you take the right test! As always, post your results in the form of a comment. I'm sure we'd all like to know who we're dealing with here!
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
| John Wayne You scored 52% Tough, 14% Roguish, 9% Friendly, and 23% Charming! |
|
You, my friend, are a man's man, the original true grit, one tough
talking, swaggering son of a bitch. You're not a bad guy, on the
contrary, you're the ultimate good guy, but you're one tough character,
rough and tumble, ready for anything. You call the shots and go your
own way, and if some screwy dame is willing to accept your terms,
that's just fine by you. Otherwise, you'll just hit the open trail and
stay true to yourself. You stand up for what you believe and can handle
any situation, usually by rushing into the thick of the action. You're
not polished and you're not overly warm, but you're a straight shooter
and a real stand up guy. Co-stars include Lauren Bacall and Maureen
O'Hara, tough broads who can take care of themselves.
Find out what kind of classic dame you'd make by taking the Classic Dames Test. |
 |
My test tracked 4 variables How you compared to other people your age and gender:
|
| Link: The Classic Leading Man Test written by gidgetgoes on Ok Cupid |
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:18 PM | Comments (3)
September 18, 2005
Posse Comitatus a Thing of the Past?
In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, it appears that there's a move afoot to throw the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 out with the floodwaters. In my not so humble opinion, this is a mistake...and a very big one at that!
With a hat tip to Breitbart.com for this story, you can get a little more background about what the intent is going to be.
In a nutshell, the intent is to allow the federal military forces of the United States to engage in law enforcement operations within the borders of the US in response to natural disasters or civil unrest.
This is one of those issues where I think people want to have things both ways. First, Americans have long since avoided having large, standing armies in time of peace. There's a good reason for that if you're a student of history, if you're not I'd recommend you take a look at the circumstances that led up to the Revolutionary War. It will give you the understanding of why we are so much different from our British brethren. On the other hand, we as a people seem to realize and cherish the capabilities of those that serve us in uniform. We know that when the going gets tough...the tough stand ready to do dangerous and unpleasant jobs...and they get the job done very well. If you don't believe me, read the accounts of the yeoman's work LTG Honoré is doing in the Gulf Coast region.
In addition to the legal impacts of changing the way the military interacts with civilian law enforcement within the United States, I think it's important to look at readiness of the force. To quote Rush Limbaugh, "the job of the military is to kill people and break things." Now we all know that Rush tends to exaggerate to get his point across, but when you boil it down, he’s right. Add to that the words of General of the Armies Douglas MacArthur in his final address to the Corps of Cadets at West Point. In 1962 he said,
“And through all this welter of change and development, your mission remains fixed, determined, inviolable - it is to win our wars. Everything else in your professional career is but corollary to this vital dedication.”
The confusion caused by placing military men and women into what boils down to humanitarian aid missions takes away from their capability to fight and win our wars. I’m not making this up. Having spoken with a fair number of young officers with experience in Bosnia and Kosovo, the effect of being placed in the position as peacekeepers dulls a unit’s ability to conduct combat operations. While the military by nature is a flexible and adaptable entity, it takes time to transition from one role to another. The young officers I spoke with said that it took almost a year to be able to pick up one set of rules and transition to another. I’m puzzled as to why local and state law enforcement agencies proved to be incapable to handle the situation in the Gulf Coast states without the intervention of the active military forces.
Now don’t get me wrong, I believe that the military has equipment that should be made available to answer the call when it come to supporting responses to disasters like Katrina. It’s not mystery that if I can call what equates to a satellite-based cell phone and talk to a buddy in Baghdad, that we have some pretty awesome communications equipment that most fire/police/rescue departments don’t have. The military has a tremendous amount of airlift capability in terms of helicopters that the states and local communities don’t. The military have unbelievable assets in terms of intelligence gathering gear that can help located those stranded by floodwaters. However, they should operate in a supporting role to those “first responders” at the state and local levels. There’s something very foreign seeing armed American military patrolling streets of our cities.
Let’s not confuse the issue with the military and our domestic law enforcement agencies. Both entities have their own missions; I think that we should concentrate on having them handle their own situations.
Response to terrorist attacks with WMDs is a completely different story and the military must play a large role in this circumstance.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 09:37 AM | Comments (6)
September 17, 2005
My Goodness...Lookie what I've found! Is this something Sandy Berger got out of the archives?
Note: This was NOT enhanced with Photoshop (I used Macromedia's Fireworks.) First, I can't afford Photoshop. Two, if it was, it would be much easier to read.
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 11:49 AM | Comments (2)
Homespun Blogger Symposium XXXIII
And here's my response to the Homespun Blogger Symposium XXXIII that asked:
How do "we" eliminate the "deep, persistent poverty having roots in racial discrimination" such as we've seen in the Gulf Coast region over the past three weeks?This is a pretty open-ended question...feel free to answer completely.
Well, you know that I often use movie quotations to help me get my point across...here's my first quotation from "The Natural." "Losing is a disease." I'll change it to fit my purpose by saying "Poverty is a disease." I'm 43 years old and I've lived through the Democrat driven "Great Society" along with all the other programs that “compassionate” politicians have put into place in waging war on poverty.
Folks, let's be honest with ourselves, we've tried to fix a problem by simply throwing money at it. It hasn't worked...and it won't. Treating the symptoms is a very ineffective way of treating a disease. We need to delve deeper and see what the root cause of such abject poverty is in this great country.
I would have to say that the last 25 years that I've been voting and paying attention to things around me.that poverty tends to be a generation-to-generation legacy. True, there are examples everywhere you look of people that have escaped poverty only to thrive and prosper, but unfortunately it would appear that they are the exception rather than the rule. What is the cause of this cycle? I have to say that it's a belief in the self-fulfilling prophesies espoused by people like the Reverends Jessie Jackson and Al Sharpton along with others like Louis Farrakhan, Kanye West, and a host of others. My question for these "advocates" would be...what are YOU doing to try and change things?
Bill Cosby recently has come under fire as he's proposed a solution that comes from within, rather than Washington or state/local levels. He's challenged parents and students to take a close look at themselves and to make some changes in overall behaviors and attitudes that might be a large part of the problem. What's wrong about challenging parents to become more interested and involved in their children’s' education? What's wrong with addressing the fact that far too many teenagers are becoming parents themselves? What's wrong with exercising a little self discipline about spending discretionary dollars on things that will help lift a family out of poverty rather than just entertain them for a short period? (Buying beers in Houston strip joints or $800 Louis Vuitton purses with a Red Cross/FEMA debit card comes to mind.)
I think Mr. Cosby has very good points and let me add my spin to what he’s saying. Whether you are a poor, inner city black child, a poor rural white child wearing your brother/sister’s “hand me downs,” or a son or daughter of a hard working legal immigrant to this country…you have to be able to believe that this country will allow you and encourage you to reach for your dreams. There are too many role models out there for you to admire and emulate. You have former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and Secretary of State Colin Powell, the current Secretary of State Condi Rice, US Attorney General – Alberto Gonzales, and countless others that have reached for their dreams and probably exceeded their own expectations. They did this because they believed in three things.
First, they realized that they were living in the greatest nation on the face of the planet and the opportunity was there for them to dream big dreams…and make them a reality.
Second, they believed in themselves and that they weren’t inferior because of the home they were born in. They chose to rise above their starting point in life and through hard work and study, achieved the results they have.
Third, they realized at an early age that to get anywhere in this world, you have to have a good education. It’s not necessary to attend Harvard and Yale to get ahead in this country…but if that’s where you think you want to go to college, there’s no reason to pull it off the list. In this country, the old saying “where there’s a will, there’s a way” couldn’t be more true. Having an education under your belt is going to put you head and shoulders above those that chose a less challenging career path. It’s interesting to note that those that get the benefit of the bully pulpit in Hollywood for the most part aren’t college graduates. I find it interesting that when Bill Cosby, Temple University graduate, comes out and takes a stand against poverty he’s laughed off the stage and ridiculed. Hmmm…what does he know that you don’t you Hollywood elitists with a 12th grade education? Probably a good deal!
Folks, I know it might sound like I'm getting down on African-Americans...I'm not. As I’ve said in previous posts, I’m an equal opportunity bigot when it comes to people that refuse to take a good deal and say “thank you.” I tend to believe that those people are simply ignorant of the benefits that are out there if they just choose to do the right and smart thing. I'm just pointing out that there are certain actions and attitudes that will consistently keep "a people" down...no matter what the color of their skin or national origin. There are plenty of white, Hispanic, and other races/origins that have also done a great job in keeping themselves down. Fortunately, they have less vocal advocates “stating their case.”
If you don’t believe me, go check out some areas of the rural South where generations upon generations have decided that a career in the local mill is about as good as it’s going to get for them…and that’s the life they’ve chosen. There are Hispanics that may not have the best grasp of the English language due to a number of reasons that find themselves members of an under-class of laborers that work in hotels, restaurants, and do landscaping work. There’s more in them than that….but they haven’t taken advantage of all the opportunities available. To me, that’s like walking past a $20 bill lying on the sidewalk.
In summing this all up, if we want to break the cycle of poverty in this nation (and I don’t believe that it’s due to racial discrimination) we as a people (white, black, brown, red, yellow, olive, etc) need to do a few things….
1. Instill in our children the love of learning. We do this by taking an interest in their school work and encouraging them to read. I attribute a huge amount of my success to my parents that indulged me with trips to the library and filled my bookshelves as a child. If you cannot afford to put the books on the shelf, a library is almost always there. (You can thank an immigrant, Andrew Carnegie for this American phenomenon!) For those parents that might not have as much education as they’d like, you might even want to take this challenge up yourself. Spend a few hours an evening with your nose in a good book rather than in front of the television! You’ll be a better role model for your kids too!
2. Teach our children the value of honest, hard work. It’s tough to do this at times when our children see the professional athletes making more in a season than most Americans do in 30 years of work…or when you hear of the latest Hollywood darling pulling in 8 million for a single role in a film, but it has to be there. Starting by having children help around the house in exchange for an allowance isn’t such a bad idea. When they’re old enough to take part time work for neighbors and businesses downtown, encourage them to work for their own “pocket money.” This is also the time where you teach them to balance work and recreational time!
3. Encourage children to save and invest a portion of their money for the future. This is a VERY hard thing to teach a child…and it’s pretty tough to do it for an adult too! If you’re Bible believer, 10% goes to God. As a responsible human being, the next 10% should go to your own future. That leaves 80% for you, your family, and the governments at all levels. If more people took care of their own needs, that tax burden would drop drastically.
I’ve rambled on here for well over a thousand words, but I thought that this was an important enough topic to spend them on. I'll be interested in hearing your opinions and recommendations on this topic.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Thoughts from other Homespun Bloggers
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 09:59 AM | Comments (1)
September 15, 2005
Mr. DeLay Thinks He's Found the Beef!
Oh boy...this story in the Washington Times got me going. If you haven't heard about it, Mr. Tom DeLay (R-TX) seems to think that the federal government has tightened it's belt down so tight that we don't have any fat in our budget or bureaucracy.
Without getting into any detail, as I tend to enjoy my job, I have been witnessing waste for nearly 25 years now. It's not just the Army, it's not just FEMA, or any number of agencies...it's pervasive throughout the government. Is it done out of maliciousness? Probably not, but it's happening every day in every state and overseas as well.
Once again, I'll invoke some things called laws, rules and a little self-discipline.
Leaders and managers throughout the federal government need to take a very hard look in the mirror and at the people they have in their organizations spending the money. Then and only then will I be convinced that we've actually cut any fat out of our bloated system. (Let's not get me started on the $2000 debit cards....)
See you on the high ground...
MajorDad1984
IMHOTEP:
The rate of per diem is relatively fair, but I think there are ways to certainly cut the expenses even if it is by a small amount. I think that the government (all types) would do well if people were allowed to shop around of for "deals" on lodging/rental cars...and share in the savings. The military has a program for moving from place to place called the "DITY" move which basically equates to a "do it yourself move" where the servicemember shares in the saving between what the government would normally pay to move them...and the rate that they've been able to negotiate.
There's no reason to stay in the Crowne Plaze when a Holiday Inn Express will do.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 09:15 PM | Comments (4)
Hate Crimes Definition Expanded
Well, color me ignorant, but will someone tell me why we have to differentiate between "hate crimes" and....are they "love crimes?" (FoxNews gets credit for the background here...)
Crime is crime folks. It doesn't matter who is the criminal and who is the victim. A gay man killed by a straight one isn't any less dead than a straight victim of a straight murderer. A man raped by another man is every bit as violated as a woman. A man that is beaten by a woman is no less black and blue than a woman beaten by a man. Crime is crime! If you do it, you'll do the time!
Let's get tough on crime on the whole and not mince words about the motivation behind a crime. It really doesn't matter. I understand that people will likely find this idea uncompassionate, but I maintain that by enforcing the laws currently on the books (yes, even those before the current "hate crimes" definitions) as ruthlessly as possible.
We have to face the fact that there are some criminals and thugs that have no hope of rehabilitation. We as a society have to figure out what to do with these career miscreants...and then put the plans into motion.
As a Texan, I've heard a number of horror stories of evacuees spending several days in the SuperDome in New Orleans. There are stories of bands of gangs brutalizing, raping, and murdering their fellow refugees. For what? There was so very little there to gain. The rapes of children in that structure...have so scarred the witnesses that they may never recover. If we're not going to put any animals that would do something so heinous to death...we certainly need to figure out how they'll never be able to affect our law abiding society. The minute they've committed any of these terrible acts, they have given up any rights, privileges and benefits we enjoy as members of a civilized society.
Continuing to make excuses for absolutely abhorrent behavior for social or economic reasons is ridiculous. By feeling any sadness or sorrow for these criminals is nothing short of co-dependent behavior on our part.
See you on the high ground folks!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 08:20 PM | Comments (0)
September 14, 2005
Mr. Roberts and Senate Confirmation Hearings
I know I say it far too much here but, WOW! Where do some of these senators get off?
Here's a collection of audio clips from the National Public Radio site. I haven't taken the time to listen to them all, but I'm hoping that they're indicative of the silly questions posed to Mr. Roberts.
My indignation of the day is about the question of Mr. Roberts qualifications to be the Chief Justice of our Supreme Court...and that since he's lead such a privileged life, he's not qualified to serve.
I've never had cancer, but that doesn't prevent me from donating to the American Cancer Society. I've never been a hurricane victim (outside of having to clean up my yard after one went through in Florida while I was vacationing elsewhere) but I can still feel compassion for those displaced by Katrina. I've never done many things that I intend to do over the next 60 years I've got left on this planet, but that doesn't automatically disqualify me from doing them and excelling.
If privilege and prior accomplishments are going to become a measuring stick for our federal officials, I would hope that the electorate would apply it equally across the board. I'd dearly love to know what kind of adversity Ted Kennedy's known. Has there ever been a time where he couldn't afford his posh digs in Massachusetts AND Florida? Sorry, but if there ever was a politician in Washington that grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, he'd have to be the leader. Kerry's not far behind, but he earned his money the old-fashioned way...he married it.
Folks...it's about potential. That's what it's about for us all. Wouldn't the world it be a boring place if we stopped learning and challenging ourselves?
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:28 AM | Comments (0)
Remembering 9/11/2001
While I haven't posted anything regarding the recent fourth anniversary of the cowardly attacks on our nation, it doesn't mean that it hasn't been on my mind.
I just got done viewing a tribute that Holly Aho, one of the Soldiers' Angels volunteer leaders, created and is sharing with visitors to her site. Hat tip to Holly on this one...and AMAZING work.
If there's any doubt why we're doing what we are around the world, take 6 minutes from your busy lives or your lives of leisure to view it. If you think that we should allow people that would do this or worse to our countrymen or our allies to operate freely and without any type of punishment, then I highly recommend that you apply for a visa somewhere else.
Holly Aho's Never Forget
This old soldier promises not to do that.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 06:22 AM | Comments (1)
September 12, 2005
Kanye feel the love???
Well, since Kanye West exercised his right to free speech, albeit inappropriate in the minds of most people, I suppose that there are those that have lined up to criticize. Allow me to introduce this report from Usher I found at ContactMusic.com.
Apparently Usher, a colleauge of Mr. West's in the music industry, has taken a counter stand to West's rant with Mike Myers last week during a fund raising telethon. Actually, I guess he's a little upset that West decided to use the platform intended to raise money for hurrican victims as his own to attack a president.
"This is an opportunity where we all need to come together - musicians, actors, politicians - and help the (American) Gulf region."
Amen and pass the collection plate, Usher.
See you on the high ground.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:11 AM | Comments (1)
September 11, 2005
Reflections on Katrina
Here are just a few thoughts about Hurricane Katrina and the aftermath that continues...
1. This echoes and confirms my belief that far too many Americans have turned to government to solve their problems rather than be self-reliant and solve them on their own. "If government (local, state or federal) is the answer..then it must have been a pretty silly question."
2. Pulling a line from a recent "Sopranos" re-run, it's rarely wrong decisions that lose wars, but rather indecision. The local/state leadership of the Gulf Coast (but not the entire Gulf Coast) made/put off some decisions that had monumental impacts, that needlessly endangered tens of thousands of their citizens AND cost the lives of hundred lost, still uncounted.
3. Politics played a huge role in the reactions to dealing with "the aftermath." It would have been very easy for the Executive Branch to have usurped the rights and responsibilities of the governors and mayors of the major cities effected by Katrina, but it would also be borderline illegal. We need to learn from history, anyone hear about the Civil War? The major grievance of the Confederacy was that the federal government had become too overbearing...and involved in local/state issues. Not that this would touch off a second civil war, but it would have drawn in the question of a federal government going too far.
4. The media has made @sses of themselves over the past several weeks to voice their opinions. There's a huge difference between a factual news report and one that is filled with passion and personal commentary. I applaud the media for having the guts to go into New Orleans to document what's happening, but they need to leave their opinions at the door UNLESS we're going to get disclaimers that the the reports contain a combination of news and OPINIONS. It's not the Fox Opinion Network...or the Cable Opinion Network. I expect news...
That's it for now...
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 08:00 AM | Comments (7)
September 07, 2005
Blogosphere Generosity
Hey folks...just a quick announcement here.
If you decided to make a donation to the Katrina relief effort, based on what you might have seen here...take a quick spin over to The Truth Laid Bear to log your donation. Not that it makes a big difference, but I think the numbers they're putting up there with just a five day effort are pretty damned impressive.
As of tonight, they're claiming over $1.3 million dollars raised since last Thursday. That's a bunch of diapers, fuel, clothing and what not that the evacuees can put to good use.
Thanks again for your generosity and making me feel proud to be an American!
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 11:01 PM | Comments (1)
September 06, 2005
And now, The Polls
Surfing a bit this morning...and came across this set of polls over at ABC.com. Pretty interesting results...Bush fared much better than I would have thought.
For those of you out there that still want to sling mud his way, you should probably pull out an old civics book to figure out who does what, to whom from the local to the federal levels of government. There's a reason that the federal government serves in an advisory role, until asked to step in. If you wonder why that is, think back around 140 years. Ding, Ding, Ding. If you said the Civil War...you're right!
Municipalities and state governments have primary responsibility for their citizens for ALL things not mentioned in the Constitution. Mr. Bush can hardly be held responsible for the lack of planning, pre-positioning of supplies, or mobilizing transportation assets that could have ready for support.
See you on the high ground.
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:30 AM | Comments (1)
Thank You, Thank You, Thank You!
Did I forget to thank you, my fellow bloggers and my fellow readers?
As conditions deteriorated in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast last week, the good folks at the Truth Laid Bear mobilized the blogosphere. In calling for donations from the millions of readers, here are some preliminary results of their efforts:
Hurricane Katrina: Blog for Relief Weekend Thursday, September 1 - Monday, September 5 A weekend of blogging focused on raising awareness of and funds for relief efforts to aid those affected by Hurricane Katrina. See here for more information.Update 9/4: See here for information about new mailing lists created to facilitate communication and coordination between web-based Katrina Relief projects.
$ 1,119,099 in contributions so far
1,801 blogs participating
288 charities recommended
Now how cool is that? A couple of bloggers put their heads together, snapped their fingers, and we've raised over $1 million simoleons. While it's a small sum of money when compared to the total cost of this disaster, it certainly will help the hundreds of thousands of residents that now find themselves homeless and in need of assistance.
If anyone has any doubt about the generosity of the average American citizen, wonder no more! The figures above represent just a drop in the bucket of what we've collected so far...and what we'll donate as a nation.
See you on the high ground!
MajorDad1984
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:09 AM | Comments (0)
September 03, 2005
Houston Astrodome - Update
Hey...David Frey sent me an email with photos and commentary about what's going on in the Houston Astrodome complex...sounds like things are starting to level out.
NOTE: This is not paid for advertising...look at the pictures, read his words, look at his products if you like. I can't speak to how good or bad they might be though.
See you on the high ground.
MajorDad1984 (12 hours into his Lent in September. Non-smoker for 12 hours...I wanna kill something!)
UPDATE #2: Greyhawk over at the Mudville Gazette has some information about the actual New Orleans Hurrican Evacuation plans. A plan is only as good as the way it's executed....
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 07:52 AM | Comments (4)
September 02, 2005
I'm a Bigot...I HATE INCOMPETENCE
Today I heard the Mayor of New Orleans shooting his mouth off (granted, he's been under a great deal of pressure...but still) about how "the government" has handled this disaster so badly. See the picture above? I got tired of counting busses, but I'd bet a dollar to a donut, those might have come in pretty handy from the minute that the National Weather Service predicted that New Orleans was in the path of Katrina until several hours before it hit. How many round trips could I have made to Baton Rouge with them? Probably enough to get EVERYONE out of the city.
When do we start debating the meaning of the word "MANDATORY" when it comes to public safety? Hell, if I don't cut my grass often enough the little tinhorn code enforcement jerks seem to want to ticket me (okay...I'm not talking about me...how about a neighbor?.
Mayor Nagin...this is just one rock I could find to pick up and toss your way. Sure, the federal government could have easily picked up the phone and started calling the shots, but you and your governor have a responsibility to your citizens as well. You're in charge of your city, the governor's in charge of the state (and holds the power over the National Guard to boot).
Before you get all high and mighty with the President of the United States, you best have your ducks in order...or run the risk of having to answer the tough questions that are sure to be coming next time an election's being held. I highly recommend that you get a copy of Leadership by Rudolph W. Giuliani. You might want to get a copy for Ms. Blanco as well. You could both learn a great deal from it.
UPDATE
Here's the text of Mr. Nagin's interview. Note his request for 500 busses and mobilizing the Greyhound Bus line fleet. Had he been thinking, he wouldn't have had to ask for this kind of help. See photo above.
Now that my rant's over...the rest of you....FALL IN!
Charitable organizations need your help still. Yes, that means money folks. The charity of choice here at Cursed by a Classical Education is the Salvation Army, but it's in no way the only bunch of folks that could use your donations.UPDATE: From The Truth Laid Bear...blog support for Katrina's not only a yesterday thing...but a Labor Day Weekend Marathon Blogathon! Get those credit cards melting!!! This truly is a good cause.The Indepundit aka LT Smash is sharing a great idea over at his website. You've heard of Christmas in July? Time for Lent in September....for the next 40 days, do what you can to drop a luxury that's not going to be available for the folks displaced by the hurricane. If it's smoking, quit. If you drink double chocolate vanilla frapacino's at Starbucks...stop for 40 days and put that money in a jelly jar. At the end of 40 days, write your charity of choice a donation (if you're really good, you'll write the check today). It's a helluva an idea (even if he is a Navy guy.)
Now you sons of guns, you know how I feel.
Dismissed...and see you on the high ground.
Crystal wanted to chastise me...and here's my response
I'll try and be gentle here, but your impression of Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco are seen through rose colored glasses. The federal government isn't the "end all, be all" solution no matter. State and local governments exist to provide for the needs of people not spelled out in the Constitution. (Remember your civics training...that which is NOT in the Constitution is left to the states.) That's what caused the Civil War...a perception of a federal government encroaching upon the rights of the states.
Crystal, New Orleans may be a relatively poor city from a socio-economic standpoint, but I'm quite sure that Mayor Nagin would have been able to fuel those busses at least once (weren't they already full to take the little NO children to school on Monday morning?) and get them out of harm's way. Once out of the city, they could have been important assets to go back in and start shuttling survivors out.
I don't understand your comment about party lines. While it's true that Nagin and Blanco are both Democrats, that in and of itself doesn't make them weak leaders. It means that they were both electable. You and others make it sound like I'm playing a race card of sorts, nothing could be further from the truth. While Mr. Nagin is black...Ms. Blanco is white. I told you...when it comes to incompetence, I'm an equal opportunity bigot.
Yes, you are correct. This whole response looks like a monkey-screw, but if people want to point fingers...let's start where the rubber met the road and where the first bad decisions were made.
Using a baseball analogy, this is like trying to blame a relief pitcher coming into the 9th innning 5 runs down and then giving up two more. He was just there to try and clean up the mess...that's what the Bush Administration's doing. (Except for FEMA...they definitely had their heads up their @sses on this one.)
As much as I hate to say it, some of this might be blamed on the fact that this whole wooly booger started over a weekend.
Posted by MajorDad1984 at 05:28 PM | Comments (16)
