Thanksgiving is over and the Christmas season is on us. It's amazing how in no time flat we went from zero to shopping. Stores opened on Black Friday as early as 0400 local time and my seventeen year old kid had to be at work at 0630. She personally made over 13K at the register of the little specialty store she works at. She personally saw the lines of people who literally camped out at WalMart (across the street) in freezing weather to catch the 0500 sale. And all the while, the background music was playing "Here comes Santa Clause". Oh what a world we live in.
I'm not complaining mind you. It's been that way longer than I have been alive. But, every year I react differently. This year I am leaning more toward trying to demonstrate that Christmas can be about peace, love, family, and celebration without going into debt.
I seriously would like for everyone who reads this to please contact your local Marine Corps Reserve Unit and ask how you can help with the Toy's for Tots program. In a nutshell, T4T is a program designed to help kids. It doesn't matter your views on poor folks/welfare/poverty or Republican/Democrat. It doesn't matter if you believe that folks make thier own situation or not. Not one kid I've ever met chose to be poor enough that Mom and Dad could not buy a toy for Christmas.
There are going to be some readers who will say that any charity program is a scam. I tend to agree in a lot of cases. But, during my career in the Marines, I personally worked on Toy drives a total of six times. As the Active Duty personnel assigned to keep the reserve center moving and grooving, it was one of our highlights. In this case the work was tough, but the reward came when we actually handed out the toys. So, even if the program has or had issues at the national level, I can personally vouch for it at the local level.
So, here is your mission...... Locate, Close With, and Acquire as many new, unwrapped, unopened toys as you can and get with the Marines in your area to help make Christmas a brighter time one kid at a time.
Semper Fi,
Top
Marines Marine+Corps+Reserve Toys+For+Tots Christmas
A look at politics and the American condition from the point of view of a middle class working guy who doesn't subscribe to slogans or labels (much).
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Fifteen Minutes on Veterans Day
Andy Warhol I think is the one who said that everyone would be famous for about fifteen minutes. I think I am up to minute two.
Shameless Plug........... And I got a letter of commendation from a city council member for it as well. As today is Veterans Day I thought it would be appropriate.
Salutes to all. If you served then you get my thanks because you paved the way for my success. Life is sometimes hard and you physically took the brunt of it when I was a little kid.
IF you are the family member of one who served then you get my thanks for tolerating the unique stresses that accompany being in that position. I know that I could not have done what had to be done without my wife, parents, and kids being as strong as they were.
It is tough in these days to observe and no longer be a participant. Guess I need classes on aging gracefully.
Shameless Plug........... And I got a letter of commendation from a city council member for it as well. As today is Veterans Day I thought it would be appropriate.
Salutes to all. If you served then you get my thanks because you paved the way for my success. Life is sometimes hard and you physically took the brunt of it when I was a little kid.
IF you are the family member of one who served then you get my thanks for tolerating the unique stresses that accompany being in that position. I know that I could not have done what had to be done without my wife, parents, and kids being as strong as they were.
It is tough in these days to observe and no longer be a participant. Guess I need classes on aging gracefully.
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Awesome Weekend
Last Weekend was awesome...... So awesome that I just haven't been able to blog it until now.
For starters, a two day weekend is a rarity for me. I had two whole days and so we drove six hours to the Texas State Fair in Dallas. I always like fairs for the food and the displays. I am not big on rides that get put up and taken down a lot. For rides I will hit DizzyLand or SixFlags etc.
I love checking out the vendors. You get to see the weirdest gadgets. The venerable super chamois is still selling on the fair. The Oklahoma State Fair (1983) is where I got the Ginzu knives still in use. This year we saw the incredible home sushi maker, the rubber broom, t-shirts galore, three different types of miracle car wax, and let's not forget there was also the wear-ever cook wear.
No fair is complete without exhibitions of every type. There is the midway exhibitions of the two headed croc, the seven foot tall amazon, the dwarf bearded female etc. Then of course there was livestock, art, music, etc.
We missed performances by the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps by one day. But, we saw the North Texas Caledonian Pipes & Drums. Awesome.
After a full day at the fair we needed a place to stay. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. This is a great hotel. Even greater was we followed William Shatners advice and named our price. The deal was so sweet that I am afraid to tell it. Oh hell. We got the room for seventy bux and normally goes for between one and two hundred a night depending on specific days.
Capping it off was visiting with my wife's brother and seeing nieces and nephews that we haven't seen in years. We drank some beer, ate dinners at Mimis, and caught up on current events. The Jambalaya was awesome and the bread was in my daughters words "to die for".
Now I have to find something this weekend to top all that. Stay tuned.
weekend texas+state+fair mimis+cafe
For starters, a two day weekend is a rarity for me. I had two whole days and so we drove six hours to the Texas State Fair in Dallas. I always like fairs for the food and the displays. I am not big on rides that get put up and taken down a lot. For rides I will hit DizzyLand or SixFlags etc.
I love checking out the vendors. You get to see the weirdest gadgets. The venerable super chamois is still selling on the fair. The Oklahoma State Fair (1983) is where I got the Ginzu knives still in use. This year we saw the incredible home sushi maker, the rubber broom, t-shirts galore, three different types of miracle car wax, and let's not forget there was also the wear-ever cook wear.
No fair is complete without exhibitions of every type. There is the midway exhibitions of the two headed croc, the seven foot tall amazon, the dwarf bearded female etc. Then of course there was livestock, art, music, etc.
We missed performances by the Marine Corps Drum and Bugle Corps by one day. But, we saw the North Texas Caledonian Pipes & Drums. Awesome.
After a full day at the fair we needed a place to stay. We stayed at the Hyatt Regency in Dallas. This is a great hotel. Even greater was we followed William Shatners advice and named our price. The deal was so sweet that I am afraid to tell it. Oh hell. We got the room for seventy bux and normally goes for between one and two hundred a night depending on specific days.
Capping it off was visiting with my wife's brother and seeing nieces and nephews that we haven't seen in years. We drank some beer, ate dinners at Mimis, and caught up on current events. The Jambalaya was awesome and the bread was in my daughters words "to die for".
Now I have to find something this weekend to top all that. Stay tuned.
weekend texas+state+fair mimis+cafe
Sunday, September 02, 2007
Politics Burnout
My problem with politics as a whole is that none of them live up to what I was taught a leader is. Most of y'all are older than I am by a minute or two and so you have more life experience. Me, I was a military brat and then in the service my entire adult life. Hell I've only been a civilian for a couple-three years now. So, I still judge the world by a really uncompromising set of standards.
To put a point to it, none of the likely candidates for President measure up. As usual, I am settling for the lesser of X number of unworthies.
Our system of government isn't perfect. And, the only office that could possibly elect a statesman vice a pol is the Presidency. If you elect a statesman to Congress he or she will be buried under the crapola and unable to be effective.
Take Ron Paul for example. He appears to be the exception that proves the above paragraph true. I haven't researched him in depth yet but from what I have noticed he seems to be a constitutional conservative He acts according to the Constitution. I mean, he actually says "There is nothing in the Constitution that allows (fill in the blank). Frankly I am surprised that he keeps getting reelected.
I think GWB would actually be less popular with Republicans if 911 had not occurred. His domestic policies are far too moderate to sit well with the conservative middle. But, in his defense, he never said he was a hard right conservative. He always said what he intended to do, and he did it. But, his forthright statements were lost in the war.
He never asserted that closing the borders was his idea of good action. He has always supported NAFTA on the grounds that it did the most good for all. He has ALWAYS tried to include the other side (except where the opposition was intractable, CIP
: Iraq) as a major part of the team. He ran on that platform if we take the time to remember clearly.
The fact is that the winner of the 00 election would have been reviled and hated no matter who was sworn in. Had Gore been selected, the republicans would have eviscerated him. And just like the liberal left and democrats in general, the republicans would have balked, stalled, lied, cheated, and otherwise been as obstructionist as possible. In the intervening years has anyone noticed that with all the hatred we never really reformed the election process to avoid a repeat?
I'm glad that folks are passionate about the politics of the USA. But frankly, I am getting bored since it isn't anything new, original, or unique. Same ol Same ol.
To put a point to it, none of the likely candidates for President measure up. As usual, I am settling for the lesser of X number of unworthies.
Our system of government isn't perfect. And, the only office that could possibly elect a statesman vice a pol is the Presidency. If you elect a statesman to Congress he or she will be buried under the crapola and unable to be effective.
Take Ron Paul for example. He appears to be the exception that proves the above paragraph true. I haven't researched him in depth yet but from what I have noticed he seems to be a constitutional conservative He acts according to the Constitution. I mean, he actually says "There is nothing in the Constitution that allows (fill in the blank). Frankly I am surprised that he keeps getting reelected.
I think GWB would actually be less popular with Republicans if 911 had not occurred. His domestic policies are far too moderate to sit well with the conservative middle. But, in his defense, he never said he was a hard right conservative. He always said what he intended to do, and he did it. But, his forthright statements were lost in the war.
He never asserted that closing the borders was his idea of good action. He has always supported NAFTA on the grounds that it did the most good for all. He has ALWAYS tried to include the other side (except where the opposition was intractable, CIP
: Iraq) as a major part of the team. He ran on that platform if we take the time to remember clearly.
The fact is that the winner of the 00 election would have been reviled and hated no matter who was sworn in. Had Gore been selected, the republicans would have eviscerated him. And just like the liberal left and democrats in general, the republicans would have balked, stalled, lied, cheated, and otherwise been as obstructionist as possible. In the intervening years has anyone noticed that with all the hatred we never really reformed the election process to avoid a repeat?
I'm glad that folks are passionate about the politics of the USA. But frankly, I am getting bored since it isn't anything new, original, or unique. Same ol Same ol.
Monday, August 13, 2007
Race/Religious war perpetrated by the government
Ha, bet that headline got your attention didn't it? Well in a roundabout way it is true. Our government at the local, state, and federal level has legislated preferential treatment in such a way that Race and Religion schisms are not mended. Instead they are perpetuated.
I'm still sick of politics in general and so am looking at social issues that ought to be non-partisan. I know it aint as sexy as bashing the crooks and liars on either side that are vying for our attention in one regard and diverting it in others.
Anyway, back to the topic. I am talking primarily about hate crimes and the legislation of same. I understand that some folks think that attacks specifically against gays is somehow worse than a mugging in the park. I cannot agree.
Assault and Battery is A&B no matter who the victim is. A violent attack has always been illegal. And obviously the victim is just as battered. I see the elevation of certain assault crimes to the level of Hate Crimes or even Domestic Terrorism as just another intrusion of the government into society. HCL unfairly elevates certain people or groups above that of society in general. It sends a message that if you are going to beat on someone it better not be anyone who can self-identify with protected label. It's a far reach, theoretically speaking, a smart mugger could simply target young to middle age, heterosexual, nonfat, christian, white males to avoid the penalty enhancement of HCL.
It isn't simply skin color or sex, national origin or sexual identity, age or gender either. There is a religious double standard as well. If you paint a swastika on a synagogue it's very likely that you will be charged with a hate crime instead of simple property damage via malicious vandalism. Dump a Koran in the toilet and you are in the same boat. Race pigs next to a mosque and watch out.
But, amazingly enough when it comes to Christianity we tolerate a lot. Dump a cross into urine and it's art. A moment of silence? It's really church v. state. None of that is a hate crime, instead it is a constitutional issue. Yet, when we accommodate Muslims in our public schools, isn't that exclusion of other faiths and thus, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?
How about burning the Flag? I personally feel victimised every time someone does that. I am a vet. Thus the crime is obviously anti-vet. Again, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?
The above examples are part tongue in cheek and part "Hey! Double Standard Alert!". In truth I see hate crimes as the criminalization of your personal beliefs. If you hate gays, blacks, women, crippled old people, fat people, thin people, kids, vets, hippies, girlymen, Muslims, Jesus freaks, yadablahetc...... then you may be a twisted freak, but you are not a criminal. At least not today. Hate crimes mean that your personal beliefs are now subject to government regulation. It is a short cliff to fall over.
Just think, in twenty years, an anti-terrorist rally could no longer be free speech. Instead it will be illegal to even think such thoughts.
Prosecute the crime, not the thoughts of the criminal.
hate+crime
I'm still sick of politics in general and so am looking at social issues that ought to be non-partisan. I know it aint as sexy as bashing the crooks and liars on either side that are vying for our attention in one regard and diverting it in others.
Anyway, back to the topic. I am talking primarily about hate crimes and the legislation of same. I understand that some folks think that attacks specifically against gays is somehow worse than a mugging in the park. I cannot agree.
Assault and Battery is A&B no matter who the victim is. A violent attack has always been illegal. And obviously the victim is just as battered. I see the elevation of certain assault crimes to the level of Hate Crimes or even Domestic Terrorism as just another intrusion of the government into society. HCL unfairly elevates certain people or groups above that of society in general. It sends a message that if you are going to beat on someone it better not be anyone who can self-identify with protected label. It's a far reach, theoretically speaking, a smart mugger could simply target young to middle age, heterosexual, nonfat, christian, white males to avoid the penalty enhancement of HCL.
It isn't simply skin color or sex, national origin or sexual identity, age or gender either. There is a religious double standard as well. If you paint a swastika on a synagogue it's very likely that you will be charged with a hate crime instead of simple property damage via malicious vandalism. Dump a Koran in the toilet and you are in the same boat. Race pigs next to a mosque and watch out.
But, amazingly enough when it comes to Christianity we tolerate a lot. Dump a cross into urine and it's art. A moment of silence? It's really church v. state. None of that is a hate crime, instead it is a constitutional issue. Yet, when we accommodate Muslims in our public schools, isn't that exclusion of other faiths and thus, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?
How about burning the Flag? I personally feel victimised every time someone does that. I am a vet. Thus the crime is obviously anti-vet. Again, in an admittedly broad interpretation, a hate crime?
The above examples are part tongue in cheek and part "Hey! Double Standard Alert!". In truth I see hate crimes as the criminalization of your personal beliefs. If you hate gays, blacks, women, crippled old people, fat people, thin people, kids, vets, hippies, girlymen, Muslims, Jesus freaks, yadablahetc...... then you may be a twisted freak, but you are not a criminal. At least not today. Hate crimes mean that your personal beliefs are now subject to government regulation. It is a short cliff to fall over.
Just think, in twenty years, an anti-terrorist rally could no longer be free speech. Instead it will be illegal to even think such thoughts.
Prosecute the crime, not the thoughts of the criminal.
hate+crime
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