Musings of the Chronologically Challenged™ Fourth Generation

 
BUSY WEEKEND! LATE BLOG!


>^..^< Jim's Why I Like Cats blog is superlative. Please don't miss it. (Warning: It's a "pro" cat piece. :^)


>^..^< Dave Barry cracks me up! AGAIN!

One big loser in Iowa was Rep. Dick ''Dick'' Gephardt, who did so poorly that he not only dropped out of the Democratic race, but also has renounced his U.S. citizenship.

But the biggest shock was the poor showing of former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who did far worse than expected in Iowa, then gave his now-famous post-caucus speech, in which he sounded as though he'd been gargling with paint thinner, and then, out of nowhere, emitted a scream that was a pitch-perfect imitation of a small-hipped woman giving birth to an upright piano.

It was a heartfelt scream, no question about it, and it has received far more attention in this race than, say, Iraq. But somehow it did not come across as presidential. (``Four score and seven years ago, YEEEAAAAAARGGH.'')


>^..^< From Jarhead: I read this story. As the journalist writes, its very sobering. As I'm reading this story it makes me think of all the men and woman who will be leaving Iraq, or Afghanistan, back to a life that is very much different than when they were home. Here is a short excerpt from the story:

In a cramped room at Camp Falcon in Baghdad, platoon Staff Sgt. Alexander Aguilastratt tells his guys what they already know. “You’ve been close-up with the enemy,” he said. The men nod in agreement. He continued, “You looked him in the eyes and shot him in the head — but you have to turn off the switch when you get back because you’re going to be dealing with American civilians, dealing with families. We can’t be the same killers we’ve been all this time. It’s time for us to go home.” Aguilastratt was speaking from the heart. He knows the cost of war, as do all the eyes upon him.

It's great that the military is providing services to help members get back into the swing of a normal life, not that life will be what it used to. But I also hope the have help for the spouses of these people. They will also have to adjust not only to each other but the the effects war had on their loved one. It will be tough. I hope they can get through it. I hope they can see past the current attitudes and personality and give everyone some adjusting time.


>^..^< "What do you do when you don't have as much of something as you need? One of the things you can do is stretch it out to make it last as long as it can." Thomas Sowell said it. Go here and find out what he meant.


>^..^< Betsy posted: What we should remember about Kerry's post-Vietnam record.
When Mr. Kerry pontificated at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day, a group of veterans turned their backs on him and walked away. They remembered Mr. Kerry as the antiwar activist who testified before Congress during the war, accusing veterans of being war criminals. The dust jacket of Mr. Kerry's pro-Hanoi book, "The New Soldier," features a photograph of his ragged band of radicals mocking the US Marine Corps Memorial, which depicts the flag-raising on Iwo Jima, with an upside-down American flag. Retired Gen. George S. Patton III charged that Mr. Kerry's actions as an antiwar activist had "given aid and comfort to the enemy," as had the actions of Ramsey Clark and Jane Fonda. Also, Mr. Kerry lied when he threw what he claimed were his war medals over the White House fence; he later admitted they weren't his. Now they are displayed on his office wall.








posted by HCL at 9:21 PM