politics aside, all that is left is me and Thee...

  I happily went to church and Sunday school today, my wife had returned and doesn't understand why I would want a dog. But that isn't something to write about, so I won't share.

 Guest pastor presented his sermon, and I wasn't impressed but the message was good, but the delivery wasn't entertaining, you know. We don't have trophies for pastoral performance do we? But during the coffee after Mike announced he had a guest speaker to talk to the class about voting No on RF ##, because it wasn't a good thing. Some of us jaded Bible thumpers weren't impressed, we don't think bringing the church into politics or the politics into the church is a good thing. Now, we do know that politics is the struggle between humans to establish dominance, politely... or so we hope. But we allowed the introduction to our teacher. The teacher gave him two minutes, he took four, and I encouraged his departure with our thanks after he had given us his paper with more than we wanted to hear. What he had to promote was worth taking a stand on, so we will, on voting day.

  As I tried to explain to the church member that invited the activist, you should take a stand for the Lord and all you believe, just be ready for the cattle cars and the death camps. So many people don't understand the number of  lesser folks that died with the Jews for the cause of better government through enlightened leadership, and professional polished politicians and pretty uniforms.

  Now, it is very difficult to ignore politics right now, they are courting our vote for their purposes - not ours. One election at a time they listen to the people... or so I see. Then for the remaining period of their service in their position, we are supposed to allow them their foolishness and good intentions. Do you wonder that they listen to experts in Lobbying? Paid professionals working constantly for political action in their direction and favor. Even if you were to volunteer to present your case or cause in the center of political activity, could you get face time without being sponsored, supported and slid in a busy activity which produces the world we live in?  The gates are guarded, access is not certain, and there are staffs of most competent people making sure that only the really important items confront their boss.

  I am certain that you are smarter than most people of voting age, why is it that if most of them decide that you are too rich for their comfort, that you should change your life and get so much less rich? Or they don't like your art, your words, your god, your partners, your race, your activity, your success or failure. That you should do what they have voted upon? Maybe we are trying to change our world one vote at a time? I do understand that God isn't in an elected office. Still, seems surrounded by an enormous staff of people explaining what HE said, what it meant and slowing down my acceptance of His will for their purposes.

  Truly, the highest honor and position of power, is on one's knees as servant of the Lord. Nothing else is so important, nor so difficult to achieve. Still working on it, thanks, so glad you asked.

 

All I ever wanted to know about war...

As a professional soldier I have often been asked by non combatants and wanna-be soldiers about war, they all said they wanted to know the truth, what I knew and where they could research it. I always told them to read and know The Iliad, by Homer, but the Robert Fagles version is close to my hand and lifted from the shelf to check some fact. Everything I have personally found out, seen, heard, felt and thought about war is in that poem. I know, there are no tanks, machine guns and rockets red glare in the plains of Ilium or the wails of the Trojan women. Doesn't matter, war is about human conflict not about the weapons. It is all there.

I am using my kindle to review Merlin's story of Arthur's Britain, the Angles were just coming in in the version I am living in... nice to read myself into the story and away from the disjointed United States of greats... and greatest fools floundering... The elected delegates to Congress have gone on the campaign trail, to win themselves and their parties and pimps some more power to plunder the rest of us'ns. You know, the voters. I was thinking that public employee unions wouldn't be so powerful if the voters had to vote and approve the contracts their elected officials bargained for... but then, many, many things wouldn't be approved if the voters had to put their chop to paper in approval, would it? The unions get to vote on accepting what is offered, why not the voters paying the money?

I am also re-watching the Korean Historic Drama The Slave Hunters. I am, of course being Earl, in love with the main female character, but I like the three slave chasers, the primary escaped slave, former commander in the officer training school, his enemy chasing him for the truly evil minister of the political powers enriching themselves... it is subtitled in English, if you get the correct versions, Japanese and two Chinese dialects are being produced more (larger audience). You can by all twenty-four episodes and enjoy the chase and the stories and linkage between the past of the characters and their gloomy future.

The nicest thing about my escaping into the stories of heroes and villains, ladies with spirit and beauty, cultures where races aren't as normal as mine, and the language differences are between social ranks not economic reality.... well, you just have to be there. And you are voyaging on the internet where Google maps don't play well on iPhone 5, or you are afraid to leave your home without the protection of the TSA and Homeland Security Department. Ah, I am blest, my wars are over, until something happens I may never work again. But I keep trying.

The only way to survive is with help from your friends

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Just a walk in the park

I have been earning my deep sleep, recently...

Tour guide for my sister into the Great NorthWest. We moved to Washington in 1994, and have finally seen Mount St. Helens, and Big Foot territory. Very surprising to me, since I have used the exit to Castle Rock many times in support of Appleseeds, but never turned to the East to see the epic record of how tiny our efforts are to control the Earth we live upon.

On the way back to the computer cave and safety from the terrible world outside of the internet connections I stopped and had dinner at the Hawks Prairie Restaurant, a favorite hangout of bikers on a run, coffee and breakfast are done right there. I ordered a modest rib eye, 14 oz was a bit much. Life was perfect until I tried the steak knife provided.

It wasn't sharp, I was carrying three knives that would have cut that wonderful steak so much cleaner and as it deserved. But I didn't complain, didn't ask for another knife, and didn't whip out my own. I just hacked away with vigor and wept internally. Well, I did mention my discontent to my sister and wife. Which started the tales of our personal knives. Mine is always of my mother asking at a luau for my knife so she could peal her fruit. My brother Wynn was shocked when I pulled it out and opened it and handed it to her. He was so sure that the air line would have kept me disarmed.

My sister had a similar story, she carries apples to snack on, and Mom wanted one and she gave her one, then she said it had to be pealed. So my sister took out her knife and pealed it for her. My other sister was also surprised that she was carrying a knife. Now to me, that is evidence of parallel universes, one in which my older sister and I were raised and one in which my younger brother and sister were raised by parents with exactly the same name but different results. All the other siblings are basically nice people, and I may grow into it, but I won't hold my breath. Still except for our various talents and interests - one would expect us all to be less different in having a tool to cut things as needed in our purse or pocket.

Could be there is hope for intelligent life in Washington DC one day. It is on the same planet as I am, we could better prepare for the time we will need a sharp knife to cut the budget spending and federal government waste and personal enrichment programs. Could happen, but I might become a saint first. Don't hold your breath.... I drive my sister to sleep at night with my political rumblings or is that grumblings. Tis Sunday and we will go to worship the Lord. Be good out there.

Visitors and we search for monsters in the great NW

I still haven't forgiven America and its leaders for Vietnam...

Long ago, probably in Vietnam I forgave the godless communists for trying so hard to kill me - that was part of the war, very like what I had found in Korea and later Iraq.
They were just the otherside, the enemy and would get over it. The clock would run out, the game over, the score tallied and victory declared. I visit the Wall in Washington, DC to remember it wasn't worth the price. Have you read every name on that wall? I always think Presidents should be required to read them aloud before they launch the next attack against some other nation in error. I am sure they would have someone else do it for them. I do think that fighting a war to unite Vietnam under a representative government of their making with a capitalistic economic system of their choosing would have been worth it. But that is part of the blame, because that wasn't the goal, nor my mission.

Being a student of History, being betrayed by Kings and causes is not new, or even only my problem, nor my only problem. So, I was really happy to have stayed in uniform and doing it right in the first Gulf War. But then watched the reaction to 9/11 and two more phoole campaigns to re-wright the world as we want it. I said then that a police response was what was required, not a war against a nation or a terror. Since you are all glued to defeating the Taliban, which most of us didn't know existed before then, and make Afghanistan a wonderful place it wasn't designed to be by God - well, I expect a failure in policy. Not a good business model, it is based on Vietnam, again. Without the draft and poor military tactics, operations and strategy. It is not those serving in uniform that are the problem, unless they spent too much time in Washington, DC and have no real world experience.

I am smart enough to know that John Wayne wore that bracelet for the rest of his life, it was on his wrist in the Shootist, I can't tell you where mine is, it was with me in the picture. I shouldn't wear it around my soul, should I?

I should get over it, especially, since most of the country doesn't get it. Therefore, it never happened and if I am still bothered by that, there are programs with professionals for me. And if it works the media would appreciate an opportunity to proclaim it proudly for commercial reward.

I will continue to take the medicine my father did, you just can't really share those burdens and scars, just know that you couldn't stop your children from their lives lived in futile efforts to make some people feel safe from the evil intentions of  bad men in other worlds.

The best part is one day seeing that what you did was worth it, although often for none of the reasons that your silly leaders had sent you into the fray or fury for. But God does move in mysterious ways. There are Vietnamese I have worked with here in America, if we accepted them better, like all those that come to America for reasons we think we understand, they will make our nation stronger - but we will have to get much smarter. Could happen.

I will go off to pick up my visiting sister at the airport today. Remembering that we are still suffering from the phooles in Washington, DC.  If I were really afraid I would carry a gun, but then those same phooles think that would be dangerous. My whole way of life has barriers in it, that make me unable to be at the place where she will exit the airplane. Our father flew for joy and his living, we know not to get near propellers or jet exhaust and wait for the plane to shut down, and the door or ramp to open. So, for whatever the reasons the terrorists attacked the United States, we are still in the posture of surrender to their will and intent. We are not standing with a foot upon their rapidly cooling body, posing for pictures we won't show anyone not our best friend back home after the fight is over.

So, remembering that London under the blitz, never really closed down, but the entire United States was grounded and closed to flight of any except the President's friends and military services. I will have to seek more forgiveness for the nation that cares too much, and is still so frightened. Where are those bold missionaries and pioneers so sure of their righteousness and mission to convert the wilderness, to tame the savage land and create the United States of America? If it is true that England has disarmed its citizens then maybe it just takes longer to surrender to one's fears?

Well, I grow old and useless, and even blogging isn't cool, so my problems with my American experiences will not affect the course of future fine folks. I should forgive those that know not what they do, my Lord did. Then again, Americans still don't understand what it was that drove people to attack us, it was their fear that their homelands were going to surrender to our unholy domination, do y'all? I must rely upon the Lord much more, myself and my representatives much less - for we hardly know what we do. Amen.