I do know that...

putting heavy draw curtains over the windows in the bedroom for Winter chill has increased the darkness, quiet and sleep depth - wonderful! No noise from the streets, lights or sounds... sleep.

I have lots of objections to teaching children about sex without morality. Having a young lady carry a fake baby around to prove it is a chore, doesn't give her the smile, warmth nor need a real baby would. One of my readers says we have to give them the sexual training so they have choices - cause they are going to have sex anyway. I could respond that we should teach them how to kill without pity, because they are going to have to one day... but then the reader would come back with some silly idea that killing was wrong or something and have no moral justification they should have used when we were discussing sex education.

The arguments go in circles, and I really don't care about that do I? It has nothing to do with my life, does it?

Humans are not animals, really, basic parts are just like most animals - but that is not a reason to pretend you can be one with the tiger and jump into its cage. Humans compose music, perform together, and as much as you may love the songs of the birds and other sounds of nature - it isn't music the way the Beatles did it. As much as you may love your pets or the animals you work with on a daily basis, they aren't human, they don't think like humans (something else not taught in schools - how to think, yaknow?) and knowing their animal behavior is much better than trying to teach them human behavior. Humans are prone to being irrational and definitely unpredictable.

I know, we should have the government pass a law and certify professional sex teachers, and issue a license when they reach a proper age. Put marks on the road, issue special licenses for higher levels of kinkiness... I can see how well that keeps drunk or drugged drivers off the road. I was immediately wondering how old the human driver less cars of Google are, since the Californian Governor has approved their running the roads. Are they armed to protect them from road rage? Will they pull over and stop for emergency vehicles? Will they render aid at an accident? Just random thoughts.

Notice I didn't go to thinking they were going to need sex education since they would be parking and making out somehow somewhere sometime.. machines aren't animals, nor are they human. And don't get me started on intelligence - all animals have some, humans like to measure it, and most people are not as intelligent as you are, but you are using yours better than most, aren't you?

New medication levels and military dreams are back...

Interesting how a little goes a long way.

But there I was, and concrete bunker complexes and inspection of machine gunners, their guns and positions and looking at their range cards. Don't you know how sexually stimulating that is? Of course you don't, no misspent youth and education to draw upon.

I watched the important shows last night on CBS, so I missed all the thousands of rapists unpunished and all their victims in uniform on NBC. That was last night, wasn't it? For those concerned, there are thousands of none raping males and lots of women in uniform that don't participate in sexual activities with others. But they are busy trying to get back home safe and sound. Funny, as I get older that 'sound' part has a whole bunch more meaning than it once did.

Well, time to get back to morning activities and plan on bringing the sewing machine back to my wife and close out September, there were a couple of movies I thought I should see today - not about war.

Winter webs abound...

My wife went and vacuumed the spiders, eggs and webs from the back and front porches yesterday - she was in a cleaning frenZZy. Tonight after dinner I look through the newest web and say goodnight to the setting Sun. For, she never got them all, and they do fill the void as fast as we take them out of action. I once thought it was the Winter coming, Halloween webs and such, but have decided they don't really build webs any faster than they always do. What seems to be missing is the normal number of birds, eating, flying through the air going after the insects in flight. When the birds start departing, the cool is coming and the spiders have no more flapping, darting birds breaking up the webs.

The entire Gun Control debate (it is only being debated by fools so it isn't important) looks very much like the Keep Iran from getting Nuclear Weapons debate. No one is telling the Swiss they can't have nuclear weapons, nor Germans, nor Swedes. Are they? Just like the Gun Control debate thinks that as long as they don't have a nuclear bomb they will love Jews and Israel, just like all the drug lords and gang bangers will be wonderful non violent thieves and rapists if we just control the guns. Don't look at what you fear, look at what causes the fear. The problem is stupid people blaming their problems on a country that doesn't threaten their country - but the idea of that country does threaten their country, which hasn't any working effective ideas.

The idea that rich people are too powerful to control without the government is interesting, but probably just another bad idea. If they are powerful they will control the government, look at the United States and the two major political parties. No amount of taxing the rich to support the poor will ever make our country or its potential promise better. The potential promise is that if I go out and work hard, save, invest wisely and belong to no one that doesn't love me - I will be great. Unfortunately, the government really does get in the way of my dreams.

I am watching the television ads for more Math and Science teachers, and the programs to produce more of them, through the school systems (colleges and universities that have produced the current crops of too few, too poorly motivated, and in debt beyond the ability to repay student loans).  Better idea, hire off the streets.
Seriously, hire people willing, educated and experienced. It will work better than thinking that the certificate or idle notes from busy colleges looking for the next students to teach. If you think a teachers certificate means something, then take it away from the teachers that don't meet the standards of well educated students. That is the goal isn't it?

What we need is a scoreboard, bragging rights, a measure of success. A way to count coup. I know I can teach, but the system doesn't want my ability, until I meet all its artificial requirements. There weren't any, except for age for my becoming a student.

Having a life means something left behind...

in the past. I got my 'I love me military memories on display' from the framers yesterday. I am pleased with the product, and it hangs on my wall. Just wish some of the dreams would go and hang there with it, but those are unworthy of viewing. It was important to have something for my son's future.

My grandfathers and father are gone, and having seen how poorly the current culture communicates - they don't even eat dinner together without a cellphone to text upon - I don't think anyone will know who they were. Even in History class, they teach it like our culture can seamlessly overlay what was important and critical in their lives. And the current culture had problems with the culture of those two earlier generations.

One idea was to remake the board my father made from his uniform, remembering the units and job he had in WWII, Pacific Theater, combat Engineer in the assault on Leyete and invasion of Okinawa. It will be done. My grandfather Smith, serving in the Great War, France and a driver in a Medical unit. He spent most of his life working for peace, working with the refugees in the Spanish Civil War and other major conferences. His military records would have been burned up in that fire, but I understand there is some veterans record in California of his service.

There aren't any pictures of his military service in my possession, but he wouldn't have been concerned about that. I once ran marathons, because I had started jogging as road work for getting strong enough for three minute bouts in a dojo. And my experiences were very personal, I was really proud of them, and I was so slow on my first marathon in Pittsburgh a fourteen year old girl that had paced with me for about five miles, smiled and said she had to go and left me in the dust. Crushing my ego, ha, ha!

Anyway, my last marathon was in Korea with the 2nd Infantry Division, and I won a trophy plaque - that was supposed to be awarded by a General, who had departed because I was so slow.... There were only three old men in our age group, and I was second. All the other members of my unit stuck around and made sure I got my award and we had happy talk all the way back to Seoul in the vehicles. As Command Sergeant Major in Germany after the first Gulf War, it was stolen from my office by a wanna-be or some upset hater that thought he should ruin my life by swiping it from my wall. I have all the memories, I don't need the trophy.

In the end, my memories sustain me, much more than the photographs, the old letters, the emails, and cards. But my memories go with me into the afterlife... I would like to have had my father with me to talk to my son about the world he is going through - an inside joke was that the three of us should have sat around with something to drink and talk about women and marriage before my son got married.

It would have been something... he died before his fiftieth wedding anniversary, my son and I had our last time with him at his home before my son went off to Spain for three years... and since he was ill, it wasn't as cool a memory as all my other ones about him.

To all you reading out there, spend more time in contact, honest and caring, it is better than almost everything else you can give the next generations.

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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