Great Day in the real world, almost...

I had to go to the park early to help reserve a picnic area or two for the Tacoma First Baptist Church games. I was the second man there and the park is quiet and beautiful.

By eight, other men are arriving to be in charge and make things happen, we help, and slowly get sent to the out lying area. Works for us, more set up, wives and families start arriving as the set up gets much closer to accomplished.

Not all the church members are going to be there, but it is interesting seeing a couple of the young Korean American men, asking me about my Airborne service - not realizing I had my belt buckle blazing away at them. But you have to be Army or airborne to have made the connection.

I wore my kilt in public, ha, ha, ha. Never realizing how tough we make it for little girls to wear such foolishness and still be lady-like. I confirmed to the Koreans that I am just an eccentric old American. Thank you, working hard at that.

After prayer and dedication my wife led the stretching and warm ups, some of the vets said she had picked up my drill sergeant manner well, I had to point out she taught Tae Kwon Do for years and don't think she doesn't know what she was doing.

I got a lot of time in playing with a buddies' grandsons, Julius and Justice, they are definitely being led into manhood well, completely. Did some talking about television network support systems, shooting, and work and family. Lots of kidding, laughing and playing games or just watching those much younger work hard at it. A very good time.

Cleaned up and went home, happy, in the day.

No, Mr. President, it isn't a phony scandle

We know who killed the Ambassador, and three other Americans in Libya. They are all close to the President, because while drones strike in Pakistan, Afghanistan and Yemen - none are striking in Libya. So, the President is protecting them, I am sure he has his reasons.

But about his activities in response to the attack - those are all his. He did answer the call, they needed to get his response to the attack. He told them to call the Secretary of State - she was called. She had no power to project - that all is given to the President. He is the one that can send the 82nd Airborne world wide, or launch Nukes. No one else in the White House. A whole lot of staff to assist him, but he is the one.

You don't have to ask anymore questions about that attack nor the response. It is a done deal, this is the Commander in Chief. He took all the actions he needed.

After the attack and the successful Presidential response it was needed to show the world the President and his agencies knew what was what and were on top of it. The terrible YouTube video was paraded around - it was guilty. For sure that was what happened. The President does not allow lies, nor no response to important facts about how Presidential he is.  He is in charge, he said that was what happened and he made sure you knew that he knows.

Now, the media, has decided - through checking with their bosses that there is no smoking gun involved. After all they were armed with American provided weapons with limited destruction potential - mortars and rocket launchers and automatic rifles and machine guns. Like the ones the President will arm the Syrian rebels and terrorists with... like the ones in Egypt. Do I see a pattern?

If I am still alive when President Obama is no longer the President, I will write a short History of his service to those enemies of what was once the United States of America. Or, you could write your own, there isn't much hidden about what is going on... just sounds differently in the news.

I am so disappointing, or is it I am so disappointed, or what...

Yesterday I couldn't start my motorcycle, the battery was low, couldn't find my charger, my wife had helped organize my piles of stuff.  Not her fault, she doesn't see my world, she sees hers. That her world is out of order is to be fixed.

I finally found the charger, hooked it up, charged the battery.

Today, I thought I would shoot my pellet pistol at a target in the back yard. No joy, no pressure, it sounds like it leaks. Dried out from years of non use.... okay, get some oil and maintain it a bit. Then try, try and try again.  It does seem to be doing better, now if the shooter would just shape up as well.

It was fun, but I kept looking over my shoulder to see if the neighbors were going to complain. Kept looking over my shoulder - why? Fears from the media, of course, I couldn't imagine this on my own. This is not the first time I have shot my pellet pistol in my yard - I did it in 198? in Fayetteville, North Carolina. Didn't look over my shoulder at anything.

So maybe I am just a frightened old man, or maybe I think 'they' are out to get me, or the fools have my attention --- when I should be focused on the target and placing those shots and having a fun time. A very safe fun time.

You don't shoot? well, you ought to, just so there are more of us looking over our shoulders.

Review 2 GUNS and Bunker Hill

I have finished reading Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, A Revolution by Nathaniel Philbrick, Warner Publishing Large Print.  Centering around Doctor Warren, Boston and what wasn't but should have been if they had been politically correct. It didn't read smoothly, not a great story, but still I liked the details I hadn't found on my own before. Great telling of the Battle of Bunker Hill, for both sides. Again, for those limited to the public school education, this is an enlightening book.

I am becoming convinced that modern Historians spend too much time deciding that people long ago were short sighted, selfish and just wrong. Having lived my life I never want to see someone write the History of it, it would be confusing. So you die and go to Heaven, and when you get there - it isn't just Judgement you face, but you have to read the History written by some good angel that never worried about dying, making a living, nor growing up and old. Not enough common reference to understand why you lived that way.

I do recommend reading it, but then I always liked General Gage and General Washington, and loved reading about Doctor Warren.

I went to see 2 GUNS yesterday, it was an entertaining Hollywood effort to get men to the movies, it had lots of guns, bare breasts, hidden agendas and horseplay. They managed to make banks, small dinners with great doughnuts and SEAL teams look bad.

If you ever wanted to understand why the world thinks guns are terrible, this is a perfect example.
Two undercover agents manage to destroy carefully crafted bad business practices of the drug lords and CIA - the universal message is that one can't trust anyone they are sleeping with or doing road trips with, or are being paid by. Can't trust anyone over twelve probably.

Just when you were sure the Federal Reserve had a handle on inflation - in Dillinger's Day a ten thousand dollar bank robbery was an event. In today's world it has to be  43.125 million - just the results of inflation. Bigger better, more  bodies and more incompetent tactics and complete lack of a personal value system.

I enjoyed the movie, because it is ALL fantasy, gratuitous gun violence and meaningless quips.

Pardon me, I am dying of an incurable degenerative condition...

Seems that I went jogging on the last day of July and the funny feeling in my left hip snapped into an extreme cramp - a horizontal cramp. I had no idea I had any horizontal muscles in that area, and I will only acknowledge the pain, not a muscle going the wrong way. But twelve minutes into trying to be a little more fit, my struggles were over. I limped home, thinking Fred Sanford has nothing on me. Since I had time I started thinking about falling apart a bit at a time...

 I was upset since I wasn't going to get my 5k jog done, and I am keeping records for motivation. Still, I did take me and my better half to the YMCA, and for unknown reasons - sitting on my behind doesn't bother the cramping area. So I knocked out 10 kilometers on the rowing machine in about fifty minutes. Then went to the bicycle machine and did 13.5 miles in another fifty minutes then I showered and found twenty-four ounces of hot black coffee to sip upon until my wife finished her time in the water. Maybe I should find my swimming goggles and start swimming instead of jogging? Then if I get a cramp I can just silently sink to the bottom of the pool?

When I was the skinny kid in this fine picture, sitting on the well cap with my keds, blue jeans and Dale Long t-shirt, I was always dreaming of when my arms would be muscled and strong like my father's and the other working men I saw around me. I wanted hands with veins and tendons and strength, a working man's hands

 I guess one should watch what they wish for, since there are ways that make things happen. Like being thin, I have never seen a picture of my father from his time in the Pacific in WWII, but I would bet he looked a lot like I did in Vietnam after filling sandbags and computing firing data and hauling rounds to the guns. I did have a really good tan, but I couldn't have double-timed two miles during that tour, swimming in the river was all my recreation. I was just a tad bit bigger than a VC.

I would get shin splints in both legs during Jump School after. I had to put some really strong liniment designed for horses to smear over my legs in the morning to make it through the PT.  Limping was a sure way out of the Division and parachute training.

As I sipped my coffee yesterday I looked at my hand and went through the martial arts positions with it that would help me destroy those that have no idea how truly bad I am. Laughing at my pretensions, so bad. I could tell you I really am awesome in death dealing, but I happen to know the price one pays for being dangerous to society - and I love knowing that I am still in the controllable category of  "maybe we shouldn't have designed him that way" - plus I am suffering from that disease I mentioned in the title.  LIFE, and living it with love seems to be the best cure for all that ails me. I do keep asking my wife how we got so old, but she knows we were blest.

No, I am not answering the telephone... ever...

I have a telephone because I want to be able to call you.  But then everyone that wants to use or abuse me thinks that I have to answer when they call.  I don't.

I have a wife that thinks it is a responsibility but then she has friends that do call.

As I start searching for an opportunity to work again, I will be asked to give them a telephone number, but you will get more response by emailing me - no selective hearing on the internet.

Keep it pithy?

So the whole thing is going to come apart, because?

Because we weren't watching the folks in government? Elected and appointed stupid people with really good intentions and terrible ideas? Because we can be manipulated by fears fed frequently by fools in media? All of the above?

Everything in your life begins with you --- and YOU have to make it better. Not your parents, friends, children, co-workers, boss, nor underlings.... YOU!

You will die... certain freedom in that knowledge. You won't die right now... so you have time to make your world and all you love better. Not much time in the cosmic scale of things, stars are going out as fast as dinosaurs. Still, if you are reading this you have today to make better.

Take a moment, reflect and pray, make a plan and execute one good thing to happen in your life. Repeat until it is all done. This is where mental multitasking helps the spiritual and physical. Have a really great day!