What do you want for Christmas? The regular, please.

  Gift giving is great upon the event celebrating real Holy days, it has never been for commerce, although there is a real effort to make sure the perfect gifts are given...

   What I seem to want and have for many years in the military, is: Peace on Earth and goodwill towards men.

   Ever remember that phrase from a prayer now banished by the godless 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven'? Banished from the public school system, I am sure some of you are still using it in your devotions and worship. Or are you like a fine Baptist and making it up every time you go to the LORD in prayer?

  Peace, children, peace... is that the cry of the Sunday School teacher with very noisy students? Or just the old veteran that has had enough wars to last several of his lifetimes - no one told him the nightmares last with all the REM sleep... forever.

  I read with interest two school administrators calling for their students to arm or not ever arm as a true Christian should... could... or maybe Christ would. What would I call for? Peace on earth, goodwill toward men... Would I train you how to use a firearm? Yes, and as I told someone asking 'Is it difficult to train soldiers to kill?' I answered: 'The difficult part is telling them when not to.' I would also make sure you knew that I expect you to avoid confrontation, not to be a target, and to preach the Gospel to the unbeliever trying to kill you, run at them shouting "Christ died for our sins, repent and be saved." Of course, you might die a new martyr on your way to sainthood, or save those behind you that aren't doing anything but waiting their turn as target.

  Having been where my government said I should go, and performing what my government and I thought I should in killing enemies of us'ns, I have long ago come to the conclusion that you can't kill anyone that God doesn't accept for death. Really, my Bible has a couple interesting references to returning to life in it. Human beings, Men, are not the Supreme Being, not even close -- but you should be trying to be holy. 

  I won't tell you that there is never a reason to kill another human being, I will tell you try not to unless you are doing it with and for love... but that is a whole 'nother sermon,  and I am not qualified. When I think about angels, I have always thought about the most beautiful angel, perfect in every way and crying. Why? Why, because he is the Angel of Death, and weeping with love as he destroys the life that God had blest for too short a time... but then God will reward the fallen in Heaven according to His Love and the truth.

  What do I want for Christmas? Peace on earth and God's will for men... forever. Amen
 

So what are we, or y'all afeared of?

  I am hearing that it is the terrorists, but there aren't that many of them, most of them die in suicide attacks and they don't really reproduce.  I am not afraid of them, although I am sure one should be prepared and aware of everyone and everything around while awake. A friend mentioned that he was going to start carrying concealed because he thought it was all coming apart. I am not afraid of the economy, although I haven't had work since five years and ten months ago, I am sure the economy has been artificially weakened by banking and government policies I am not afraid of that nor them.

   When one of the non-politicians found that he could stir up interest and the crowds by playing to their fool fears, he did so. The press ate that up, since they could tell Americans were angry about many things, but what most people are angry about is the terrible mess the government makes of their world, all for the benefit of hidden puppet masters or some concealed cause.  No one knows why they do it, but the serving politicians can't all be stupid, incompetent and traitorous... could they? Once they go to Washington, DC they completely have a brain reboot with some strange software.  Or something.

  The fear of the bad government has been floating much long than any other fear, and as the government got bigger and more intrusive, the greater the little guy's fear grew - of the government.  Kind of like taking a wolf cub home and raising it, and as it got bigger and badder it was like seeing a fine animal become the center of your focus because it was too big to ignore and decidedly dangerous if denied any of its desires.  In the end, what you and I want, is up to you and I, not the businesses that want our money, not the government that wants our attention and money and time, not anything but what we need and want and what we love and want to provide for others.  Don't need leaders to make me contribute just a cause worth my efforts.  Most folks not living in fear are like that... looking to make our world better.  Seems others are constantly fooling with good enough to get some elusive perfection... which will immediately not be a high enough goal when met.

Only a week to Christmas, and I am seriously watching The Alamo

  Strange, we have received Christmas Cards and gifts in the mail, but I am watching The Alamo, to get a glimpse of the turmoil of the coming collapse and conflict between the old way and a newer better way of living.

   To me, only the disappearance of the normal talking heads on the networks has any holiday meaning, and they could be unbelievers just visiting Hawaii to get some well earned rest.  I am sure that the message of love of one's neighbors has slipped in the excitement of the violation of the Bill of Rights and the rest of the Constitution, although like the Koran and the Bible the current reader sees things the last reader never noticed nor learned. And we will always pretend the folks higher than Us'ns know better than we lower than dirt types about what is to be gleaned from the fertile fields of thought.

  We can't run the USA like Houston ran Texas, but then maybe there are too many better qualified now and the clutter doesn't clear without conflict.

Just dreaming, always dreaming....

  Great dream, kind of, last night. I and a bunch of motorcyclists moved a couple bunches of motorcycles from departed riders to another parking lot... I don't have a bunch of motorcycle riding friends, although the motorcycles are out on the road in appropriate weather. Strange enough dream to wake me up to pay attention. I realized that we had started out and ridden over the ridges just like my last ride from home, Darlington Road, Ligonier, Pennsylvania to my parents' new home in Morgantown, West by God Virginia... the place that would be forever after their home. I made that ride just having returned from Germany on my way to Vietnam, 1970. Tons of stuff on my mind on that ride, first don't get lost.
   Which ride got me to thinking about that long ride from my home in 1966 to the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida. Tons of stuff on my mind. I didn't make the most of that semester, no discipline  - since I am such a sad kind of fool - it wasn't drinking, drugs, dames nor rock'n roll that got in the way of my scholarly success... nope, BOOKS.  I read everything, all my normal pulp fictions and many classics and thought provoking.  I could stay up all night reading, yeah, what a lovely wasted college life. My performance was such I was put on probation, and I decided I really needed to go to the service.  Which gave me a whole nother chance to ride that motorcycle (a restored 1948 H-D flathead with the suicide clutch and four speeds forward on the tank) home. Which because of one major accident, which fractured my shoulder blade, kept me from getting in the Army when I was going to be.
   I don't put too much thought into what dreams mean, although my wife the country girl has all kinds of women's wisdom about them and what they could mean. They still have pregnancy dreams in Korea, and don't get her started, I seldom share with her. The Tacoma First Baptist Church put out the invitations to serve as a deacon, and not only my wife got one, she has been serving in that for a few years - not unexpected but they gave me one and told me to prayerfully consider.  Too out of line, not up to standards and the only church title I ever aspired to, in my mind, was Elder.  And remember what I said about discipline above, one wonders how the Methodists managed to loose me upon the world without John and Charles Wesley's core values.
  Ah, well, time to get up and get to doing... luckily no children nor little animals to care for here and we have our health, if I remember to take my medications this morning. I was too busy yesterday they just got shoved to the side.  I finished my day in the dark watching 1612, and drinking some warm milk.  Why is everyone looking so old on the screen, all the famous folks?  All my high school, college and first military year folks have the same exact youthful tomfoolery.

It is a matter of survival... don't get in my way...

Don't cross the streams... from Ghost Busters.

  Amendment II  A well regulated Militia being necessary as the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.

  I would guess when we dress for church services we may bring a smart phone, but not the pistol.  But they are going to attack us where we are most vulnerable  - who is they? anyone that is going to attack us. I don't need to know anything more than someone is going to try and destroy what I love, and whom I love. That is all, the secular sillies and progressive posers may make all the worries about what causes them to want to kill others, I don't. I just have to kill them first as fast as they come.  For the free State to be secure the attackers need to understand they are going to die without mercy and will not win and bring down the free State - for I am the well regulated Militia of my nation.  It isn't my fault that the political leaders demanding power have abandoned the most cost effective and most interested part of the population by hiring professionals to protect them and their cronies.  I will look out for the little people, as best I can, and I am sure there are others, too.  For sure even Bill O'REILLY is hoping professionals can protect him, since he thinks the law trumps survival.

   There is increasing call for the citizens to carry when they can, the police and military can't be everywhere, but everywhere the citizens are in not a gun free zone - we are Americans, we are going to do what we are going to do.  Hoping that the law, the judge and jury, and most of all the LORD, see it as something they can agree with and forgive us for.

Leader of the Free World... or Pied Piper?

I would like to say that the President's speech has not made me go out and buy a gun, nor ammunition, nor get my concealed carry permit, nor love my wife more than myself, nor made me teach Sunday School.... I guess I am one of many Freemen not following the herd of rats and the pied piper.... oh, that sounds so good.

We might need to promote the telling of old fairy tales since Common Sense has been replaced with Common Cool.

Started my worship time on Saturday...

  by going to see a performance by wonderful people of Handel's Messiah. The three soloists, Soprano, Tenor and Alto were wonderful truly, the musicians great and the choir awesome. Then after some whiskey and space combat reading or was it video of All Quiet on The Western Front, a solid nights sleep... I was prepared for Church and my challenging Sunday School class of self centered children... and it went great because I let them play like children and gave the lesson to any paying attention... then sent them off for food and the rest of their day. When I closed the classroom and turned off the lights I noticed two of the young girls that hadn't come to class talking with one that had, so I went over to find that the loud noisy children had scared off the other two, so since they wanted to hear me teach the lesson, I gave all three of them the lesson again, worked.  And I told them that we would be doing snowflakes next Sunday School, bring their talents.
   Then I went to the Fellowship Hall to watch everyone eating seaweed soup and rice. While there I noticed Caleb sitting beside another boy and went over and asked if I could sit down, which was proper, and confusing to them - since adults don't ask children permission in their culture, they are accustomed to giving it all up to the elder person. So I was introduced to Timothy, and talked with him and Caleb. Caleb having met my harmless conversation many times had questions in response to my questions, and I had questions and found they had a good grounding in the Sunday School topic for the day and that I played different sports than they, that Caleb wasn't at the enjoying reading level yet, but he could do it.... Caleb's brother is Nathan, and Timothy's brother is Isaac, and I was introduced to them later in the evening meal period as I departed after with my wife. I also met Erin, who didn't know that name was Irish but wonderful for a girl, which she did know. She will be drop dead beautiful in about ten years. Think I will wear my Chinese field jacket with all my 'I been there patches' next time. 
   Since so much of the church was hanging around to finish some work with the Deacons, budget and future, as well as the youth training - I talked with some of the other Korean American men about whatever and had a good time.  One in particular had been a reserve officer, RIF'd at about thirteen years of active service, had been with the Special Forces and Operations, mostly in Korea where his language set was great and then also in the Pacific Rim. He was waiting on his youngest daughter, 15, and I noticed when she came she waited very patiently for him to finish his conversation with me, and he had been waiting for me to finish before he would pay attention to her.  As soon as I noted her waiting, I waved him off and told him I had enjoyed the conversation, I gave him one of my business cards so he would worry about me in the future, or if he needed my few sad skills.  He did ask about the Shoot Boss label. I explained it as I would be in charge of the whole shoot, and he kind of understood.
   Great day to finish off with a fine Football game as the Pittsburgh Steelers looked fine, and if I could have made that run and had a celebratory assault of the goal post padding - I wouldn't worry about the fifteen yard penalty, I would have paid cash. 

    Then I had to find out what the President was saying since I had napped through that disturbance in the SNF game,  my wife noticed my nodding off and had gone off the game, and I caught it all on the computer - he started off so well, then he decided the Assault Rifles were the problem with other people control problems that he was going to fix, and our first step to becoming a police state for our own safety has been announced and he wants Congress to agree.  I am going to the whiskey bottle, since it is dark outside, the rain is falling and I can't fix stupid.

   I think refugees need our protection, I think immigration and visits to the US should be easier and controlled, and I think beyond a basic protection and assistance everything else should be earned.  No, I don't have a plan, but then I am not trying to stay in power, to protect the wealthy and powerful from the multitude of the much poorer and more numerous normal folks just getting by.... when the middle class feels itself abused, exploited and under threat - it will revolt. But no one studies history and denying what is going on, will be just as effective as saying Barack Obama was born in Kenya, or British East Africa which became Kenya. After the Mau Mau got good at killing.

Crazy murderers... call them what they are: demon possessed fools...

  And don't forget to kill them and pray over the empty corpse...

 They will never be terrorists if... the media wasn't covering their criminal and evil actions hoping to get more fools watching to be energized to buy the sponsors' products. I know we should have access to news, but it keeps getting mixed up with comedy, entertainment and some of us aren't smart enough to know the difference.

  Be it the Weather Underground from Papa's day, long ago, or the IRA from great great grandfathers day, they don't have to give you their reason, they just have to die for their beliefs. It is the way war is waged. 

   And it is a war, but you have to know what side you are on, you don't have to know anything about their side when they start killing, they have taken the side of evil and they must die.  You can ask forgiveness of your God later.  Now, remember until they attack they are hidden among the rest of the population, and remember that 911 is your line to help some day. You need to know survival skills and help your brothers in their pain and suffering and against further attacks. Be armed, be prepared to be the real first responder (learn first aid, weapons and manners).  And for those that think others mean some racial characteristic or accent, stay home until you can find love in all the people, the evil ones will do you harm in all ways - crime, exploitation and just ugly.

   And quit watching television, except to laugh and sports, cause the news is always slanted for sponsors.

Been dreaming lately? or Have you been dreaming lately?

  Well, sleep is a constant, but remembering the dreams isn't.

  So I am doing a library dream, working in a downtown city library, and having a wonderful time.
You would have to work in a library to know the feeling.  Still there are problems, or challenges with staff sharing time off and other things like caste and qualifications and what are you producing for the team... like any organization.

   So I come up with an idea, a sharing idea, of how not to hog Monday off from one of my co-workers and she comes up with the idea that as a demonstration of good skills and faith (not religious but as a loyalty to the profession) a skilled library staffer can do in an instant.  For me the task is to get a list of materials for the logical counter to the Pro 2nd Amendment materials.  I would have done well at that, but it was disturbing enough in its intent to take my dream into a nightmare and I woke up.

  Once awake, my mind then went to how to have been much more deadly, and effective in the California shooting yesterday.  But that goes with my prior profession, and the fact I had already done the thinking on the false flag story, being only another effort of the militant anti-gun goofs. None of those ideas nor stories is worth losing sound sleep over.  I am going back to bed and allowing the professionals to  accomplish the task of making America safer.  The only perception my wife had for America, is the same one I have - you have to quit treating others as second or lesser class of citizens.  We are in this country together, and the world has as many particular views of our values and stupid as the media has been able to present on screen.  And it is very difficult to know that Star Wars isn't trying to proclaim only the white Europeans get to claim the galaxy. Could be a problem fixed in the next three movies?

Well, I have been missing but am fine, thanks for asking...

  Didn't get my morning coffee for two days in a row, tripped on the rowing machine yesterday and today tripped on the top of the stairs at the YMCA sending my backpack and handhelds onto the rug as I attempted to look graceful in the falling to gravity and not hurting myself or the observers that didn't laugh but were concerned... I am fine, just acting in strict compliance with the laws of gravity and motion.

   Since it is the first of December the last month of 2015 only so many days to finish the year off correctly.  By being in love with the LORD and all of creation, of course.

   I have a new bicycle challenge that looks like last Decembers, but isn't. Twenty rides of a total of 125 miles, the least is six rides for 25 called the Mini Yeti, the next is that plus eight more for a total of seventy-five called the YETI, and six more for the Grand YETI and a 125 miles in all, now isn't that special for December to remember? In November they just wanted fifty and I did a hundred and fifty one, the 101 extra were just cause I am old and fat and remember the 101st Airmobile... or because I did not care to count. I knocked out the first three this morning, because they were bite size and didn't even add to ten miles - more like 9.85 virtuous miles of sweating. My newest buddy came over to wonder what was going on, he had started me talking about Appleseed and shooting accuracy because of my t-shirt and I left him the contact material to Google and find his way to an event one day.  We talked scopes, ballistics and the effect of Earth on the shot...

    I showered and came home with a stop for accounting of my accounts, so I know what little I have to spend wildly.  My wife is out and about, I removed my teeth and put my gun belt on, and thought I should mention it on Facebook, got to have something for the government to trip over, since they know it all so well.  In their obsession with finding out everything about every one - I laugh, because my parents never knew what was next, my friends and girlfriends were often surprised and strangers hardly ever had a clue... and I was only trying to be the best me possible, and only shocked by how difficult it is to be that person, especially as you are still a work in progress.  If I were really as worried about terrorists as the media and government want me to be, I would have put my teeth in when I woke, checked the functioning and load of my pistol and then put it on, with a smile prepared to face what may the day.

   Saw a movie 'Best Offer' on NetFlix last evening, I do think I will have to see it one more time and stay awake because I must have missed something somewhere. Still, movies are all part of the illusion of what is normal, aren't they?

I am not alarmed, but I am certain no one in government can protect us...

  Too true, the special elite people in New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other gun controlled cities have nothing to fear from terrorists of any type.  It isn't like we have an Arch Duke riding around town waiting to be attacked a second time on the same day... The elite, special folks have everything they need to protect themselves.

  Now for everyone else, and you know who you are, there are borders that are crossed constantly with undocumented terrorists, murderers and rapists and thugs - daily. There are also good people coming across that same border preyed upon by government forces and gangs of bad guys... no one cares about them or you sitting watching WWE, you just don't need protection, an another voter and tax payer is coming in that same group of unchecked and undocumented and unasked for.

  The drugs and the labor are coming because they will be purchased, if someone had sex to sell they could be here and selling it, too.  The government doesn't care about any of that unless it affects the elite, their positions of power, or some voting block. Because we, the country, has an open heart and fat wallets the government by design fails to protect the people so they can heighten the fears of the few.  The undocumented fear being caught, not making enough money, and being preyed upon by gangs that know they have little protection from deportation, and also that Trump won't become President and who ever does will not change the borders nor all the illegal terrible stuff crossing it, because they won't be touched by it.

  Now if I were wanting to strike fear in America, which has been fat, happy and fed pap by the media and the political and elite classes, I would get teams in and strike symbols of all the evil power America has over the entire world, but do it in their backyard.  Forcing them to repress and restrict the people that thought they were free, living in liberty, trust and civilization.

   America the idea will die in fear, run by bigots, fascists, and repressive elites that have always protected themselves and lied and oppressed the people, as taught by college professors that believe in Marx.  This is a never ending battle, as long as media makes money keeping your attention on the blood in our streets, the Americans killed while enjoying the best hotels overseas, or embassy staff or real fighting heroes that go down swinging - well, what strokes the terrorists leaders ego is the death toll, the same thing that gives our media something to fill with talk, vigorous debate about how to protect the quivering bunny rabbit populations of the civilized society...  and the government is made up of people that can be handled to deny certain political groups status in the IRS, or large tax debt to go unpaid and unpunished - that same government that doesn't make the same rules for everyone is not capable of closing the border, rounding up all the undocumented, finger printing and getting a DNA sample and a name and giving them a government ID as an Unfortunate Wanderer. Then help them, tax them and hang them if they break the law.  We are all, unfortunate wanderers, those that are citizens may vote, those that want to become citizens may have to apply from their home country, but the government is broken, ineffective and often cruelly incompetent so it may never happen.

  I have changed my mind, allow the refugees in - there are 11 million UW folks here the government only needs to cause problems or help us already.. a few hundred thousand terrorists among a million or so refugees will likely be okay when offset by the value of the good refugees that stay and raise a family and work their life away for the next generation. Really, how many communists came over from Cuba, Vietnam and other countries? How many war criminals did we accept not knowing? Most of them don't turn into gangsters... they may become politicians.  For sure there are organizations that will help them vote long before they get citizenship.
 

War Crimes...

  The only way to defeat the faithful is to kill them all. The ISIS people know that, and are willing to kill all that don't believe the way they do, they are also prepared to die for their faith. 

  Western Civilized fools think that everyone can be bought, comforted and motivated by false idols, the real faithful with a link to their God, will die to follow His teachings and commandments, they are also only a small part of the mass of Western Civilized fools.

  So in the clash of two groups of humans, normally escalating to conflict and homicide and genocide quickly lots of innocent will perish and little comfort gained nor given.


  The idea that any government will be better than God's Kingdom, is lost when the truth is not to be found.  So y'all have fun with the idea that you can contain evil, especially when evil has been a rotting foundation of the progressive secularism in western civilization... sad.

  While driving today, I saw a bumper sticker for Hillary on a car in front of me, and immediately felt sad, knowing there are that many fools around that will vote for her, no matter how flawed she is and not prepared for the job... but then I had to consider, it has always been that way.  Especially when we think someone else has the answer to our troubles... instead of addressing them, finding personal solutions and making our world much better.

Beware of an old man in a profession where men usually die young

Title taken from Facebook comment about my new hooded sweatshirt, which costs so much but was delivered to my mailbox and I am very happy.





     I had too much time to think at the YMCA today, they moved all the old working weight machines out to bring in new improved weight machines since we weren't becoming bulked and ripped well enough already, having seen the vast improvement in the rowing and Expresso.com bicycle machines, I hope the new improved machines will encourage me to start using them again.  One only hopes, what happens is still to be determined.

    Now about the rebellion of the governors against Syrian Refugees, if they cannot have marriage defined by the states, they can't determine which humans they allow to live in their states either, until they break the law.  Then the folks get to charge them, judge them and execute them if they earned it.

    I imagine I will be just as willing to shoot my enemies from another religion as I am to shoot my friends from the same religion.  I haven't a racist bone in my body - if I were willing to have sexual relations with women from any race I am certainly willing to marry women of any race...

   Now, no matter what ever happens with the President Obama, or ISIS, or any terrorist or the media or the rich and powerful elite, hidden and in the open - I will always make up my own mind and be responsible for all my own actions.  I hope all you real Americans will be also.  The FBI and other folks have a long list of folks to be watching right now, am I on it? Don't care, they have enough to do badly... Remember the same security forces for the President, the country, the states, the counties, the townships and other municipalities all work for the powers that be. The broken VA Health system is just as effective as the broken Education systems, and the broken Immigration Systems, and the broken Border protection, and the broken Drug Enforcement system... all government goodness graceless done so wrong. So if I want educated, I read more, I ask questions and I ponder and practice... hmm, notice didn't see the government in that... of course I have used the government to aid my quest for Sainthood, but they don't really work in religious endeavors.

    Since I am convinced that no one, borrower nor lender, ever expects the National Debt to be paid off or even down - I know the fix is in.  The terrorists are going to come, they are going to be home grown, too.  Not that I care much, I am wiping all my ammunition with bacon greased fingers, I am making sure any body bags I have issued to me are lard coated so the body and blood can be cleaned off for recycling the bag for later use. When a new layer of lard will be used to prepare the body bag.

Nice weekend wasn't it?

Well I think so. 
    On Saturday I drove to Port Townsend for a wet Appleseed with thirteen shooters. All instruction and History presented and accepted by them, one AQT for score, and one shooter made a 235 of 250 possible, considering the wet chilly conditions I was impressed although it was his fourth Appleseed and he had made his Rifleman qualification score in the past, it did encourage the others to come back for another day. I had a couple rifles fail to extract, wet bullets sucking on the chamber walls, used my knife to get them out, and asked the man why he didn't carry a knife for just such a thing, all men and boys should carry knives. Then he told me he had a knife when he was six but they took it from him and sent him to the Principal's office when they discovered it.  He hasn't carried one since. How do you play mumbly peg without a knife? He didn't. And we wonder why things go bump in the night now? He was a great man, and was sharing the weekend shooting with his son, so he can't be all bad. Drove the hour and a half back home, crossing the toll bridge and losing six dollars because I didn't feel like driving around it in the wet darkness, I was tired already.

   Got home got the green stuff to make salad out of for Sunday's Thanksgiving Feast for the Church Youth - which because many of them are from Korean families may not have a firm tradition of turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, green beans and gravy -- and pie after that... the Men in my Bible Study and their loving wives provided. Figure to feed about ninety, fed about a hundred with extra stuff going home for a second meal for those that didn't come. I had some worries about how prepared we were to do this, the Korean pastors like to be in control and we were doing it on our dime and our time. It was a great success.


 While setting up I even got a picture of my Sunday school class, about 90% of them, with me for posterity.

Veterans on Veterans Day, Remembrance Day and mostly Armistice Day...

    I grew up with a veteran as my father, my uncle was one, too. Seemed that everywhere I looked as I was going to school, that everyone was a veteran. There was still a draft and Elvis was drafted, everyone was a veteran, so it seemed. So with my resolve firm when I figured out I didn't really care to spend more time in college studying my room mates' courses I joined the Army to be a Special Forces member, not knowing I was a year too young, not that the recruiter cared about what I knew as much as he cared that I was whole and breathing. Grand adventures or plenty of time waiting for something to happen and fat paperback books in my cargo pockets. I mentally fought in a hundred battles and wars through reading, movies abound with romantic themes of glory - movies just aren't as real as life is, just as we wish it could be. But seriously, nothing ever happened to me, no wounds, no bayonet charges, and all my fears just in my nimble mind.

  In the Roman Legions of the Roman Republic, in the mass of men and spears of the Greek city states, in Alexander's Macedonians - veterans were the old guys with the scars and slaughtering attitude that firmed up the lines and kept the innocent youth from breaking and running when the opposing ugly showed their fangs and snarls.  Most of George Washington's greatest battles were with his military inexperience and then with fighting the Continental Congress for the men and material to keep an Army in the field... thank goodness he beat both the Congress and the British generals. All he really wanted to do was go back home, to Mount Vernon, which is really what all the veterans want to do, go back home. Not that they wouldn't do it again if needed, but you can get very cynical thinking about how few people understand what you do and why you do it. Always good for a little humor about how bad it could be, but you have been lucky, blest and getting by the best you can.

   Mostly you want to get on with living in peace and plenty, you wish your children to be strong and courageous - but you pray they never have to go, and then realize they always do go, old folks need them and their service almost every generation - so we honor the Veterans today, and next May we will honor the dead lost in our wars. Don't get them confused, but always remember them and the price of peace and plenty.  It is beyond dollars and sense.

Time to remember the 11th hour of the 11th Day of the 11th month, and give thanks like they did when the guns fell silent.

Best tool for the job...

  So I went and shot a hundred and twenty rounds through my 1911 Colt Model 70. I had a couple of little problems and worked through them. Which makes me think that I might need new magazines and some gunsmith work.  In the reflective light of mowing the wet grass this morning, I realize that buying my way to happiness will never be as effective as working my way to the point of good shooting on time on target.  Since the pistol isn't most of my problem, and I am easier to reprogram for success than the ammunition, magazine and pistol.

Not doing it for the glory of God, nor in the name of the LORD...

  just means not very important, and probably sure to fail. But the challenges of the country are not found in the belief in God, they are found in the belief in other men and women, and the lack of faith.

   I was raised to believe that a promise was a promise, that a man's handshake was part of the bond between us and meant that we could work together for our good.  I was raised to think I should carry out my work, duty and service to the best of my ability.  And to know that sometimes it wouldn't work nor be enough and admit failure and get up and try again.  Conquer the problem by solving it for myself then others.

  I finally realized that no one in Washington, DC or in the banking systems around the world expects to have the debts paid off, they all expect to stay chained in partnership forever since both lender and borrower get their needs satisfied.  If you are a little borrower, the lender owns a piece of you, if you are a giant borrower then you control a piece of the lender. The governments are about power, which in the big picture isn't muscle and iron, it is what you control.

  Who controls you? Where is your contribution to the powerful? Why?

    

Okay debate analysis...

  I watched another debate, and sure enough, I have noticed finally (I am slow about stuff) that the opponents are the candidates and the moderators, that is the two sides with agendas.  The moderators have to promote drama and interest - this last debate was against the World Series, and all the professionals were wearing uniforms with total fan involvement. The amateurs were in suits in indoor comfort in Colorado. That they were amateurs was pointedly pointed out by an off his rocker sitting governor from Ohio, the too long sitting governor of New Jersey was running for Presidential Office as to be considered highly for Attorney General with a possible Supreme Court nominee future. Doctor Ben Carson is concerned for the nations' moral health while the survivor of the Clinton political machinery was proposing making big changes in how the Federal government conquer big ticket health killers.

   It is good there are so many different ideas on stage, one size fits all is the bland beige Democratic Socialist Party poop and no one wants to step in it. 

   Did it make my mind up? Nope, there are several people on that stage and would do a better job of the President than the opposing party... but we will have to wait and see what the folks behind the curtain will allow to lead us... cause you do know the fix has long been in, don't you?

  If I believed that Jeb! and Marco liked each other enough, Jeb! striking out at Rubio's poor attendance record on votes were because Jeb! is saving his best for later when he gets anointed by the Establishment Olde Foggies, and boosting Marco's poll numbers and performance opportunity for the night. Jeb! reminds me of the student that has everything except true reason for living and a solid sense of his silly, and then has no standing in the clique because everyone is playing by different rules they make up as they go, which is just not fair to someone that is given every opportunity and still is boring.

   I will point out that the difference between 2011 and 2015 is four years, and the Republicans were not well served last time by too little choice, and this time don't seem well served by too many choices, but I was involved last time, since I thought I could really make a difference... I know so much better now. Aside from very real voter fraud, which has been prosecuted for the last two years from that last election, and is still on going --- to all the fast stuff the GOP did to the TEA Party and the tea party to produce Romney and Ryan, who were never ever going to win against the Real African-American Peace Prize winner, there was never a doubt the fix was in, and the lack of real honor in the political classless folks means to me it will happen again... and war games on the computer give me a more satisfactory victory. Like every day on the range is better than an hour on television viewing.

Where did it go, where do we start, how do we survive...

    America is gone, right after Western Civilizations 101... a relic of a different age and a new human race evolved... NOT.

   Getting back into Sunday School teaching (??? guiding might be a better term) I understood I had forgotten youth and the constant effort to control ones growing self and everything around them, call it play, learning, developing or stretching into the unknown - it is constant.  I have been ill and mostly just a problem to be around for over two weeks, but the children actually became nicer as I tried to  perform; thank them, their parents and the Lord. But as I sent them on their way Sunday I wanted them to find a definition of Honor, or as they would in England 'Honour'.  There are so many words I use and know and are part of my life and definition that my brother knows and has changed the meaning of over his years of growing. He also has different core values, but then he isn't the future of the world - his grandchildren are.

   I never see Glenn Beck, since he departed FOX before the Five, but he was pointing to the culture and the elite establishment, to include political, as being out of touch with mainstream Americans, which aren't really in the center of the foolishness - but the whole group is immoral, accept others as immoral, and think that will make a better world.  He also said that the America that will come from descending into that immorality will be so very evil and ruthless that it would never be forgotten but held up as the worst ever.  Got to be first as something, don't they?

  Anyway, what attracts followers of the different candidates is the failure of the current, in both parties, of elected officials to get it done well, on time, on budget and working as promised.  Which is the result of immoral behavior, we aren't telling each other good myths, fairy tales, and moral stories where good triumphs through - thought, planning, execution and lots of sweat and the good Lord's blessings. You know, like functional families, farms and small businesses and crafty stuff... little very important things.  There is a sad lack of heroes held up as examples - as I repeat to my instructors on the rifle ranges, never teach nor demonstrate the wrong way to do anything - it becomes a focal point. Always emphasize the right way, the best way, the way that the body will make the best shot - once the shooter is out of the 'I' of the shot.

   Time for breaking fast, I watched 'Waterhole number 3' last night, enjoying the movie, thanks to Roger Miller my favorite laughing balladeer.  Code of the West.

These United States of America...

   I have been reading Doctor Ben Carson's book A More Perfect Union . A fine book with solid ideas, since it is based on the most successful Republic of modern times.

   I will liken the America I know with the man, the fat olde white one, I see in the mirror.  Because we suffer from the same foolishness.  We got fat, sure we told ourselves we were just doing more, getting stronger, buying the right clothes, getting the good stuff for the table and the home and the family... but we got fat, the teeth rotted and the hair fell out.  We got high blood pressure, which is a risk factor, and treated it and so lost lots of the glandular functions which make for new problems.  So maybe the government did something similar and it will hurt in the long run, won't it? We have two cars, four monitors for cable and computer, a cell phone and a regular phone and Skype.com can come in on the computers.  So too much information, and since I can reach out and contact people in foreign nations - I think that I am in control. Just like those government officials in the DC area, the ones that can't keep drugs from the streets and can't trust the population to be armed.

   Until someone decides that we go back to the smaller Federal Footprint on our necks, pays down and off the debt, and gets rid of the fat that makes us no longer fast and nimble... we are going to die.

   You want a fast growing economy, get the government out of it. Business and Capitalism work better than any other system.  Reports from Denmark are interesting, but Hamlet isn't a prince there, any more.  The original Republic worked well too, but then it got older and fat. Not the man, nor government they were meant to be.

So time changes and improvement becomes the new stupid...

  Playboy, magazine with the centerfold, is folding.. on to other things. Once the entire nation embraces naked women on Time Square and on my home computers - the idea of artful uncovering of the beautiful innocent girl next door - just can't get many takers.  Back from the Gulf War and in Germany I had a soldier ask if I had seen the latest Playboy since it had an interview with Rush Limbaugh.  I had laughed loudly, not remembering the last time I had opened one up.

   When I found Rush Limbaugh listening to some strange First Sergeant tell about only having fifteen bullets to jump into Haiti later, and Rush believing him, I stopped worrying about Rush.

  Media fed madfool disease, it is catching. If you tell the lie often enough and loudly enough it never becomes a truth, just another uninformed voter.  So the Emperor of the Empire state and his cronies pass the SAFE act, and it finally goes up before a court that can't read the Constitution, and the Court says something to the effect that the People don't have a right to keep and bare arms, because the Mafia and its cleaner followers are declaring it out of touch.  The good emperor did not disarm his police forces... to keep them equal before the law.  So New York is quickly becoming as safe as olde York in England. 

  It is good to be old and know the end is near, I am sure of my reward when I depart. For all those living under the stupids, it wasn't supposed to work that way.  But mankind has always found a way to make perfect the enemy of good.