Gonna be in Phoenix for a week starting Sunday. Haven't been there in over a decade, so if anyone knows the best places to go for beer and debauchery, let me know.
Glad to be done with the soul-sucking mire of Ft. Gordon. Back in ATL and gearing up for Summer 7's! GO BRAHMAS!
I'm headed back to Afghanistan in about three weeks. Not what anyone else was hoping for, but it's a great position and almost 100k more than I was making in Iraq. Can't wait.
Out of every one hundred men, ten shouldn't even be there, eighty are just targets, nine are the real fighters, and we are lucky to have them for they make the battle. Ah, but the one: one is a warrior, and he will bring all the others back. - Heraclitus
The U.S. Postal Service was established in 1775. The government has had 235 years to get it right and it is broke.
Social Security was established in 1935. The government has had 75 years to get it right and it is broke.
Fannie Mae was established in 1938. The government has had 72 years to get it right and it is broke.
The War on Poverty was started in 1964. The government has had 46 years to get it right; however, $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" ... and they only want more.
Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. The government has had 45 years to get it right and they are both broke.
Freddie Mac was established in 1970. The government has had 40 years to get it right and it is broke.
The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. The government has had 33 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.
"Government service" has been shoved down our throats while overspending trillions of our tax dollars for over two centuries now.
AND NOW YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED TO RUN OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?
Fuckin' clownshoes.
Social Security was established in 1935. The government has had 75 years to get it right and it is broke.
Fannie Mae was established in 1938. The government has had 72 years to get it right and it is broke.
The War on Poverty was started in 1964. The government has had 46 years to get it right; however, $1 trillion of our money is confiscated each year and transferred to "the poor" ... and they only want more.
Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. The government has had 45 years to get it right and they are both broke.
Freddie Mac was established in 1970. The government has had 40 years to get it right and it is broke.
The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 16,000 employees with a budget of $24 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. The government has had 33 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure.
"Government service" has been shoved down our throats while overspending trillions of our tax dollars for over two centuries now.
AND NOW YOU WANT AMERICANS TO BELIEVE YOU CAN BE TRUSTED TO RUN OUR HEALTH CARE SYSTEM?
Fuckin' clownshoes.
Incoming mortars and outgoing helos rung in the New Year for my team and I last night.
Standing on top of our CHU smoking a Monte Cristo from the duty-free while watching the Phalanx intercept the first of four inbound mortars. I caught a glimpse of a full moon between the clouds and tried really hard to avoid another of those 'peaceful, almost spiritual' moments that have punctuated my time in the other places that I've spent the Holidays this past decade.
The insanity of Kuwait City International Airport during the buildup in 2003; the stillness of the crowd outside the Grand Mosque in Riyadh right before a thief had his hand cut off; watching the sun come up over the mountains in Afghanistan in 2006; 400 feet above the desert floor at midnight, hanging out the back door of a Chinook leaving Bucca this past June. In the past, those moments had somewhat calmed me or at least given me a moments respite from whatever else was going on so I could attempt to put some perspective on the situation.
But last night, in the quiet between the first and second mortar, the glimpse I got of the full moon didn't remind me of the beauty that was left in the world. I didn't get a small dose of reason or have a momentary feeling of calm clarity. What I felt last night was one of the darkest feelings of my life. Not neccesarily of despair or fear, but of acquiescence. The realization that this conflict is never going to end in our favor, if it even ends at all.
Regardless of all the great speeches our glorious leader makes, the policies that our country has adopted over the last 50 years have been so short-sighted and misguided that we will never manage to defeat any enemy that has any dedication to their cause. Our policy of 'helping' nations that we are at war with is needlessly and ignorantly putting lives in danger when we should be focusing on stopping attacks on our own soil.
And damn the media and the college proffessors who don't like our tactics. War is not about mutual respect or caring about feelings. It is about protecting what is 'good' and what we love. I understand that America has its problems but if by and large you don't think that America is worth fighting for, you don't deserve to reap the benefits of being one of its citizens.
Our 'leaders' have the naive notion that we are simply at odds with a select few charismatic leaders that are organizing downtrodden and repressed people in low-income areas. It is GROSSLY irresponsible for any of us to view this conflict that way. Do some research; our most recent attempted terror attack was carried out by a spoiled rich-kid whose was educated at a nice college in the UK. And he is the rule as opposed to the exception.
What we are reallly fighting is a society that has been bred in war and hatred and strife and turmoil since its very inception. The best defense we have in Iraq right now is that the Sunni and Shia are usually too busy killing each other to come after us. Except for on the holidays.
Educate yourselves as to the origins of the cultures that hate us. www.thereligionofpeace.com There are links on that website to dozens more that detail the history of Islam and the Muslim culture. As a younger man I always assumed that the more I learned about this culture and it's religion, the more I would understand what was surely a misunderstood group of people. Now I understand them perfectly well.
Standing on top of our CHU smoking a Monte Cristo from the duty-free while watching the Phalanx intercept the first of four inbound mortars. I caught a glimpse of a full moon between the clouds and tried really hard to avoid another of those 'peaceful, almost spiritual' moments that have punctuated my time in the other places that I've spent the Holidays this past decade.
The insanity of Kuwait City International Airport during the buildup in 2003; the stillness of the crowd outside the Grand Mosque in Riyadh right before a thief had his hand cut off; watching the sun come up over the mountains in Afghanistan in 2006; 400 feet above the desert floor at midnight, hanging out the back door of a Chinook leaving Bucca this past June. In the past, those moments had somewhat calmed me or at least given me a moments respite from whatever else was going on so I could attempt to put some perspective on the situation.
But last night, in the quiet between the first and second mortar, the glimpse I got of the full moon didn't remind me of the beauty that was left in the world. I didn't get a small dose of reason or have a momentary feeling of calm clarity. What I felt last night was one of the darkest feelings of my life. Not neccesarily of despair or fear, but of acquiescence. The realization that this conflict is never going to end in our favor, if it even ends at all.
Regardless of all the great speeches our glorious leader makes, the policies that our country has adopted over the last 50 years have been so short-sighted and misguided that we will never manage to defeat any enemy that has any dedication to their cause. Our policy of 'helping' nations that we are at war with is needlessly and ignorantly putting lives in danger when we should be focusing on stopping attacks on our own soil.
And damn the media and the college proffessors who don't like our tactics. War is not about mutual respect or caring about feelings. It is about protecting what is 'good' and what we love. I understand that America has its problems but if by and large you don't think that America is worth fighting for, you don't deserve to reap the benefits of being one of its citizens.
Our 'leaders' have the naive notion that we are simply at odds with a select few charismatic leaders that are organizing downtrodden and repressed people in low-income areas. It is GROSSLY irresponsible for any of us to view this conflict that way. Do some research; our most recent attempted terror attack was carried out by a spoiled rich-kid whose was educated at a nice college in the UK. And he is the rule as opposed to the exception.
What we are reallly fighting is a society that has been bred in war and hatred and strife and turmoil since its very inception. The best defense we have in Iraq right now is that the Sunni and Shia are usually too busy killing each other to come after us. Except for on the holidays.
Educate yourselves as to the origins of the cultures that hate us. www.thereligionofpeace.com There are links on that website to dozens more that detail the history of Islam and the Muslim culture. As a younger man I always assumed that the more I learned about this culture and it's religion, the more I would understand what was surely a misunderstood group of people. Now I understand them perfectly well.
I don't usually post crap like this, but I thought this was hilarious. And just in time for the holidays.
http://www.sojones.com/news/1636-facebook-revenge-brother-vs-sister/
Enjoy.
http://www.sojones.com/news/1636-facebook-revenge-brother-vs-sister/
Enjoy.
I'm finally settled into my room in Baghdad, but I swear that the internet is slower here than it was last year. It's taken me almost 20 minutes just to get to this page. That being said, I probably won't be blogging all that often. Which is probably a good thing since my posts would all be angry and negative. Hope all of you are having a great holiday.
So the Halloween party came off brilliantly, but it turned cold and rainy so our attendance was down a little from what we projected. Still, the poeple that were there were awesome and I, for one, had a fucking great time. There are some pics on the website, but I don't know how much longer it will be up: http://frathousehalloween09.ning.com/.
I'm also getting ready to go back to Iraq right after Skanksgiving, so if anyone wants to send some dirty pics my way, feel free.
I'm also getting ready to go back to Iraq right after Skanksgiving, so if anyone wants to send some dirty pics my way, feel free.
SEPTEMBER 2011
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AUGUST 2011
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JULY 2011
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JUNE 2011