Peace in Today's World

Good Grief!

2012-01-18T23:55:00.002-06:00

It has been an very long time since I reached and tried to blog... I have moved to a different state and doing new things. And it is all good.
I had forgotten my password but alas here are again. SO it is way to late for me to be typing coherently LOL

I will visit tomorrow!

Doc

Public Health

2011-08-06T21:38:00.002-05:00

I wonder what it would be like if my country had not cut funding for music, art,lunch and breakfast programs in public schools? I wonder what it would have been like if access to public health programs were available for everyone? I wonder what my country would be like if it had not wasted trillions in dollars and millions in lives to fund the military to fight wars that made no sense? I wonder if those in my country will ever get it?

Doc

Down TIme

2011-07-31T12:49:00.004-05:00

It is a wonderful morning, I slept in and have done almost nothing this morning. It is nice, it could be addicting. NOT that I have been told I am too intense for just goofing off. Anyway I have played on computer to day and phone for awhile. I think I will clean up and get dressed and do something.

It is strange. I have not been watching TV or even been keeping up with the news but I know that those who are in power are still doing the most destructive things they can do to destroy most of what we know.

I am sure that defense spending will continue to rise and that funds for public health, public schools and anything humane will not be funded. (I am sure those in congress will give themselves a pay raise!)

What can we do? I have screamed, I have protested, I have written 100s of letters to those who have been elected to represent me but to no avail. NO one listens...

So I just need a break. Today, even though the heat approaches 100 degrees, I just need to clear my mind. Most of my school work is done and I am starting a new book I need some fresh air. SO if anyone is reading this, I suggest you to go get some fresh air before we start at new week on Monday!

Most religious entities have become pro gun, pro war and pro political it is unfortunate that those gods the choose to worship would never have approved of they are doing now. Good thing God is dead.

More later...

Doc

Stranger Things Have Happened?

2011-07-27T20:47:00.004-05:00

Tonight I am writing this not knowing if anyone is reading this or not. If so, give me a shout out! I am trying to get back in to blogging again.I am in such a different place than i was two years ago.

Anyway I am sitting in classroom awaiting for class to get out. Which has nothing to do with what I am wanting to write about. many, many years ago I met someone. Needless to say it did not work out. I went on to have a good life. And she went on and had a good life. Then about two weeks ago out of the blue this person emails me and asked it I was who I was. AND I will be damned!

Anyway it is an interesting adventure to catch up. It has been over 25 years. So anyway.

In someways we change and in a moment we are the same... Something to think about.

I do not know about the future but it is fun catching up:)

No not that, too many miles away!

Doc

Where are we?

2011-07-25T00:02:00.003-05:00

Sometime when we least expect it, something or someone comes back from our past. Many times these are good things and we can see if we made decisions or bad decisions, either we can not change the facts. So it would be wise to be mindful in all of our daily living so when things come back around it will not be painful. I has been a very long time since I blogged about anything or nothing and sometimes everything.

For those who get my blog, I have moved to a different state, I am not nursing anymore I am teaching and it is wonderful.

I will try to be more dedicated to blogging.

Peace to all my friends. Friends need to be like the columns that hold up a building, they can hold up each other!

Doc

Help! Help! Is anyone listening!

2011-01-10T01:05:00.004-06:00

MAY DAY! MAY DAY!

We are failing those decent citizens who are being gun down everyday.

The future of our children are in question, safety is not even an issue. Where is is the sanity?

Guns Guns Guns

Who givens a damn about education, Who cares about health care?

Oh my God, one one have thought I was kiddapping the Pope! I have recieved so much mail about "Don't touch my gun bla bla" I am sure I hit many a nerve. But so far NO NOE wants to talk about solutions just the same old, my forefathers said I could own a bazoka and kill whom ever I wanted to because I have the 2nd Admendment on my side.

I am still awaiting for someone to start a conversation to make peace in this country. So far no one in the media, no one in politics and no one in the religious community. All say it is their God given right to own guns...

Oh have mercy on our souls!!!

Searching for Peace another day.

Interesting Facts!

2011-01-09T04:22:00.003-06:00

500,000 Guns are stolen annually in the United States.

81 people on average die per day from a gun in the United States according to the Center for Disease Control.

These are facts.

Something to think about.

Making the NRA Proud!

2011-01-08T23:06:00.002-06:00

Oh good God! Another day of death, this time however it made national news.

A congresswoman was shot but many others were killed. To include a 9 year old little girl. I asked this every time, was it worth it??? You know the whole 2nd Amendment thing, a law that was written over 200 years ago, allowing people to have a weapon in their homes for protection and to hunt wild game so they could feed their families. UMMM I think Not!

So here we are making and selling more weapons than any other country on the planet and we wonder why we have such a large violent society? What bothers me most is the hypocrisy of it. The church goers scream don't kill the babies, stop abortion and then they want to own guns and promote violence from killing each other, to capital punishment and feeding the masses into a war in several countries. I am sick of it! These are the same folks that want to scream human rights violations every time a country does not agree with our behavior. Bullshit!

Yes we made democracy happen in Iraq, we took our guns and forced people to the polls and called it democracy. Are we are so stubborn to think every smuck should have a gun. LISTEN people it is not immigration nor is it the communist that will be our downfall, nor will it be those who not believe in Christianity but it will those in this country who refuse to re-evaluate the 2nd Amendment, it will be those who refuse to accept that not every person should have these rights to own a gun! Wake up, and while you at it, what is so wrong in just taking care of our people! A good education, quality health care and so much more!!!

Peace till another day!

Ugly People

2011-01-08T02:50:00.002-06:00

It is once again about 2:45am in the morning. I wonder if the people in who lead this nation ever sit up at night think about what they do. Sometimes when I hear the things that they do and the priorities that they have I am just blown away. So what are we to do? I know deep inside I should let things go by and work on the crazy things that occur around me but it is very hard for me to do that.

In the headline of the national paper today it was being toughted that the Republicians were happy to be able to cut the nations health care, duh? Am I the only one that sees we are a nation that is hurting, if the the Republicians wanted to make the nation proud, they could find ways to bring jobs to America, not cut benefits, these same people are happy to freeze social security wages and disability benefits for disabled veterans. These people should be ashamed.

No they would rather promote war and weaponary to other nations. This saddens me.

So one day when the republicans are gripping their guns and starving to death because they had no forsight to do the right things, it will not matter if we say I told you so, because we all will be suffering.

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So here I sit writing words that very few will read and even fewer will understand. As long as there is a possiblity that maybe someone will see the hypocrosy of this dilema I will continue to write. We have schools failing our children, but we spend millions suporting forgein schools, we have people suffering with lack of health care but we spend trillions to kill, house, feed and then provide free health care to forgeiners on their soil. We have federal politians who give themselves raises annually but will cut programs for the most needest of Americans. Does anyone see this travesty?

Peace Out My Friends!

Wondering?

2011-01-03T02:40:00.003-06:00

I am siting up, it is about 0230 in the morning. I am saddened once again, a soldier that lives about 30 minutes from me was reported to have been killed on 12/31/2010 in Afghanistan. I am sad that we are still in combat both in Iraq and Afghanistan. We are doing no good. There is no such thing as a war on terror, just like there is no such thing as a war on drugs.

Let us think about this for a moment and wonder what we could do to prevent future wars and promote peace. Umm, I think we should reduce the amount of guns and bullets we make each year to sell to foreign governments, for example we sell both Palestine and Israel weapons and then want to broker a peace treaty. Real peace would begin within guns not being sold or given to either of these countries. And we make and sell too many guns domestically. Many cities have out of control killing and murders with guns. We want to promote no smoking in public places, how about no guns in public places, this is not to old wild west!

This debate will go on for many years, until we get tired of killing and suffering we will continue to do the same thing year after year.

SOA Watch!

2010-04-17T22:38:00.000-05:00

November Vigil 2010 - Converge on Fort Benning, Georgia
November 18-21, 2010: Close the SOA and take a stand for justice in the Americas.

The November Vigil to Close the School of the Americas at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia will be held from November 18-21, 2010. The annual vigil is always held close to the anniversary of the 1989 murders of Celina Ramos, her mother Elba and six Jesuit priests at a the University of Central America in El Salvador.

Organize your community for the 2010 vigil!

November 2010 will mark the 20th anniversary of the vigil that brings together religious communities, students, teachers, veterans, community organizers, musicians, puppetistas and many others. New layers of activists are joining the movement to close the SOA in large numbers, including numerous youth and students from multinational, working-class communities. The movement is strong thanks to the committed work of thousands of organizers and volunteers around the country. They raise funds, spread the word through posters and flyers, organize buses and other transportation to Georgia, and carry out all the work that is needed to make the November vigil a success. Together, we are strong!

Vigil and Rally at the Gates, Nonviolent Direct Action, Teach-In, Concerts, Workshops and a Anti-Militarization Organizers Conference

There will be exciting additions to this year's vigil program. Besides the rally at the gates of Fort Benning, Georgia with inspiring speakers and amazing musicians from across the Americas, the four day convergence will also include an educational teach-in at the Columbus Convention Center, several evening concerts, workshops and for the first time, the Latin America Solidarity Coalition will stage a one-day Anti-Militarization Organizers Conference on Thursday, November 18, 2010.

Shut Down the SOA and Resist U.S. Militarization in the Americas

Our work has unfortunately not gotten any easier and U.S. militarization in Latin America is accelerating. The SOA graduate led military coup in Honduras, the continuing repression against the Honduran pro-democracy resistance and the expansion of U.S. military bases in Colombia and Panama are grim examples of the ongoing threats of a U.S. foreign policy that is relying on the military to exert control over the people and the resources in the Americas. Join the people who are struggling for justice in Honduras, Colombia and throughout the Americas as we organize to push back.

Spread the word: Click here to tell a friend about the November Vigil.
For more information, visit www.SOAW.org.

Need to Find a Good Book?

2010-04-17T22:25:00.002-05:00

Need to Find a Good Book?

Let me suggest a few:

I am always looking to add to my list, please feel free to offer your suggestions!

1. The Catcher in the Rye – J.D. Salinger
The unstable protagonist Holden Caulfield has become an icon for teenage angst. He offers an unreliable and colloquial account of one of his socially isolated exploits.

2. Frankenstein – Mary Shelley
In an attempt to harness nature scientist Victor Frankenstein gives life to a zombie he assembled.

3. The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini.
The novel tells the story of a young Afghan boy who betrayed his best friend, against the backdrop of violent political and social unrest.

4. To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
Amid the Great Depression, in the Deep South a black man is accused of raping a white woman. The subsequent trial is told from the perspective of 6year old Scout.

5. A Portrait of the Artist as A Young Man – James Joyce
A semi biographical coming of age novel set in Dublin and written using interior monologue.

6. The Watchmen – Alan Moore
This graphic novel tells the story of a group of superheroes, set in an alternate reality.

7. 1984 – George Orwell
Orwell’s futuristic novel depicts a reality where everyone is watched and everything is monitored, including one’s thoughts.

8. Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
This novel is a commentary on English Imperialism in Africa.

9. Trainspotting – Irvine Welsh
Trainspotting details the lives of several Scottish heroin addicts.

10. Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
Set in 19th Century England, this novel follows Elizabeth Bennett as she deals with marriage, love, family, morality, education and society.

11. The Bell Jar – Slyvia Plath
The book depicts Esther Greenwood’s descent into madness.

12. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay – Michael Chabon
An epic novel depicting two Jewish boys’ aspirations to create comic books in 1940s’s and save one of their families from Nazis.

13. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Doughlas Adams
A fantastical novel that follows Arthur Dink through space as Earth is destroyed by aliens.

14. The Life of Pi – Yann Martel
This is a fantasy novel about spirituality. It describes a boy stranded on a boat in the Pacific, with a host of zoo animals, including a tiger and hyena.

15. The Grass is Singing – Doris Lessing
Beginning with the murder of a white woman, this novel examines racial issues in 1940’s Zimbabwe.

16. The Joy Luck Club – Amy Tan
Focusing on 4 Asian-American families who begin the Joy Luck Club.

17. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Caroll
This novel tells the story of Alice who falls down a rabbit hole into another world and her adventures there.

18. Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone - J.K. Rowling
The first installment of the series, which sees 11 year old wizard Harry Potter begin school at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and battle the evils within.
18 (a) Harry Potter and The Goblet of Fire – J.K. Rowling
The fourth installment in which Harry must complete three perilous tasks in the Triwizard Tournament.
18 (b) The Tales of Beadle The Bard – J.K. Rowling
A fictional book mentioned in the Harry Potter series. It is a collection of Wizarding fairytales.

19. Gulliver’s Travels – Jonathan Swift
A satire of travel writing, Gulliver finds three islands, each with unique inhabitants that serve as allegorical critique of humanity.

20. Beloved – Toni Morrison
A former slave is haunted by her past in the form of a woman called Beloved.

21. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer – Mark Twain
This novel follows Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer as they rides down the Mississippi river in an attempt to leave civilization behind.

22. The Hound of the Baskervilles – Arthur Conan Doyle
Tells the story of an attempted murder inspired by the legend of the gruesome hound.

23. The Great Gatsby – F. Scott Fitzgerald
A critique of the American dream and the prosperous society of post WW1.

24. Ulysses – James Joyce
This novel follows Leopold Bloom during one day in Dublin. The book is divided into episodes and uses various literary techniques like stream of consciousness and parodies.

25. The War of The Worlds – H.G. Wells
This classic Sci-Fi novel describes an alien invasion of Earth.

26. Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
Tells of the love between Heathcliffe and Cathering Earnshaw, and how it destroyed their lives and the lives of those around them.

27. David Copperfield – Charles Dickins
This novel follows the eponymous Copperfield through his life in Dickensian England.

28. Mrs. Dalloway – Virginia Woolf
Set in post WW1 England, Woolf’s novel examines the institution marriage, shell shock, gender equality and more through the thoughts of the protagonist.

29. Paradise Lost – John Milton
Milton’s epic poem sympathetically describes the fall of Satan and the temptation of Adam and Eve.

30. One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest – Ken Kesey
This book examines the conditions of the mind and mental illness. The book follows Randle Patrick McMurphy, a man who feigned insanity to receive a more lenient sentence for battery and is sent to a mental asylum.

31. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas – Hunter S. Thompson
A writer for Rolling Stone magazine, Thompson was assigned to cover a motorcycle race, instead he described the psychedelic trip he experienced while on a binge.

32. Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
Hugely controversial when released, the book describes a middle aged man’s obsession with a 12 year old girl.

33. Don Juan – Lord Byron
A satirical poem by Lord Byron where the character of Don Juan is subverted as someone who is seduced by woman.

34. In Cold Blood – Truman Capote
This novel introduced a new literary genre: the non-fiction novel. Capote tells the true story of the murdered Clutter family, and the men who killed them.

35. Lady Chatterley’s Lover – D.H. Lawrence
Another famously banned book, this novel follows an aristocratic woman frustrated by her paralyzed husband, begins an affair with the gamekeeper.

36. Twilight – Stephanie Meyer
The first installment of the Twilight series introduces us to Bella and Edward; respectively a human and a vampire who fall in love.

37. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values – Robert M. Prigg
A book that chronicles a father, his son and their close friend’s 17 day motorcycle tour of the United States; a journey that evolves into each character’s philosophical reflections on science, epistemology and more.

38. Moby Dick – Hermann Melville
A classic allegorical novel that follows Ishmael as he attempts to take revenge on an enormous sperm whale that ate his leg and destroyed his boat.

39. A Farewell to Arms – Ernst Hemmingway
Divided into 5 books this semi-autobiographical novel describes the protagonist’s job driving an ambulance in WW1.

40. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – John Berendt
Set against the backdrop of Savannah this novel follows four trials after the murder of a local rogue.

41. On the Road – Jack Kerouac
Largely autobiographical, this novel examines the pre WW2 beat generation through the journeys taken by Sal and his friends across America.

42. The Audacity of Hope: Thoughts on Reclaiming the American Dream – Barack Obama
Obama espouses the policies and subjects that would form the basis of his Presidential campaign.

43. The Motorcycle Diaries – Ernesto “Che” Guevara
This novel describes Guevara and his friend’s travels across Southern America; a journey that would provide Che with insight into social inequality and injustices.

44. Mere Anarchy – Woody Allen
A collection of stories that attempts to solve everything from humanity’s most profound questions to how to fix a wobbly table.

45. Lord of the Flies – William Golding
An allegorical novel that describes a group of school boys stranded on an island trying to rule themselves. The novel is a commentary on culture and society.

46. The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe – C.S. Lewis
The Pevensie children, relocated to their Uncle’s country house during WW2, find a secret passage to fantastical world called Narnia. The other world however, is under threat.

47. The Satanic Verses – Salman Rushdie
A hugely controversial novel that follows two Indian actors who miraculously survive a plane hijacking only to be transformed into a good and an evil spirit.

48. The Curious Incident of The Dog In The Night Time – Mark Haddon
Told from the perspective of an autistic boy, this book follows the boy as he investigates the mysterious death of a neighbor’s dog.

49. The Rules of Attraction – Bret Easton Ellis
This novel focuses on a love triangle between three college students, told from several first person perspectives. It focuses on the spoiled group’s promiscuity and unruliness.

50. The Fellowship of the Ring – J.R.R. Tolkien
The hugely successful first book in the Lord of the Rings saga begins the story with Frodo Baggins, a hobbit living in a fantasy world who has obtained a ring of ultimate power. Aided by his friends and a wizard, he must overcome the allure of the ring and destroy it.

Betwixed?

2010-04-17T21:46:00.003-05:00

BETWIXED?

I have only three more weeks left of school for this semester. WOW time really flies. This summer should prove to be interesting, I will be doing a bit of traveling. As I travel this summer I will be working on a thesis paper for next semester, the paper is on "PTSD: Causation and coming in from the dark" I pretty much have most of it written but I hope to use this time to expand it's content.

This issue is close to home for me because I have many friends and fellow comrades from the military that are dealing with issues that are associated with this diagnoses.

I too find myself pondering the question about why I have survived verses the other poor son of a bitch that I had to kill to stay alive. Or even why I continue to strive for success while others have failed.

Many of these question continue to "betwix" my senses.

I am looking forward to leaving this area and traveling, I am not sure where all my travels will take me but I am taking about 40 days to just this.

Then next year I will finish my studies at the local University (I hope) then find a grad school to attend. I do hope I can get into a History, Historical Preservation, Museum Curator or Library Studies Program.

I know I am just babbling away this evening but it has been some time since I have just wrote randomly. Some of you may know that I have attempted to utilize Face Book to fulfill my urge to write but several things 1) Facebook just frustrates me so much, the social activities such as farmville, mafia wars and all the other nonsense flak that just crowds up and real conversations. 2) Facebook does not allow much room to write, usually one has to have a link or just write a quick line. I did post I was leaving FaceBook on may 31, 2010 and that was my original plan but I will think about it more. 3) It is so time consuming, I have let my own blog suffer and it takes some much time to weed through everything.

As I begin to write more hear I hope to bring more articles and comments on Peace and what if anything we as a society are doing to promote Peace! Certainly not much, we continue to provide the world with weapons and tools of destruction.

Please keep looking and I will attempt to be more mindful about posting!

Thanks again for all of your support.

Today's Reality

2010-03-01T19:32:00.001-06:00

Today’s’ Reality

Coming to terms with today’s reality is hard to swallow for many. Our collective past actions have resulted in the loss of jobs, increased unemployment, an increased crime rate, financial woes of local communities. Some may ask, “What are we to do? And can we get out of this cycle of despair and hopelessness?”

It is not about condemning our past but it is about learning from our past. For many years we in this country have pushed jobs out of our communities and for that matter out of our country. From building washing machines to the auto industry and many industries in the middle, we have eliminated so many jobs. The jobs are still being dome, but just elsewhere. There has been a constant battle between labor and management, and now we are seeing the long-term pain for these actions. It seems we continue to see those who protest companies that come into communities that bring jobs, instead of being grateful that jobs are being offered, we fall into the old attitude, the job needs to be union and no one will work for less than twenty-five dollars an hour! Unions have their place, but when the cost of doing business has caused so much pain and jobs have left our country, maybe we need to re-think our ideas and ways.

I witness so many people that do not work, some because they cannot find a job, while others have given up and others are just do not want to work. Except for the latter, I ask; what is the long-term affect of this behavior (not working) doing to our culture. Many children watch everyday as their mothers and fathers do not leave to go to work, but continue to receive benefits. (a check) Actions speak louder than words, if our young citizens see that their parents do not have to work and still get rewarded, then this is a behavioral culture that will transcend the next generation.

Our communities, state and country are at a major crossroad; unemployment is at all time highs. We are bleeding financially and there is no party to include the republicans that are being financially neither conservative nor responsible. We continue to hear the same rhetoric time and time again. Solutions will be painful at best, but we need to begin to solve our own problems and we must stop relying on other countries to bail us out. (At the federal level we are borrowing trillions from others countries-similar to the check of those not working)

As a common man I have several solutions that could be considered to for our country and communities to begin the process of recovery. This recovery would enable us to succeed. First, we need congress to stop playing around and understand that real people are suffering throughout this land, if a senator or congressman wants to continue to partisan games, they should immediately resign. All members in congress should take a 10% pay cut, this would be a symbolic gesture to hard working Americans that are suffering, as it stands now every year congress votes to give themselves a raise! It would show Americans that congress was serious. Congress needs to begin to act responsible and stop saying no! Second, again on the federal level, we must begin pulling all of our troops out of Iraq, NOW! The 9-11 commission and many others have clearly stated throughout the years that Iraq and the people of Iraq had nothing to do with the horrible events of September 11, 2001. We continue to spend billions in Iraq that could be used to balance the budget in this country or those monies could be used to fund programs for infrastructure, jobs, educational opportunities and even health care. The federal government should also re-evaluate all the monies that we provide other countries for the name of Democracy, most countries that we provide assistance to, are not democratic. Why do we borrow money from other countries to go to war? And not take care of our own?

At the state and local level, several things should be mandated; if a person qualifies and receives a unemployment benefit or a benefit as the lay people call welfare, then that individual should be randomly tested for the use of illegal drugs. Provided that these individuals are not utilizing drugs, they should be required to do community service as well as look for employment. Having these adults leave the house everyday sets an example for the next generation, the child sees that that there is responsibility and reward for working. Several reactions will occur, many things in the community could get accomplished, we could instill pride back into our communities, the next generation can see that people can do good, hope is a choice and working for a paycheck is not an option.

We have so many opportunities in this country but we have squandered many of them. We have totally lost what we are about in this country. We have politicians that send our military to war, borrow money from foreign governments, complain about immigration, and do little to nothing to rectify the current situation. As a common man I continue to loose faith in what some call democratic values, what I see is big business (companies that continue to pursue the military industrial complex), foreign interests (Dubai) and PACs continuing to buy government. We may have already lost this country, I hope not, but I feel as many in America we have lost our way. We continue not to voice our opinions, we continue not to get involved, and we continue to sit ideally by as those who lead us pad their personal financial accounts. I not stating that we need to be born-again fundamentalist, but far from that because we have killed and caused suffering enough in the name of religion. But I am clearly stating is that we need to have those elected to power be responsible and to do the “right” thing. And those of us who vote need to hold our elected officials accountable. And most importantly is for the common American to get involved! The problem is that many of us have fell into the despair mode, we struggle each day to make it while those in power continue to reap the fruits of our labor and sell us out.

A word about my absence

2009-12-10T19:06:00.002-06:00

Yes, It has been some time since I have written, many if not most of my readers have probably packed it in already. Well I was in my semester finals frenzy and wanted to make sure I made all As...At this point the A part is out to the jury. I will be writing a tad more and getting back into the swing of things.

For my friends at my last place of employment, just a FYI. I will be coming around over the next two weeks for some PRN work, I will 9 days over the next three weeks.

So keep an eye out and read the blog

Peace Out my friends!

BLACKMAIL! AFGANISTAN STYLE

2009-11-22T12:45:00.004-06:00

THROUGH BLACKMAIL, bribery and brute military force, the U.S. has determined the political landscape of post-Taliban Afghanistan.

U.S. conquerors installed Karzai as Afghanistan's transitional head of state in December 2001. But Karzai was never meant to build a genuine democracy in Afghanistan. Nor was he expected to champion the rights of women. On the contrary, he was chosen not for his ethical credentials, but rather for his close ties to the band of warlords with which the U.S. partnered to quickly overthrow the Taliban in November 2001.

Renamed the "Northern Alliance" for the purpose of casting these warlords as freedom fighters, in reality, they were veterans of the National Islamic United Front for the Salvation of Afghanistan, an unstable coalition that ruled Afghanistan between 1992 and 1996, when the Taliban overthrew it.

Together, they constituted seven separate Mujahideen political parties, each representing the fiefdom of a corrupt warlord. Their president, Burhanuddin Rabbani, suspended the constitution and issued a series of religious edicts banishing women from broadcasting and government jobs, and requiring women to wear veils. More severe repression soon followed.

Karzai served as deputy foreign minister in Rabbani's government, while the feuding Mujahideen parties unleashed a rein of terror against Afghanistan's already war-torn population. Women were routinely abducted, beaten and raped, or sold into prostitution. According to human rights expert Patricia Gossman, "Between 1992 and 1995, fighting among the factions of the alliance reduced a third of Kabul to rubble and killed more than 50,000 civilians. The top commanders ordered massacres of rival ethnic groups, and their troops engaged in mass rape."

In June 2002, in what the U.S. media depicted as a "flowering of democracy," a loya jirga, or tribal council, elected Karzai as Afghanistan's interim president. But most of the decisions were made behind the scenes, where then-U.S. envoy Khalilzad--a former Unocal oil executive--worked hand in glove with Karzai and the Northern Alliance to manipulate the votes. During the loya jirga, Karzai announced his own election as president before the vote had actually taken place, to the dismay of many delegates.

In the run-up to the 2002 loya jirga, eight delegates were murdered amid a general rise in political violence and intimidation by warlords guarding their own fiefdoms. Meanwhile, Karzai used a rumored plot to overthrow his government as an excuse to round up 700 of his political opponents in the weeks before the voting.

Karzai's brother, Ahmed Wali Karzai, has long been flagged as a drug trafficker in Southern Afghanistan, but the allegations have never been investigated. He continues to head the Kandahar Provincial Council, the governing body for the region.

He also has played a role in passing information to international intelligence agencies. According to Rajiv Chandrasekaran, writing in the Washington Post, while aware of information implicating Karzai in the drug trade, "U.S. and Canadian diplomats have not pressed the matter, in part because Ahmed Wali Karzai has given valuable intelligence to the U.S. military, and he also routinely provides assistance to Canadian forces, according to several officials familiar with the issue."

Under President Karzai's watch, Afghanistan has returned to providing roughly 95 percent of the world's heroin supplies, while the U.S. military looks the other way. As Jeff Stein recently reported at the Huffington Post, Republican Rep. Mike Rogers of Michigan explained, "We certainly need the president to be with us. That would be hard if we're hauling off his brother to a detention center."

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THE U.S. left has failed to effectively oppose the war in Afghanistan from its onset, when the U.S. population overwhelmingly supported the war on the pretext that "we were attacked."

That support has severely eroded, and polls show that a clear majority now wants to end the occupation. Yet many on the left have remained confused for the last eight years--ardently opposing the war in Iraq while remaining silent about the equally immoral war in Afghanistan.

This confusion has apparently been compounded by the election of Barack Obama, who initially opposed the invasion of Iraq in 2003. Obama's Nobel Peace Prize notwithstanding, however, he has since embraced the aims of U.S. imperialism with gusto. U.S. troops and, perhaps more importantly, U.S. military bases remain in Iraq with no deadline for complete withdrawal.

Obama authorized a surge of 21,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan soon after taking office and is now pondering whether to send at least 40,000 more. These are no longer George W. Bush's wars. Obama has claimed them for himself. So far, the only consequence of the surge has been the resurgence of the Taliban resistance against U.S. occupation. Even his pledge to close the prison camp at Guantánamo Bay remains unfulfilled.

Yet Obama maintains a substantial following on the U.S. left, sowing yet more confusion among antiwar activists. For example, in response to Obama's Nobel Peace Prize, Juan Lopez wrote in the People's World on October 12, "Now, don't get me wrong... Like other left and progressive folks, I advocate ending the Afghanistan military venture." Yet he went on to praise the award: "Most of the nation and world embraced the choice as affirmation that, with President Obama at the helm, America has embarked on a new, far more constructive course."

Likewise, Code Pink's Evans argued on womensmediacenter.com, "I left the States with a judgment about some of the women who were members of the parliament: So many are sisters and wives of warlords or tribal leaders chosen merely to fill the required quota of women. But member of parliament Shinkai Karokhal, a radical feminist from Kabul, reminded me that just their existence, that they constitute 25 percent of the body, is inspiring to women throughout the country."

Afghan women surely deserve better than parliamentary representation by the wives of warlords enforcing the lawless and repressive status quo. Those seeking alternative opinions among Afghan women can easily discover that there is no shortage of those with the courage to expose the rule of warlords and call for the immediate withdrawal of all U.S. troops.

Malalai Joya is a case in point. As a young woman, she denounced the participation of drug traffickers and warlords at the 2002 loya jirga. Soon after she was elected to parliament in 2005, she was suspended for her outspokenness. She now escapes violent retribution by wearing a burqa as a disguise.

As she wrote in the Guardian on July 25:

You must understand that the government headed by Hamid Karzai is full of warlords and extremists who are brothers in creed of the Taliban. Many of these men committed terrible crimes against the Afghan people during the civil war of the 1990s. For expressing my views, I have been expelled from my seat in parliament, and I have survived numerous assassination attempts. The fact that I was kicked out of office while brutal warlords enjoyed immunity from prosecution for their crimes should tell you all you need to know about the "democracy" backed by NATO troops.

Likewise, the Revolutionary Association of the Women of Afghanistan (RAWA) has maintained its anti-occupation principles since the war began, risking their lives to organize an underground movement in U.S.-occupied Afghanistan.

In a recent post to the U.S. antiwar movement, RAWA stated:

The U.S. and allies occupied Afghanistan in the name of "democracy," "women's rights" and "war on terror," but after eight long years, everyone knows that the situation is as critical in Afghanistan as it was under the brutal regime of the Taliban. While they talk about democracy and women's rights, on the other end, they are supporting and nourishing the diehard enemies of these values, and impose them on our people.

Washington's warmongers have been getting away with mass murder in Afghanistan for far too long. Obama is now at the helm of this disastrous imperial adventure. "Troops out now" is the only viable exit strategy, yet it can also easily fit onto a bumper sticker. Those who argue for prolonging the U.S. occupation until the U.S. transforms its mission into a benevolent one are likely to be kept waiting forever.

JUST IN CASE I WAS NOT CLEAR!

TROOPS OUT NOW!

PEACE OUT MY FRIENDS...

A Silver Cloud

2009-11-21T08:57:00.002-06:00

A cloud does not know why it moves in such a direction and such a speed,

It feels an impulsion...this is the place to go now.

But the sky knows the reasons and the patterns behind all clouds, and you will know, too, when you lift yourself high enough to see beyond the horizons.

You are never given a wish without also being given the power to make it true.

You may have to work for it, however.

Just a thought to take you through this day.

If you like this and want to read more things like this, I would suggest reading ILLUSIONS by Richard Bach.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and peaceful day today.

Peace Out my Friends

Someone Failed World History

2009-11-20T20:27:00.006-06:00

Why we will lose in Afghanistan

What we are hardly ever told about the country is that it has been for 300 years the scene of a bitter civil war, says Christopher Booker

As both Britain and America are plunged into an orgy of tortured introspection over what we are doing in Afghanistan, a further very important factor needs to be fed into the discussion, because it helps to explain not only why we have got into such a tragic mess but also why our armed intervention in that unhappy country is doomed.

What we are hardly ever told about Afghanistan is that it has been for 300 years the scene of a bitter civil war, between two tribal groups of Pashtuns (formerly known as Pathans). On one side are the Durranis – most of the settled population, farmers, traders, the professional middle class. On the other are the Ghilzai, traditionally nomadic, fiercely fundamentalist in religion, whose tribal homelands stretch across into Pakistan as far as Kashmir.

Ever since Afghanistan emerged as an independent nation in 1709, when the Ghilzai kicked out the Persians, its history has been written in the ancient hatred between these two groups. During most of that time, the country has been ruled by Durrani, who in 1775 moved its capital from the Ghilzai stronghold of Kandahar up to Kabul in the north. Nothing has more fired Ghilzai enmity than the many occasions when the Durrani have attempted to impose their rule from Kabul with the aid of "foreigners" , either Tajiks from the north or outsiders such as the British, who invaded Afghanistan three times between 1838 and 1919 in a bid to secure the North-west Frontier of their Indian empire against the rebellious Ghilzai.

When the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1979, after years of Durrani rule, it was to support a revolutionary Ghilzai government. But this new foreign presence inspired general Afghan resistance which was why, by the late 1980s, the Americans were supporting the almost entirely Ghilzai-run Taleban and their ally Osama bin Laden. In 1996 the Taleban-Ghilzai got their revenge, imposing their theocratic rule over almost the whole country. In 2001, we invaded to topple the Taleban, again imposing Durrani rule, now under the Durrani President Karzai.

As so often before, the Ghilzai have seen their country hijacked by a Durrani regime, supported by a largely Tajik army and by hated outsiders from the West. One reason why we find it so hard to win "hearts and minds" in Helmand is that we are up against a sullenly resentful population, fired by a timeless hatred and able to call on unlimited support, in men and materiel, from their Ghilzai brothers across the border in Pakistan.

Only in towns such as Sanguin and Garmsir are there islands of Durrani, willing to support the Durrani government in distant Kabul. No sooner have our forces "secured" a village from the Taleban, than their fighters re-emerge from the surrounding countryside to reclaim it for the Ghilzai cause. Without recognising this, and that what the Ghilzai really want is an independent "Pashtunistan" stretching across the border, we shall never properly understand why, like so many foreigners who have become embroiled in Afghanistan before, we have stumbled into a war we can never hope to win.

Well my friends, how many more must die? How much money must be wasted? How many must be crippled? What is the cost of this war?

Peace Out my Friends

THE BRIAN IS A SNEAKY ORGAN

2009-11-19T15:12:00.002-06:00

UMM...I wonder what I am thinking? It is a good thing that my pre-frontal cortex (PFC) is working...For those of you that do not know what that is; the (PFC) is the part of the brain which inhibits "sneaky" thoughts and prevents us from saying things or acting on things that happen to us, it prevents us from being irrational. (Sometimes I have sneaky thoughts...but I am sure most do!)When this part of the brain works right, we can laugh at or dismiss sneaky thoughts. When there is damage or disease to this part of the brain, hurtful and embarrassing thoughts surface to our behavior. All of this means is that we have a filter, sometimes it can be a challenge to keep this filter in place. But for the good of all, I am glad my filter is working.

So I suppose it is good that most of use have functioning PFCs!

If you are an avid reader of my blog then you know that several weeks ago I had wrote about friends and others that I had lost track of...Today I was able to get in touch with a person that I thought I had lost. Needless to say, all is well but unfortunately many people allow their families to get too close. Not that is a bad thing but somethings families should not involve themselves in. (I am glad you are well my friend)

Basically I do not hold that practical truths can be made in plain in the market place, or anywhere else for that matter. Again most people make "think" they want truths but in reality they use this information to judge and hurt others. Or use information to manipulate situations and others around them. Life is too short...most do not know that injury and disease can slow you down; but it does allow one to have a different perspective to life.

We must keep our brain open to new ideas, new thoughts, new venues. Our mind should be open to many different possibilities, not just to think in black and white. It takes time, patience, and a lots of acceptance to help us shed that which prevents us from residing wholly and fully in our loving nature. We can be in love with life. We can not allow ourselves to be entrapped into our surroundings, we all have choices. We are all at least two people, we have a public persona and a private persona, we have to keep all in balance. Again our brain must be healthy. We must attempt to do good and be happy. Life is so complicated at times. We must be strong.

So I could go on and on, but most I believe understand the premise of what I am attempting to say. Our world is crazy and many times we act on a certain topic but we forget to engage our brain. Fortunately for most of us the brain self monitors us using the PFC but many times our behavior becomes irrational and thus causing pain to many.

We apply these skills of patience, time and acceptance to get through our daily lives to find our happiness.

For today- I challenge you to sit quietly for at least 15 minutes and allow your mind to rest, recharge and think positive things. We all should count our blessings, we are all blessed.

Be well my friends-

Peace Out

Where does the Time GO?

2009-11-18T16:14:00.004-06:00

Where did the time go?

I have written many times about the needy and hungry. Yet no one listens...This morning as I was driving to work I was listening to a radio talk show that was describing those families that were food insufficient. It seemed the more the speakers talked the more the speakers were attempting to confuse the listeners. Bottom line we have over 50 million people in this country that are hungry on a daily basis.

But do we have a plan? No, we have to extremes, the folks that want to do something and the other extreme that clearly states that they oppose anything that the first wants to do. Unless of course it is to drop bombs on another country, etc. And they are are all in favor of that!

Recently I was talking to a group of nurses and they all were saying that we should go back to the original constitution and live by that? OUCH, after I explained to them that the constitution provided no rights for women or anyone else that was not a property owner and that rich white men controlled everything, it seemed they had to find another argument. I am still waiting.

Our country continues down the path of destruction and it seems that all many want to do is to keep going down this path. Time continues to go by, tic- tock- tic- tock...

It seems that many have their underpants in a wad, but we are the only ones that can effectively make change.

Forget slogans and fancy one liners, just stop and help others along the way, what we give out we will be repaid 10 fold.

Just something to think about.

Peace Out my friends

What do we we want to do?

2009-11-13T16:37:00.003-06:00

Friday the 13th. Enough said about that.

To continue.....

Well I have been attempting to figure out what I was going to do for a very long time.

It has been said to pick something in life or something will pick you.

There is a lot of truth to that statement.

I have always hated when someone would asked me what I wanted to do. For so many years I would say, "I will just wait till I grow up" then I will decide. Then for so many years I would say, "I will just wait until I retire from the Army", then I will decide.

Well here it is folks, I have been out of the Army now for a bit over two years. And I finally have an idea what I want to do. Ok, I know many of you have been waiting for over 40 years; What? Ok, go ahead get a glass a tea, I can wait.

Oh um....oh um....

Oh um...oh ummm.

Oh, you are back, well is there anything you need before I continue? Ok, yes a napkin to go along with the cookie you got while getting your tea would be good, Do you want me to get it, NO, OK go ahead, I will wait......

Ta da ta da oh ummm........

OK, where was I? Oh yes, I was going to tell you what I was thinking on doing now that I have grown up and have retired from playing army.

I am definitely going to finish a Master's Degree in Clinical Counseling, not that I ever plan to hang a shingle out and have people pay me to get into their heads. BUT do so for the educational degree. Once this is completed, hopefully enter into a PhD program and the end goal is to teach, at a college or university level. I have no false ideas of tenure ship but rather be a professor that has some liberties to teach and hopefully have students to learn. Since I will be older and retired I hope that I could stay out of the politics of Academia. Teaching is like nursing, we need to heal the mind with education as we heal the body with care and education. Going back to school at my age has been a definite journey. What I have observed and experienced is that we just do not challenge our students enough. We do have students that are barely making it, while others have to challenge themselves in class to get through, such as bringing a book to read inside their text book.

In the mean time I am still nursing and going to school like a "mad man", I just registered for next semesters classes, 24 credit hours. I must be mad.

I am just blathering away today. this is what happens when I get an unexpected day off, that will change tomorrow, I will be working all weekend 12 hours each day.

In Conclusion, I just wanted to say a few words today and wish everyone a good weekend.

Hear from you soon

Peace Out

Veterans Day

2009-11-11T21:24:00.003-06:00

Veterans Day 2009

What can I say? Veterans Day. I do wish all veterans a happy and a Peaceful day and I do thank all for their service. But just imagine for a moment that we did not have any veterans, thus we would not need a military. That would be cool.

OK- I know that is extremely simplistic but cool none the less.

The problem with Armies is that they are controlled by politicians. Thus we have wars.

It has been the politicians that has got us involved in many wars such as Vietnam, El Salvador and modern day Iraq. Most babble on about either a "domino effect" or they make up a lie such a" plutonium rods from Nigeria"... (Speaking of which, there is a good book called, "The People of the Lie" author Scott Peck, outstanding book, by it and read, will give a different perspective.) We could debate every war since the beginning of time and we would find several constant variables, one would be politicians of the time period and someone God(s) telling them to go forth and convert, convert by force. In modern history we have seen this several times, the Spanish conquistadors invaded the Americas and attempted to convert the native Indians to Christianity. Of course further back we had the 5th and 7th Century crusades that overthrew most of Europe in the name of the church. And today "we" Christians are damned and determined to convert as many people from the Islam faith as possible.

Today I received several emails form friends who wished a Happy veterans day and I also received a card and flower from my boss. That was cool, I did not even know they made Veteran's Day cards.

Today as I was at class I was thinking about those I know that have died or have been wounded. I feel it is such a tragedy, many will say all done in a good cause, it was God's will etc. Nah! killing each other, I see no choice. If we want peace we need to stop violence.

So let us first lead by example, this country continues to talk about Peace in the Middle East. STOP selling them weapons. This is so easy. Stop selling Israel and Hamas weapons and for that matter there should be an immediate cease desist order for all weapons manufactures to stop selling weapons to forgien governments and para military organizations. This would also include mercenary groups like US Blackwater and Haliburton USA.

Fact is: WE IN THE USA DO NOT WANT PEACE! Peace is bad for the current day economy. How many Senators and Congressman would crap their pants if companies of the military industrial complex were to close....SNAP! They (politicians) would not be able to get kickbacks or even re-elected.

So before we keep making fools of ourselfs on the International stage, we must learn to practice Peace. We are one of the largest countries that fail to pay it's dues to the United Nations, We are the only industrial country that has refused to sigh the Keyoto Treaty. And we are the LARGEST supplier of arms to most warring countries and terrorist in the world today. Actions speak louder than words.

Well, I have had this conversation several times today, most people do not want the truth, not about war, not about peace, not about health care, not about education. Actually we say we want the truth. think about it. We spend much of our days trying to figure out what others want to hear and not what we should be saying. Just imagine if we would spend some time and just say what mean and mean what we say, we could change our actions and ALL of our actions could change many things.

We must decide what is important. And then we must decide to act. We all live in a world community. But we must begin to act locally. It is all of our responsibility to act, the government can help but we must demand more from neighbors and ourselves.

OK OK OK I will stop.....

Happy Veterans Day!

Peace Out my Friends!

Endurance

2009-11-09T18:17:00.005-06:00

Endurance is the word of the day.

It is amazing how many times we just want to stop the ride of life and get off.

For most we just continue to look at each day as a victory in the game of life, we find ways to look at he positive perspective and move on but since we are all human, some days we just want to sit down on the curb and quit.

Today was an interesting day. Nothing out of the ordinary but interesting none the less. When I was driving to work today, I was thinking of the blog I shared about friends and people of interest.

I could not help but to wonder about different people and what they were doing, where they were at and just how their life had progressed. I am content on where I am at, I feel good emotionally, spiritually and have a good outlook of where I am at. But I suppose with aging, comes some perspective, sometimes I think I would like to have more more HOORAH before I closed up shop, but I also think that my idea of HOORAH must change, with that being said, maybe my going back to school and getting more education is that HOORAH. (I hope not- but maybe when the formal education is completed I can teach or something overseas or in a tough neighbor???)

I would like to think I can make an impact on peace or even an impact of a positive change but we never know what we do affect who and how...

We live in an upside down world. Thou shall not kill but we can kill if we find it politically justified and other things like this. We live in such a paradoxical place.

I know I think way to much, I can never find answers but I do get a headache a lot!

OK- my friends I just wanted to share my mindless thoughts.

I usually have more questions than answers, but I suppose that is my way of enduring.

Also one more thing- Christmas music is already playing way too much- AHHHHHHHHHHH

I just want to run away with my hair on fire if I hear another Christmas song!!!!

Enough Already!

Peace Out my Friends!

Friends

2009-11-08T16:11:00.004-06:00

Friends and People of Interest!

This weekend had many things to get accomplished, had to write a paper. Do other school work, fix a outside light, washed my truck, mowed some grass. And catch up on my blogging.

I have had many thoughts of friends far and near over this weekend. I have thought about people I know that have died or been killed and many that are alive and well but it seems through space and distance I have failed to keep up with them.

The computer, email and other electronic devices make it easier to keep up but I am still a slacker.

Today I received an email from someone I had not hear from for many months, it was a short hey how are you? I am getting married. And I was thinking this person was already married, so I guess somewhere in the mix they got divorced. Not that the person needed my permission but it was information that I did not know?

I have another friend that I have been attempting to get a hold off just to say HI! But have not heard anything, I hope all is well, but even with all the technology, I do not know if the person sick or even hit by a bus? If you are reading this is HI!

Family is something too, I hear from my kids on a rather frequent basis but as far as anyone else, very seldom. Say HI Guys! Maybe they are not up in the 21st Century electronics!

Just this last week I heard from a good friend that is home on leave from Afghanistan, emailed and said "I am home for a bit" but so far all that I have heard, I do wish the best hope they know their in my thoughts a lot.

Many of you may remember of my friend who had put off an exploratory surgery because of lack of access to health as resulted form no insurance. I did hear from him, the results came back cancerous, now it is up to his insurance company whether or not he is treated. His wife and he are contemplating divorce so his family will not loose their home and belongings if/when he dies. (Pancreatic type) So sad, and he is still a devout republican? He is my friend but I do not understand the rationale.

Since I have starting going back to school, I have met some very interesting people, I can not call them friends at this time but could be in the future. just neat, good people. That make me smile and laugh, ARGH too much history homework!

People, as much as I complain about war and suffering, there are some really good people out in the world. I am privileged to know many of them.

I am glad so glad that stopped working at the prison, not that I will not miss some of the staff, some more than others. But just the negative energy that was put off by the inmate population. Many just made my skin crawl, yikes! I believe well all have a sixth sense somewhere deep inside us, and we can tell we someone is just ugly and evil. And standing too close to evil, well it might rub off. Now on the other hand there are many people whom like to laugh and have a good time but do not want to cause harm to anyone and one can that as well. Unfortunately for many of these good people, they have to keep their guard up, because...well you know.

This weekend has been a beautiful weekend and I do hope everyone had an opportunity to get out and enjoy themselves :)

As the weekend begins to close, think good thoughts and take your positive energy with you into the new week. Be Good, and if you have a friend or someone that you just want to say HI to, then drop them a line.

Peace Out My Friends!

Thoughts on Suffering

2009-11-07T21:43:00.004-06:00

Thoughts on Suffering: A Different Perspective than most

The Four Noble Truths comprise the essence of Buddha's teachings, though they leave much left unexplained. They are the truth of suffering, the truth of the cause of suffering, the truth of the end of suffering, and the truth of the path that leads to the end of suffering. More simply put, suffering exists; it has a cause; it has an end; and it has a cause to bring about its end. The notion of suffering is not intended to convey a negative world view, but rather, a pragmatic perspective that deals with the world as it is, and attempts to rectify it. The concept of pleasure is not denied, but acknowledged as fleeting. Pursuit of pleasure can only continue what is ultimately an unquenchable thirst. The same logic belies an understanding of happiness. In the end, only aging, sickness, and death are certain and unavoidable.

The Four Noble Truths are a contingency plan for dealing with the suffering humanity faces -- suffering of a physical kind, or of a mental nature. The First Truth identifies the presence of suffering. The Second Truth, on the other hand, seeks to determine the cause of suffering. In Buddhism, desire and ignorance lie at the root of suffering. By desire, Buddhists refer to craving pleasure, material goods, and immortality, all of which are wants that can never be satisfied. As a result, desiring them can only bring suffering. Ignorance, in comparison, relates to not seeing the world as it actually is. Without the capacity for mental concentration and insight, Buddhism explains, one's mind is left undeveloped, unable to grasp the true nature of things. Vices, such as greed, envy, hatred and anger, derive from this ignorance.

The Third Noble Truth, the truth of the end of suffering, has dual meaning, suggesting either the end of suffering in this life, on earth, or in the spiritual life, through achieving Nirvana. When one has achieved Nirvana, which is a transcendent state free from suffering and our worldly cycle of birth and rebirth, spiritual enlightenment has been reached. The Fourth Noble truth charts the method for attaining the end of suffering, known to Buddhists as the Noble Eightfold Path. The steps of the Noble Eightfold Path are Right Understanding, Right Thought, Right Speech, Right Action, Right Livelihood, Right Effort, Right Mindfulness and Right Concentration. Moreover, there are three themes into which the Path is divided: good moral conduct (Understanding, Thought, Speech); meditation and mental development (Action, Livelihood, Effort), and wisdom or insight (Mindfulness and Concentration).

Just something to think about

Peace out My Friends

A Sad Day

2009-11-07T21:16:00.003-06:00

Peace? Is there a choice?

It has been a day or two since I have had an opportunity to say a few words. See what happens when I bottle things up. Anyway as I write tonight, it will be just some eclectic and random thought processes. If you are an avid reader I do apologize about the randomness and if you are are new, well this is how my mind works at times. It seems I think of all the things that no one wants to talk about, you know, Lead By Example, Peace and taking care of our own citizens and no so much gun control but gun accountability. And even to say, we can be religiously tolerant but we must also keep our guard up on all extremist, many Christians are just as extreme as our Islamic friends.

Well, enjoy and thanks again for reading my blog....

As many of you know I am going back to school. Even at my aging years I find school invigorating and enjoyable. But to my dismay I find that many go to school just to get a ticket punched not to learn from others or from history.

This last week world events have taken my ear and I my heart is sad. In this country the news is all about the US Army Major that killed over a dozen and wounded many others at Fort Hood, Texas. I am sad when I see or hear of death that is caused for no reason. I am actually angry, but it seems many are just immune to the suffering of death and injury. This has become the norm for our society…

I will digress for a moment, but many years ago I read an article written by Albert Camus, he wrote something to the effect of:

“…the 17^th century was the century of mathematics, the eighteen century that of physical sciences and the 19^th century that of biology. The 20^th century is the century of fear…” I can only imagine if he were alive today, I would think he would be horrified on how we as a human species have started the 21^st century. Killing and more killing, will the madness ever stop?

We are quickly losing hope for the future. Why it is OK for some governments to go and kill innocent people in the name of democracy and freedom but if these people attempt to defend themselves they are labeled insurgents, radicals or terrorist. During the early invasion of Iraq, I was assigned to the US Army’s 3rd ID, a division that spearheaded it’s way to Baghdad, in the process, and anyone who even remotely looked at us were shot and killed. Our Air Force and Artillery bombed everything from Schools, Mosques and government buildings. To this day I can still remember many children's bodies twisted and mangled in a one-room schoolhouse, much suffering and needless deaths. The tragedy in this entire killing was that most if not all of these people were non-combatants. And for a fact none had anything to do with the ugliness of 9-11.

During my assignment in Iraq one of my responsibilities was to track deaths, injuries that were sustained by US and coalition forces, this statistics were then forwarded through the chain of command. (NBDI-Non-Battle Deaths and Injury report) During my tenure in the period of November 2002 to June 2003, we reported over 100 deaths my Infratricide (soldiers killing other soldiers) and Suicide. We had soldiers that we killing other soldiers well before the war started. Several soldiers were killed in the 101st Airborne Division when a fellow soldier shot several soldiers and threw a grenade in a tent of sleeping soldiers, he claimed he did this in the name of his new found religion. Soldiers killing each other and killing themselves… I am also saddened to report during this same period we reported over 120 rapes of female soldiers by male soldiers. We were/are such a destructive society...

Further investigation that I have researched on for my Thesis is that in 2005--6,256 soldiers killed themselves, (suicide) this according to the freedom of information act document that I received from the Department of Defense. Appalling! This is more suicides than have been killed in Iraq and Afghanistan. There is a problem. We are the problem and the enemy is us. We need to heed.

The Army train people to kill each other but does not train those soldiers to cope with results of their actions.

Little is expected of modern day governments, since those live and act according to the murderous code. Hope remains only in the most difficult task of all: to reconsider everything from the ground up, so as to shape a living society inside a dying society. Men must therefore, as individuals, draw up among themselves, within frontiers and across them, a new social contract, which will unite them according to more reasonable principles. We need to find a conscience. We need to find a true bridge of Peace. We can and must accomplish this task. We as a society are running out of choices, as we continue this path of killing, what is the future?

Everyone must make a choice; I have made mine… Someone must speak in the name of Peace and Sanity. It seems no one is concerned that we are still bogged down in not one but two wars. The media wants to talk about Middle East Peace, and Peace with other countries but the media and the politicians fail to see the irony in these statements, we are still making war on others. We need to practice what we pare preaching.

Peace is a choice, just like killing another human being. We, the citizens of the United States seemed to be all about killing, killings in public schools, killings in public shopping malls, killing in churches, and killing on military reservations. We have not had true leadership in government in decades, I am not sure when political leaders stop leading and began the greed game, get everything I can and the hell with everyone else. Many of our political leaders are used to rubber stamp the party agenda, they as a leader were useless. How can we change this? I have attempted several times to find a way to bridge a gap between the current pseudo system of democracy, but the local and state governments will not allow an independent run for office with first getting thousands of people to sign a petition, and then most of these people will not vote? Democracy? I think not. The petition is just a rule to keep the status quo!

The people of America it seems have just stopped caring. No one is speaking out, no one is protesting no one is doing anything. No one wants to have real conversations on Peace; no one even wants to have conversations regarding health care, education or even unemployment. Most of what is said by elected officials and the media is just rhetoric blaming the other party. We need a new party, we need to find accountability in government and big business.

Oh my, I have been on a roll. What are we to do?

Peace Out my friends.

Ramblings

2009-11-04T05:41:00.002-06:00

I only have a minute or two. I am still burning the candle at both ends.

Yesterday I had a patient that was stationed in Afghanistan in 1960 he was in the US Air Force, it was interesting to hear his perspective. Simply put, he said we had no business there then and none now if we would have just been able to do our jobs both back then and now. Since the Afgan invasion. He went on his diatribe and wished our country would just wake up and start taking care of it's own instead of all the infighting that we seem to do.

It was refreshing. It seems most are still locked into all the lies of the Bush Administration. Oh hum, I must stop so I will not get my blood pressure up.

Have a good Day!

Peace Out!

I think I can!

2009-11-02T06:02:00.002-06:00

I think I can, I think I can, I think I can Choo! Choo!

Many may remember this children’s book about the train that could.

Sometimes I resort to my youth and tell myself I think I can, I think I can.

I usually know I can, but some days it just seems so damn hard to go forward. I like the spring, the summer and most of the fall but when I have to turn the heat on, I just cringe.

O well, I have fought the flu this year and now I have to get ready to fight the cold. I hate the cold.

SO I need to find a good book, and just hunker down. As they say in the south, I am sick and tired. I am sick and tired of homework. ARGH!!!

I am writing today with no purpose. I am just free thinking. So far not much worth reading but I am just rambling on.

Today I start my new job at a rural Midwest hospital. I am looking forward to leaving soon, after I finish my coffee. And yes, coffee, that is wonderful, I can actually take my coffee to work with me and even my cup, at the prison I could not. It seemed at the prison “we” the employees were watched more than the offenders. Not that I was doing anything wrong but just the idea of big brother. I have this thing about big brother since I spent so many years in the Army. I did not even have the right to have a cup of coffee in my own cup BUT the offender had all the constitutional rights granted to them under the constitution, and they knew it! They were ALWAYS grieving and complaining, and initiating a lawsuit about some frivolous thing or another.

Today I was listening to the news on TV, which I very seldom do, but it was talking about a rapist who was let go and then killed 6 people and kept their bodies in his home, somewhere in Ohio. My goodness, again, why can’t the judicial system work? Once again criminals have been given so many rights, they do only a fraction of the time sentenced and furthermore not sentenced long enough. Anyways, just my opinion.

Can we ever fix evil?

Probably not, but we at least keep them locked up. Actually California does have a pretty good three strikes your out law. But it still does not take into consideration those criminals with money and power.

Snap!

It is time to go to work, just as I was getting started on a topic.

Well my friends I hope you all have a good day and drop me a line now and then to let me know you are out there.

Peace Out!

Personal cost

2009-10-29T06:28:00.004-05:00

This morning I am running last because I was a slacker and staid in bed for an extra 20 minutes. I feel like I am way behind, but I am really not.

I am on my second cup of coffee thinking about health care or I should say the access to health care. Later this morning I have a friend that will be going under the knife for a long awaited procedure to determine if a growth is cancerous. The doctor lectured him on waiting and he told the doctor that he had to wait to get insurance that would cover this procedure. And even with the primary insurance an a supplemental it still will come to a thousand in co-payments.

My friend had an experience once before in which a family member needed care and they raced to the ER and sought medical attention and it cost them 1000s of dollars in co-pays and to quote him "those medical billing bastards refused to work with him and damaged his credit, that is why it took him so long to purchase his first house" He continues to be bitter. But even though he is my friend and he has had many problems with access to health care he still falls on the conservative side. I have tried for years to get him to at least look at different situations in more of a grey area not just black and white.

Alas, I hope it is not too late, he has needed this procedure for at least a year.

I really do not care what congress says or politicians say, we have a problem taking care of our citizens. Plain as day. It is just like working a job, if your supervisors do not do the right thing, the good people leave. When the country continues to turn it's back on the core of it's citizens, it promotes unrest.

I will say that many so-called politicians that have been elected under the psuedo-democracy two party system are terrorists themselves. Maybe they do not blow up buildings but nonetheless they reek havoc on many lives. All in the name of personal gratification and greed. I am so disgusted. How hard is it, Quality education, access to medical care and jobs. Want to make America Strong again. These are three things that should be a must! NOT dicking around in Iraq, Afghanistan and other places we have no business in! I am sick of hearing about how we are building their infrastructure and building schools, what about our citizens? What about out infrastructure, what about our schools, what about our health care? DUH!

Well my friends, my coffee cup is empty and I should close. I have yammered on long enough

May you have a wonderful and peaceful day!

Ah yes, on a lighter side, I have two days left working full time at the prison. I will be focusing more time to school. Maybe, just maybe one day I can say I have the paper to prove I am an educated man. I will be doing other part time nursing work but all in all, my focus will be school.

Peace Out.

2009-10-28T06:35:00.002-05:00

A friend of mine recently told me about a movie, "The men who stare at goats," which at first did not make sense. Until he explained what the story was about. Then I had to laugh. Most of you know that I was soldier for a very long time, most of my career was filled with mundane tasks. Occasionally I would have a very interesting assignment, and in 26 years I had a few "cool" assignments, in the early 1980s, I had the experience to work with what the Army called remote viewers. I can say that this is probably where I first began to question the normal, the jist of this program was to have people think and and see things in their heads that were happening in another place. It was odd but very interesting. This was in Augsburg Germany. I am sure these tests are no longer be conducted like in the past but I feel very confident that the military is conducting some type of paranormal testing.

I really have to see this movie, knowing that Hollywood has taken much liberty, I am sure it will be interesting, if anyone sees it please review.

Ah yes another topic.

Last night I was at class and many were discussing who was liberal and was conservative, ah yes you may know where this is going.

I sat listening and it was expected all but 2 considered themselves conservative, I had abstained from the round of discussion. The I spoke, and I said "Well, I had believed in God and most of those views that along with that faulty thinking, and I had owned a gun and I had to use the gun many times and because of that I could no longer believe in any of the conservative double standard." A pin could have dropped, then of several wanted to pray for my soul others wanted to convert me but none actually had an argument to any of these points or other points that I brought up.

By the end -I thanked them for their prays and left class, once again, just like shock radio and church, no one wants to talk the talk when it comes to bringing up problems with real solutions, praying for my soul does nothing to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Whoopie! one more class down.

Have a great Day!

Be good to others and be good to yourself

Peace out!

Morning Rant

2009-10-27T06:48:00.004-05:00

Morning Rant

My friends I am going to digress for a moment and point out that the United States incarnates more of their citizens and non-citizens than ANY OTHER country in the world. At the state federal levels we provide high quality health care, we provide for free medicine and any medical devices at no charge. We spend billions each year on this population, most of this population has a long history of substance abuse, this abuse includes, alcohol, meth, heroine, and many other street drugs. These are people that have chosen not to be proactive and take care of their own bodies. But when incarcerated, many expect the medical community to just whip a magic potion and “poof” all is well.

Besides all those that we incarcerated at the state and federal side, there millions that are lost in city and county jails through the nation. Medical care is palliative at best at most of these institutions. If someone gets arrested and has major health issues it is like having a “get out of jail free card” most municipalities and counties cannot afford this high cost and amazingly many legal charges get dismissed. But many do not get out of jail because they have committed such a crime that their medical condition does not over ride the crime.

I am digressing again because my republican friends still do not want to cover the honest hard working people who make up the fabric our society. It is these working poor that need options for health care, not just health care but access to that care. These same republicans will be the first to fund monies for prisons, it does not see that an ounce of prevention worth a pound of cure. Public option is just that, an option for many who cannot afford the ability to get health care to get health care. The Emergency Rooms are not doctors offices, like many use them today. If you know a republican, write a letter or better yet, vote him out of office. I know their mantra, "I have mine you get yours but I am not helping you!"

I know I ramble on and I am an opinionated soul, I do wish we could actually have some common people with some common sense have some input on what laws that are going to be forced down upon us.

Situations like this always remind me that I live in a psuedo-democracy. Several years ago in the Great State of Missouri, “the people” voted NO for conceal and carry. This is a law that any smuck can carry a loaded weapon, concealed. The people who are smarter than the elected officials and they voted NO! Alas, the elected officials said, who needs the people we can write a law and have the puppet Governor sign it and wham we have what we want anyway. Unfortunately, we hear almost on a daily basis someone getting shot and killed. Oh Um…Joe Six pack, Billy Bob, Tyrone Granny and Grandpa too. (Recently a shoot-out at a nursing home left two dead. schools, nursing homes, and safety of people is not an option anymore.)

OK OK I have ramble on enough this morning.

Feel free to commit and we can get enough plausible responses maybe we can make a difference.

They say, you should pick a cause before one picks you….

Peace Out my friends and have a safe and wonderful day!

PS- If you are going to out driving in the rain today, slow down and keep your distance.....

I'm Back!

2009-10-26T06:10:00.002-05:00

I’m Back!

Ummm. Like I said in my last message I have been ill. I doubt it was the H1N1, but I am sure it was flu of some sorts. I barely made it to work and to class each day. I really missed put out some of my opinion and thoughts. Alas, I have recovered enough to start up again. But as a side- note I lost my American history textbook, probably the same day I lost my mind. Who knows where this book of knowledge has gone?

I am pondering my thesis; I have started it several times but each time I feel I am not committed to completing the task needed to do a good paper. The main reason is that there are so many valid topics to choose from. And with that being noted, I am such an air head at times I would like to do different ones but cannot decide on which one.

For me there are many safe topics, but with safe is boring. I feel like I could write on “Leave every child behind,” “Health care,” “military issues,” "Management vs Leadership," but I was thinking something less safe like “In Gods Name…Peace without God?” Could this be a topic, it appears to me that every time we evoke a God in Peace we end up continuing on with war?

I do not know, maybe it was too much cold medicine, but I want to write my thesis on something that is controversial not mundane. I mean what the hell? I am old and have much more experience and have such a different view on the world than when I was young and naive.

Any thoughts?

Peace Out!

Sick

2009-10-25T21:24:00.003-05:00

For those who have been wondering were I have been. I have been ill. I did not want anyone to catch the flu from reading my blog... I should be up and going this week. Thanks again for the patience.

Peace Out!

OUT OF THE OFFICE!

2009-10-13T06:31:00.003-05:00

I will be out this week till Friday. I will be on the road going to a conference in Kansas City. I encourage everyone to keep reading and maybe re-read some of your favorite blogs, comment early and comment often. I will be back up on Friday.

For today I would like to share something that I read on another blog site which I thought was very interesting:

Please Enjoy-

Those of Us with the experience of Combat, Conflict, & War, certainly need no reminder of its ugly, horrid nature; this absolute folly of Mankind. Yet how each of Us chooses to come to terms or "make peace" within one's self on a personal level , can only be determined by what War itself has provided for, or taken away from, the Individual.

I see no Need to achieve such, on a political level. Politics in itself, is the catalyst for War. be it any form, i.e., Republic, Monarchy, Democracy, Kingdom; Socialism, Capitalism, Communism, Fascism; Every form of political governance has proven ill to Humanity, leading to discord, disagreement,and the eventual hostility, between citizen,Nations & Neighbor near & Far.

I have long ago "zurechtzukommen" , come to terms with what I have done in War . I remain pragmatic & indifferent, recalcitrant, especially toward any form of Politic. I will answer only to Nature, for My transgressions toward My fellow Man. Not to any God, Not to any Law , Ideology, dogma or belief, Political, Governmental or otherwise.

I will build My own Future, provide in My own Happiness. Without War, conflict or further Harm to anyone. I will live as I see fit, without the interference of this wretched Cancer called Politics. And that, I have accomplished.

"It is only necessary to make War with five things: with the maladies of the body, with the ignorances of the Mind, with the passions of the body,with the seditions of cities,with the discords of families" . Tacitus, 120 CE

Peace Out my Friends!

Community Denial

2009-10-12T05:37:00.002-05:00

COMMUNITY DENIAL

Listening to people talk sometimes is more interesting than getting into the conversation itself. Recently I was in a waiting room at a hospital and I was listening to several people discuss the health care problem. Just by listening I could determine that two of the three folks were against health care reform had no health care insurance and one was practically proud to say she did not have coverage. “It is my right to be seen by a doctor!” she exclaimed. But she vehemently despised illegal citizens getting any care.

The other two folks were in this deep conversation about how they just hate the government and one actually stated that she like George Bush. Besides almost vomiting all over the floor, I was totally blown away. Again, he did use scare tactics from everything from education to homeland security. Keep control of the masses through fear has always been a leadership quality that I despise.

It made me wonder how many people like to be scared and like to be told what to do. When I was younger we had civil defense drills and it seemed these drill were good at getting the adults to conform, but I knew deep down that my little wooden desk was no match for a nuclear bomb. But we did this drill repeatedly. After the tragedy of 9-11, the Bush Administration enjoyed using the color-coded threat levels all the time. It is amazing that we have had no threats since George Bush left office. Alas which brings me back to my original hypothesis; “we (as a society of Americans) like to be scared and liked to be told what to do.”

Today I was reading the blogs that are posted in my rural mid-western newspaper; again I see my theories being proven. It seems that all of the hate and discontent that can be funneled from the stupid and which they spew its ugly head, and most them cannot spell. (Even with spell check?) I continue to be amazed on how many people deny that we have problems that face our society and communities. Reading these blogs I have come to understand that many just think and believe “God” will fix everything. Unfortunately as a realist and simpleton I feel that man is given the knowledge by whatever maker we choose to make good decisions. If all you do is say it is “Gods will” and take no responsibility, then there must not be a God.

Homelessness

Poverty

Uneducated

Uninsured

Health Care

Hunger

Crime

Home Foreclosures

All of these are just a few of the problems that we face. I can agree to disagree on solutions but to bather on and on, without solutions is not the answer. I know 5 families in my small town that have lost their home in the last 6 months. I have met the hungry and homeless in my small town. These people are only a small representation of those in need in my community.

If we as a local, state and even national community do not stop being in denial about these real problems it may become even more difficult to find solutions.

I encourage that the local media (newspaper/radio) write stories and bring to the forefront these issues. I have already asked religious organizations to open their doors to the needy, one does not have to go to a third world country to fulfill your Gods word.

I again ask for solutions.

Peace Out My Friends

Nobel Peace Prize

2009-10-09T05:48:00.002-05:00

"The exciting and important thing about this prize is that it's given too someone ... who has the power to contribute to peace," Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said.

With this being said, I hope we start seeing our troops return home

Peace out my Friends!

Mission Accompished

2009-10-08T05:29:00.002-05:00

Eight years later were are still killing and dying in Afghanistan.

We are still killing and dying in Iraq.

What Mission and what was accomplished in June of 2003?

How much more will we continue allowed to be wasted, overt fraud and abuse before we have enough?

Stop praying for things to change, take action and make change happen, call and write your elected leaders, repeatedly. The officials work and take money from everyone other than us. BUT they are supposed to represent us!

Our economy is still tanked, people are still losing their homes. Unemployment rates continue to climb, health care, this list continues.

Why should we continue to spend billions of our money to reconstruct these countries, we provide money for their education, medical facilities.

How much more are we will to take?

Think about this? Is writing a letter too much to ask?

Peace Out!

NO Peace NO Sex?

2009-10-07T06:16:00.002-05:00

NO Peace NO Sex?

No peace, no sex in Kenya An odd, one-week boycott by women drew attention and united the country. By Gina Tomaine

How long are you willing to go without sex? What if it were for world peace? The women of Kenya can answer that question. Last month, they banded together to protest for peace in their country by refusing to have sex. Some in the West might frown upon the use of sex as a serious political tool. But let's not forget that sex was enough to impeach a president of the United States. It has been making our political headlines for decades and will be for decades to come. So why not harness its massive attention-grabbing power to stop a war? Though it may have seemed inappropriate to some in the Western world, this unlikely protest was entirely legitimate in Kenya, where women have not enjoyed the rights and privileges we take for granted. Rape has been a weapon of war for years in Kenya. Conflicts are as likely to mean sexual violations of women as they are to involve physical assaults on men. Meanwhile, the tenuous power-sharing agreement between the country's president, Mwai Kibaki, and its prime minister, Raila Odinga, has been accompanied by massive civilian unrest and ethnic and political violence. As long as this continues, random warfare will continue to be a part of women's lives. In these circumstances, the Women's Development Organization of Kenya called on all women to participate - by their non-participation - in the sex boycott for one week. It even reached out to sex workers, who received financial compensation during the protest from the organization's many activist groups. Interestingly, a similar protest is the subject of Aristophanes' comedy Lysistrata. The play's women climb to the top of the Acropolis in Athens and refuse to come down until Greek men cease waging the Peloponnesian War, denying the men sexual satisfaction while simultaneously tempting them by sending out the most gorgeous women as peace emissaries. Facing this unbearable ultimatum, the men resolve their political differences and declare peace by Act III. Kenya's modern-day bedroom ban was probably more successful as a publicity stunt than as an actual means of negotiating terms as in Lysistrata. It allowed women to spotlight their plight rather than directly coercing men to act. The protest was unconventional, but that does not mean it was illegitimate. In addition to bringing a sharp female voice to the struggle for peace in Kenya, it did something perhaps even more vital for a country in times of political division: It united the people. By making a common appeal to all women, from sex workers to the wives of the prime minister and president, the protest crossed both social class and deep ethnic divisions. Even Ida Odinga, the wife of the prime minister, stoutly promised CNN that she was "100 percent" supportive of the protest. In America, a hope movement worked to break down boundaries. Kenya's no-sex movement, though unconventional, was no less positive and valuable.

Gina Tomaine is a senior majoring in English and economics at St. Joseph's University and a member of The Inquirer's Off Campus board of contributors. She can be contacted at gina.tomaine@gmail.com.

I have attempted to do most of the writing on my blog and whenever possible if I use some ones information I given credit, I was doing some research for my quest for peace and came across this article, extreme maybe but an interesting approach. I feel this is symbolic at best best, but does bring the question to the fore front of the conversation.

As always, I would love to get others into the discussion about peace.

Peace Out My Friends!

Histroical Perspective

2009-10-06T05:40:00.002-05:00

There once were two cats of Kilkenny, Each thought there was one cat too many; So they fought and they spit, And they scratched and they bit, Till, excepting their nails, And the tips of their tails, Instead of two cats there weren't any.

# The world spends more on arms than it spends on anything else.

# Six times as much public money goes for research on weapons as for research on health.

# The Third World spends 66% more on the military than on education.

# It's only a matter of time before weapons of mass destruction will be in the hands of petty tyrants.

# In World War I an estimated 54 million died, 90 million were wounded, leaving 28 million maimed. The toll in World War 2 was 38.5 million (20 million of them Soviet citizens).

# The Gallipoli campaign, (historian John North called it a 'singularly brainless and suicidal type of warfare') which left an estimated 120,000 dead and 250,000 wounded on both sides has been glorified in our war folk-history. It was the first time Australians went into battle as Australians.

# In the 1980s only 18% of those who started wars won them.

# The proportion of civilian deaths in wars is increasing dramatically, due to the increased destructiveness of the arms used. In one year recently, 1988, more than 4.5 million people died in wars.

# New York and Washington - cities where the school system is falling apart, the homeless and hungry crowd the streets - almost overnight found millions of dollars to celebrate a military victory in the Gulf War...

Wars are as old as history. Only saints and simpletons believe wars in this kind of world will cease. Wars are the ultimate tragedy. Unlike natural disasters they are preventable. Wars mean horrifying injuries: burns, spinal injuries, blindness, loss of limbs. Families lose loved ones. People are wasted in the prime of life.

Views by Christians about war range across a wide spectrum, from fundamentalist preachers in America who bless military weapons, to conscientious pacifists who would not resist an aggressor to protect their own children. It's horrifying to hear sometimes of Christians who find war - or war movies - entertaining.

The early churches encouraged their members not to join the army (though converts already serving in the army could stay). Some Christians became martyrs for peace. When called for military service, Maximilius said: 'I cannot serve as a soldier. I cannot do evil. I am a Christian.' He was executed in AD 295 on the orders of a Roman proconsul. This all changed after Christianity became the state religion under Constantine.

Christians have taken one of three stances on war and peace: pacifism (which probably originated with them), the 'just war', and the Crusade (inherited from the Roman world and the Old Testament).

Augustine, who thought 'the purpose of all war is peace' may have been the first to suggest the idea of a 'just war'. The conditions for a just war are (1) it must be waged by a lawful authority; (2) the cause must be just (ie. to restore peace and bring about justice); (3) war is the only way to solve the problem and secure justice; (4) the war must be waged by justifiable means (no torture, massacres or atrocities, respect for neutrals); (5) there must be a reasonable hope of victory ('unwinnable' wars can never be just); (6) the probable good should outweigh the likely evil. The whole idea of a just war is that it must be fought when nothing else will deter a tyrant; not to do so is judged a moral failure.

The fourth condition raises problems for Christians in modern warfare. Current 'hi-tech' weapons - indiscriminate bombing by thousands of 'sorties', 'carpet bombing' by B52 bombers, smart warheads that go through windows, laser-guided bombs that crack reinforced bunkers leaving nearby nursery schools undamaged - all these de-personalize the enemy. In long-range killing soldiers don't see the limbless torsos of the victims, or smell the scorched flesh, or hear the screams of the disembowelled.

Modern journalism and film-makers have brought the horrors of war into our living-rooms. The Vietnam war was the first war to be fought on two fronts: in the jungles of Asia and on our TVs, which is why the anti-war movement is largely a post-TV phenomenon.

The Crusades or 'holy wars' waged against Islam from the 11th century onwards were thought of as a 'special case.' The enemy were 'infidels', so the 'just war' theory did not apply: it was OK to use swords, racks and burning oil to butcher Turks and Palestinians. While some Crusaders were mercenaries, others sincerely believed they were fighting for the cause of Christ.

The Reformers generally adopted the 'just war' theory, and this led Luther to condemn the peasants' revolt and support the State in ruthlessly crushing it. Another Reformer, Zwingli, actively engaged in war and in fact died in battle. Calvin and Cromwell were also militaristic. However, Anabaptists, Mennonites and, later, Quakers generally adopted pacifist positions.

Pacifism flourished in the 1930s but largely collapsed with the outbreak of World War 2. English-speaking Christians generally felt that war was 'just'.

And so it goes. History. God. Inept Political leaders. And we do it all over again and again.

Peace Out My Friends

In My Head

2009-10-05T06:37:00.002-05:00

IN my head I am always thinking of Peace. I am always attempting have to come up ideas where people could get along better. Humans are smart creatures, maybe not smart enough though. There are so many people that just like to instigate hate and discontent. Again I do hate to continually harp on my Christian friends but their actions amaze me.

Yesterday in my small rural mid-west town, about 100 demonstrators stood on the side of the road with anti-abortion signs, many of these people, I know because I recognized them are die hard promoters of war and killing. In my mind I cannot see how a person promotes the killing in war and the death penalty but promotes life for the unborn. We know that churches make huge amounts of money receiving “donations” in their adoption programs. If was a moral issue then of course they would be “real pro-life” not just “pro-life” when the church can receive a donation.

The so-called adults in the crowd had their children with them. This was a busy 4-lane road. As I drove past and seen the children running around so close to the road, I thought. Are they trying to get their own children killed? Then I thought if I had dragged my children out into an unsafe area like that, the police and social service would have been on me like white on rice. I know the police in the small town had better things to do, but it would have been just nice for one of them to stop by and at least instructed these so-called-adults to get their children away form the road. So, by this example we have many fringe groups that do not care for the physical safety of their own and their views are twisted, killed adults but not children…Unfortunately some of these same people as in conversations with them, will tell it does not matter if children in schools that we bomb are killed it is collateral damage? I am so baffled, and these people call themselves God-fearing Christians.

I am thinking about a Thesis project for school and I am coming to terms with the realization that most folks could care one way or the other when it comes to peace.

I am truly baffled. As I have stated in my blog before there is only a very small minority of people who have been to war and truly understand peace and the consequences of not having peace.

As I plod again each day, I make a special effort to laugh a little, pray a little and sometimes cry a little. The world we live in is a crazy world.

The church these folks are from, do not support local charity, we have a homeless population, our food banks need help. High school dropouts on the rise, which is directly affecting many other social issues for which these groups could use some assistance.. And these folks just want to be controversial, I can only speculate that one of their own, probably dropped out of school got pregnant and had and abortion and thus there church community did a public shaming on this person. NO, I do not know if this is what happened or not but it is probable and it is in my head of thoughts. Most church group thrive on shaming those that do not blindly follow.

Oh well, we need to find solutions that do not shame each other.

Tolerance and Understanding would go along way.

Maybe these folks were on drugs yesterday? Umm, it could happen

Peace Out My Friends

2009-10-02T20:59:00.003-05:00

Something to think about:

Almost one-quarter of Americans live in rural areas. Many are struggling to get by. Disturbingly, 14.5 percent live in poverty and 1.5 million, or 6.6 percent of rural homes are classified as substandard, according to the 2003 American Housing Survey. Almost one out of ten people who experience homelessness live in rural areas, and even more are precariously housed and living on the periphery of homelessness. Rural areas face distinctive challenges—geographic isolation, limited social service capacity, pervasive poverty, shifting demographics and industry, among others. Consequently, responses to homelessness in rural America require local solutions.

And in my community we closed the one and only shelter that was available.

If one is homeless, it is hard to go to school or find a job.

Homelessness is a real problem that affects real people.

Over 22 million people have lost their homes to bankruptcy.

And in my community it is one of the biggest unspoken problems. We have food pantries that only a few can access. NO shelters.

Our people are hurting.

This is a local problem that we are ignoring.

It is amazing how we will allow the business of prisons to flourish in everyone's community but when a battered womens shelter is established the community screams "not in my backyard!"

And in my community we have no out reach programs?

Peace Out.

Thomas Jefferson

2009-10-01T06:42:00.003-05:00

"Peace and Friendship with all mankind is our wisest policy, and I wish that we may be permitted to pursue it." -Thomas Jefferson

It seems that many since the beginning of our country have thought and talked about Peace. Somewhere along the line we became an aggressor nation. I do not feel that it was intentional, it just happened because that is how history worked it out that way. But we do have a choice.

The civil war was by far the worst organized violence that we have bestowed on each other, this violence of doing harm to your neighbor has transcended down through history by means of organized crime, mafia and current day gangs.

Since the beginning of the 20th century our country has been sending troops all over the world, in 1905, we had soldiers in Baghdad, it is amazing that 100 years later, we have soldiers in Baghdad. We have stirred the situations in Central America since the 1920, US Marines were stationed in El Salvador in 1922.

We seen this trend continue more aggressively after the end of WW II, we invaded, killed and attempted to conquer many countries.

But are WE learning anything? I feel a resounding NO. Generals are using the same play book from Vietnam, we need more troops!

The difference this time, is that the public is asleep and I am not sure if they will awake in time.

I strongly feel, that if there was a fight in Afghanistan, it was in 2002-2003. IN 2009-2010, we have missed the boat. Save lives, bring our soldiers and other military personnel home, we have no objective, we do not know who the enemy is, and if we continue as we have in the past of killing women and children and the elderly and calling it collateral damage, then the whole country will be the enemy!!!

Unfortunately so fee read my blog, but this my opinion. Even more unfortunate, most people do not read anything. .....

Peace Out my Friends.

Interesting

2009-09-30T05:42:00.003-05:00

Interesting…

Yesterday I began attending a two day conference on HIV/AIDS, when I first heard about the conference I thought, oh um., it will be the same dry material that has been put out for the last two decades. But WOW, it was not, it is refreshing and “real” The folks that are facilitating the class not only know the material but also teach it in a way that does two things, gets maximum class participation and also allows the class to interject real examples. The class has a plethora of people form many different agencies. There experiences and information they share is priceless.

It is too early in the morning, because after the training day, yesterday I had to drive back and make it to class for school, argh, oh I will share more later but in the mean time.

Put on your "good day hat" and cinch up the hat strap and go out and lead by example. Let others have a good day by your actions.

Until next time,

Peace Out My Friends!

Conscience of the Mind

2009-09-29T06:06:00.002-05:00

Your conscience is the measure of the honesty of your selfishness. Listen to it carefully.

The mind is such an interesting organism. But for all of its great attributes, it seems that we still miss the meaning the life’s simplest problems. Worldwide we see poverty, crime, and health issues, lack of education and war that continue to dominate people lives.

As a global society we have food surpluses, we have quality health care, even though it is tightly controlled for the haves and have-nots, education should never be questioned but time and time again be we misappropriate funds and we have lost the will to care for our youth. By not honestly addressing any of theses paramount issues we have war.

Many areas of the world where they have taken war and the military industrial complex off the table, these countries have expanded their society by enriching their schools, workforce and out put of finished products. Other countries provide free college education to their young minds; this enables their country to prosper as well.

Sometimes it would be wise to slow down and look at those places that are successful and see what we can learn. Instead of going forward and saying we are right and the world is wrong. I do agree there are many things in the world that are wrong, but ultimately it is not our responsibility to be the Worlds Police all the time. The more we spend and waste in providing services to other countries we directly take away from our own.

It pains me to say this but I have recently came to the thought of the problems in the middle east will always be there, we need to makes choices. Since no one in government in Israel or Palestine wants peace. This evidenced by that Palestine want re-entry rights to Jerusalem with Israel will never allow and Israel continues to be growing country and the settlements will continue to grow. These are but two of the issues that never will be settled, so we need to stop selling them any military munitions of weaponry or sell the both small A-bombs and get it over with. This may sound cold hearted but unless someone really wants be peace then we just need to stop supporting their behavior. I would never be in favor of selling A-Bombs but the question continues to be ask, how much is enough?

Until we as a global community come to terms with Peace we will allows promote countries like Iran to continue their quest of military power.

Another day, more questions, but we are a smart species, we need to think outside of the box and have the inner will to succeed, and we can have peace and prosperity. I still have hope.

Peace Out My Friends!

Land Ho!

2009-09-28T05:42:00.003-05:00

Land HO!

Saturday was another day looking for property! And Yes I think we have found a WINNER! 42 acres of property with a hilltop, ridge and a seasonal creek, just calling my name. A small cabin is already built and appears to be in good shape. It looks like, as my blog friend would put it, my own Walden’s Pond. Ok, maybe not exactly but a very good place indeed.

It has easy enough access but far enough away from people that I believe one can find peace. I know many will say, a person can find peace anywhere. And yes, I have said that too, but for those who have either read my writings or know me personally. I have been searching for a very long time for place to be off the grid! My soul needs this…As Richard Bach would say "Your only obligation in any lifetime is to be true to yourself."

In retrospect, I can remember visiting my grandparents who at the time had some land that it seemed to take forever to get to, once you left the black top. And in my mind I have always tried to find that replacement. This land today is no even close to the terrain of their land but it is very private and beautiful. Neither electricity nor water! Alas a true natural beauty. Theirs was Tidewater land in Florida and this is the rolling hills of the Ozarks.

I walked the area for a short amount of time; I could feel the peacefulness of the air and warmth of the earth under my feet. For a moment I could imagine the Indians or the early French on this land and seeing it for the first time. The goose bumps begin to rise all over by body and my soul was touched. This may sound extreme but I must say it sounds much better than saying I was so excited I almost peed my pants!

I immediately imagined myself reading a book or doing some writing or just sitting and watching the wild life go by. Sometimes I think, “What can one person truly do in this crazy world to facilitate peace?” I know some people have done great things, but I am far from ever being great. I am smart enough to know that life is a journey and I am just along for the ride, but I choose what I do or do not do. But I cannot undo the past or predict with great certainty the future. I try to mindfully take each step forward carefully.

We all need a place of retreat to recharge our batteries.

Thanks for letting me blather on about my dream of a retreat, I will write about problems of the day in tomorrow’s blog.

Peace be with all of you my friends!

2009-09-25T06:41:00.001-05:00

The Big Picture…

Recently a friend of mine took his own life. What went through his mind we will never know? But I still feel the loss; we served together in the Army in Iraq during combat operations. He had difficulty readjusting back into the normalcy of everyday life, and he fought the Army for a period of time and then was discharged because the Army felt he was an unfit soldier. After this experience I do not feel that he had much trust in the government, thus he did not use the resources with the Veterans Administration. He was a good man; it is the world’s loss.

Yesterday, I was reading the local paper and I was just extremely appalled to read how common people were just disrespecting those who fought and killed while serving their country in combat. Two of the respondents basically stated veterans who needed help were just trying to “get over” on the government and of course their was a person who claimed to be a veteran just agreed with them. It just made me sick.

And then I realized that I work in a state prison facility were the worst of the worst go, rapist, child molesters, murder’s etc. The men receive all the mental health counseling one could ever imagine. They receive state of the art medical care, if we cannot take care of it within the facility; these men are sent to specialist throughout the state.

What makes these men better than those would fought ferocious battles, watched their comrades die, day in and day out. It appears that our Big Picture is too twisted for me. Our prison recently spent 1.2 million dollars for a man that was a convicted child molester and he was dying a cancer. We afforded him every medical treatment at one of the most prestigious hospitals in the state, but we have people who will question and complain when a veteran asks for help.

This keeps me in a quandary…

Peace Out My Friends.

(The picture above; all died, but with much pain and suffering.)

I know this thought process was not very peaceful, so let us meditate and have a good weekend, talk more on Monday!

“Think of Peace today, our world has become such a violent place, be the difference…”

Making a conscience choice to be the conduit for peace can be a difficult choice. Having the courage to be a peaceful person will reflect volumes about your character. Remember to be kind to others, be kind to yourself. Speak the truth and don’t gossip. Peace starts with these small actions. If everyone were to be more peaceful everyday, just imagine what a difference it would make!

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Think of Peace and how you can be the difference.

Do this three times.

Enjoy your Day.

Perspective

2009-09-24T05:48:00.002-05:00

Today has already begun as a fast and furious day. So little time and so much to do, I have to run by and pick up some equipment as to teach a class today at work. SO I will leave with just a short note and meditation.

It does not matter how, silly, crazy or even stupid today gets just keep your perspective and all will be good. Enjoy your day

Peace Out My Friends

“Take a moment today to appreciate what you have!”

As each day passes we grow in appreciation of life and ourselves. Think of where you have been and choices you have made, we all could have made different choices but dwell on the positive results. Learning from our choices makes us the unique people that we are.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Think of the good things that you are blessed with.

Do this three times.

Enjoy your Day.

Money

2009-09-23T05:54:00.002-05:00

It has been said, “money is the root of all evil” I have heard this saying for years. But it was only recently that I now understand it is not money is not evil but it is people that are the root of all evil. I have met people that have done many evil things, and did so for no reason. Yes money does cause some problems in our world but there is just as many folks who thrive off power, greed, selfishness and simply doing something evil.

As we continue our journey of life we must be mindful to be good to our selves, good to our families and to be good world citizens. We must be engaged. At some point we must have enough faith and belief that out society can get better. We in the US must decide that we want to clean up our problems instead forcing others to conform to our standards and demands.

Yesterday as the President declared that Peace must be achieved in the Middle East, he did not say anything about Peace in Iraq or Afghanistan. He was attempting to manipulate Israel and Palestine to formulate a peace plan. Ah, we must show leadership that we know peace first, selling arms to both parties and our continued occupation and warring in two countries is not a way for Peace.

Oh my, Peace it is such a wonderful concept but many do not have the stomach for it. They are evil enough to sell weapons and make decisions from afar and do so without getting blood on their hands.

Maybe one day.

Peace Out my Friends

Shared Meditation:

“Help someone else and show sincere kindness today”

You can experience feelings of joyfulness, emotional resilience, and vigor. Helping others can reduce the unhealthy sense of isolation.

Think how you feel when someone does something nice for you. Share those feelings by helping others and feel good when you do it. Do something as simple as opening a door or calling an old friend.

Close your eyes.

Think of something you can do for someone.

Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Do this three times.

Enjoy your Day.

Fall 2009

2009-09-22T06:32:00.002-05:00

Good Morning to all!

Today begins the first day of fall. So, just where did this year go? Several highlights, I have been in school most of the year and I have been blogging for the last two months. It seems like the closer I get to completing my goal another cool class finds its way to my schedule. I cannot pass it up. Although this semester has been challenging, not due to the work but just the sheer load. Lessons Learned: No more than 12 hours per semester. I can at least say I did it.

Had a beautiful ride in the country on the last Sunday. It was wonderful. Many opportunities to obtain land, Ah yes, to live in a place where humans are not prominent and build a place off the grid. That would be a peaceful place. Maybe, just maybe the times are right.

As I begin to sit this morning I will be thinking about the peace and solitude of the deep woods. This will give me peace throughout my day. I hope there is something that you may find that will give you a peaceful start to your day.

Peace and Happiness to you and yours.

Peace Out my Friends

A Shared Meditation:

“Our life is a journey, each day allows us an opportunity to learn new things about those around us and most importantly, learn about ourselves…”

This day is not just another day along the path of life but it is an opportunity start fresh with a new day and a new year! Do not burden yourself with many resolutions this year, start with one. A resolution that each day be grateful for what we each have and enjoy and appreciate the now.

Close your eyes.

Take a deep breath and let it out slowly.

Do this three times.

Enjoy your Day.

Frustrating and Offensive!

2009-09-21T06:36:00.002-05:00

There are many things that I find offensive. As I was driving back from meeting the other I was thing about several things that bother me in out so called democracy. The free speech thing, that is good to a point but feel we have actually taken it to far.

For example, there is music that is written and sung for people that is all about killing, raping, beating women, gays and children. Some call it rap and others call it noise.

It seems to me if this type of music promotes violence against others then what are we doing playing it on the airways? I know that there is many on the fringe will say that it is their right. Which I respectfully to differ with because of these folks to write and sing this stuff never served their country to earn any rights and most probably just served some state or county jail time and thinks that is service to country! Ha HA , but seriously, why would we want to hear noise about killing and beating women. We already have enough issues with domestic violence in our country. Just one of my pet peeves.

Another thing that bothers me is when I see young men and women attempting to walk and wear pants that are 6 times to big, with holes all in them and a hat on back wards and one hand holding their pants and attempting to walk with a strut but turns out like they are walking like they are “afflicted” with a physical disorder. I suppose the reason this bothers me, is this is the way inmates walk in at the state prison where I work at. I think to my self these young people want to grow and be inmates? (Buy a belt, shave, take a bath and get a JOB!)

Have you ever gone to Wal-Mart during the day when school in session? If so, do you not wonder why ALL those young people are not in school? This bothers me. I know that the federal law of leaving every child behind is in full swing but, if all these kids are at Wal-Mart, who is in class?

Ah yes, those people who force their beliefs of “Choose Life.” In Missouri I probably seen 100s of these signs, it is very ironic that when you meet one or these folks you find out quickly, it is not about life that they are concerned with. It is about the monies that can get from selling and distributing children to people who want but cannot have children, these prices range form 10,000 to 30,000 dollars. Maybe their signs should be more honest, you know since they are church people. The sign should be more like a menu- white, X dollars, black X dollars, etc. I was recently talking with a person that attends a local religious organization who places these offense crosses all over the place and was asking him about what he thought about the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan? His response was to kill them all and let God sort them out, he laughed and said it does not matter. After this brief conversation with this devoted Christian that believes in Pro-Life, I think the signs either should come down or be changed to Pro-Life NOT I am a Hypocrite! How can one want to kill so bad and then want to fake saving children for financial reasons? Eeek- Just another one of those things that I find offensive. Once again, I have written before, if these churches want to do something positive, then we have a plethora of possibilities right here in our own communities, hunger homeless etc, ask these organizations for help, It will not happen, an recent independent survey of two people posing as needed people were turned away from eight of the biggest churches in my area. So if your organization is not going to help, please take down all the offensive propaganda! After you can practice what you preach, then maybe…

The last thing that I find extremely offensive is ALL of these people who want to run their mouth and voice their opinion but no nothing about the facts nor no back ground of the story. I see it in local papers; I see it on the national stage. Journalism is a thing of the past, before stories are written, they should least be fact checked and every time the person babbles on about something that is opinion instead of fact, it should be noted. So Many organizations have just given up on reporting the news and have just became a voice box for a political wing. FOX News stopped reporting news years ago, instead they are more a entertainment station with talking heads. Case in point, during the invasion of Iraq in 2003, they had 24/7 coverage on a man named Peterson that they were attempting to convict for killing his family, where or not the man did this FOX NEWS had him convicted, FOX News refused to support the troops and the American people by giving us the real news. And recently I read a paper out of Fulton Missouri where the young newsman wrote a good story about a peace advocate but had to interject his opinions thus his creditability was lost. News reporting 101, do not become the news, report the news! All the reporter had to do was ask more questions or even do a tad bit of research. So, to me this is a simple fix, if one is in the news then write the news, report the news, and do not make it fluffy. There is nothing wrong in showing real deaths from the war. But no national news media has the gonads to show that American people that we have service men dying for a n unjust war everyday. Since the media is not doing their job then I feel the media should burden some of responsibilities for the ongoing hostilities of these wars. We jibber-jabber about the 1^st amendment when it deals with crack heads singing about beating and raping women, we give the 2^nd amender's the right to carry guns in many places where guns should not be carried and we allow hypocrites to place repulsive signs in public to cover their “guilt” but others have to see this on a daily basis.

The last thing that really bothers me is it appears that most of us just do nothing. So few people vote, even fewer write letters to the editor, no one volunteers to assist neither the elderly nor the young. This saddens me.

I have hope; I feel hope can be contagious. We must start finding ways to fix real problems with real solutions. Enough hype. We can do this, but we can only do this together.

Have a Great Day!

I look forward to hearing from all of you and your suggestions.

Peace Out My friends!

Nurse Convention!

2009-09-20T10:46:00.005-05:00

Well we all knew it was bound to happen! It did, yesterday was my first day in about two months that I totally missed posting a blog. I know I should just blog five days a week, even though I have a great deal to say, I never have enough time. So henceforth I will only blog Monday through Friday. I will then be able to catch up from my 40+ hours of work stuff and do homework from my grueling 19 credit hours. And all the other commitments that I have committed to! Yikes-I does not sound so bad until I see in writing!

Well- since I am here I will blog and then I suggest everyone take the rest of the off and enjoy yourself. even those of you who work nights!

Yesterday was another long day; I got up before the chickens and drove across the state to attend a board meeting. The Board meeting went better than I had anticipated. No great revelations and all seemed to want to go in a positive direction. We are planning for our convention next year, and I hope that the speakers that we decided on will say yes. It is a challenge to find topics that all 700-800 people will like, but we hope that the speakers will bring their insights and experiences to the convention so others may learn. More so than learning things at the convention, it is about networking. In many professions networking is taught by mentors of the profession but nursing is a tad bit different, once a nurse gets a job or a position on staff, it seems that most just stay within that work realm and not look nor venture to see outside that area. I hope that those that participate in the convention will meet others that can assist them in their future endeavors. Health care is such a challenging field. Not just to care for those in need, but also to deal with the political/insurance mess that affects all of us. Sometimes it is good to know someone that we can call or reach out to just to get feedback or just to use as a sounding board!

Even though this blog is about PEACE, I felt it is important to give a shout out to the nurses that I work with and those who work 24/7 throughout the land. This is my invitation to attend the Convention next year!

Web site: www.mosalpn.org

June 13-15, 2010 Columbia, Missouri

MoSALPN, Inc.

P. O. Box 105542
Jefferson City, MO 65110

1015 Madison Street
Jefferson City, MO 65101-3482

phone: 573-636-5659 or 800-283-1948
fax: 573-636-3732

email: mosalpn@fidnet.com

Most Nurses are a Peaceful lot!

Be Safe and have a great day!

Peace Out My Friends!

Class System

2009-09-18T05:35:00.001-05:00

We never think about a class system in the United States. Even it’s poorest citizens feel and think that we live in a perfect utopian democracy. But the fact is remains is that “there are the haves and the have-nots” Those who access not only to health care but the best health care, those who have access to education, the best education and those that are financially sound. I was reminded of this the other day when I saw a 1980s K car driving down the road, rusted out with Republican stickers all over it and soon I saw a old pick-up with Sarah Palin stickers on it. Here were two examples of people who did not have anything and probably would never have anything in their life times but where public supporters of the same the same political party that would make sure that they would not have anything. Unless you feel the second amendment is the only issue that faces the American people.

To continue this process, I am a staunch supporter of democracy. I just wish we had democracy in this country; we have a two party system that does not allow for democracy. I have personally tried to get myself placed on the voting ballot as an independent or other party affiliation, but at state and local levels (in Missouri) one has to choose to be a democrat or republican, unless one runs for school board then it is more of “whom” you know type situation.

The class or caste is system is alive and well in the United States. So for today’s homework, look around and see your own examples of how this works. You will notice and this can be proven, very few that are born in one class actually move to another class. If one is born into old money then he/she stays there. Some do well financially during their life times but usually not enough to move form one class to another.

If you get an opportunity to talk with someone from a country that has a class/caste system, pick their brain to see it has worked for them. Once you have heard this many you can find ways to get others involved and make our country a democracy. Even our forefathers had more than 2 political parties!

Ok- just something to think about, as all of these “have-nots” continue to have their frustration, and others just do nothing, how do we find peace in this country much less in the world?

Peace Out my Friends

Not enought time- Long Day!

2009-09-17T21:23:00.003-05:00

Excuse the tardiness, it was an extremely long day. It started too early and is just now ending. Hope all is well and will write much tomorrow.

May you have Peace and Happiness in your Life.

Peace Out My Friends!

Slowing Down Terrorism

2009-09-16T05:55:00.007-05:00

Tools of Death

You may not be aware that your country (United States) has been manufacturing a lot of conventional weapons to sell to other countries for their people to kill each other. We have seen this time and time again; our weapons are in places like Somalia, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Iraq, and Afghanistan, all over the Middle East. You know very well that children and adults in those countries need food more than they need these deadly weapons. Yet no one has the time to organize a national debate to look at the problem of manufacturing and selling these deadly things. Everyone is too busy. Conventional weapons have caused much killing in the last 50 years. If we only think of the nuclear bombs that may explode in the future and not pay attention to the bombs that are exploding in the moment, we are committing some kind of error. It was President Reagan that said the US has to continue to make conventional weapons to sell because you don’t someone else will and the US will lose it’s interest. This statement is way off course, it is was just an excuse, but there are several real factors that push our leaders and push the whole nation to continue manufacturing conventional weapons to sell. For instance, many people will loose their jobs if they stop. What kind of work will help these people if the weapons industry stops? There are ways to make jobs and make Peace. We just have to try!

Not many Americans are aware that these weapons are killing people everyday. (And many right here in the US, school shootings, etc) The congress has not debated this issue seriously. We haven’t taken the time to see this situation clearly, so we aren’t strong enough to pursue the government. Its people and their way of life largely dictate the foreign policy of a government. We have a large responsibility as citizens. (Unfortunately few even take that responsibility to heart.) We think the government is free to make policy, but that freedom depends on our daily life. If we make it possible for them to change policies, they will do it. But now, it isn’t yet possible. Those in government are voted in by the few and once elected forget who and why they are in that office.

I am writing this today not as a slam against our 2^nd amendment rights but the forcing of those rights onto others and other countries. Many times in the past our government has sent conventional weapons to both sides of an internal fight (civil war) just to promote sales at weapons manufacturing plant

AS a combat vet of the Iraq War, I have always been baffled to see American made weapons on the battlefield. Several times when we were treating wounded combatants, these people would have M-14 Rifles and old M-16s. Not to mention many grenades, claymore mines etc that were U.S. made. Funny thing, I have seen this everywhere I have been stationed, Central America, Bosnia, Africa, Middle East. And when our politicians decide that they want to put our soldiers in harms way, they send them to countries that are full of weapons systems that were made by the U.S. and then our soldiers are being shot at by theses weapons systems. (ie, Iraq, US sold/gave Iraq Nerve gas to use in its war with Iran, and sold thousands of other conventional weapons as well)

Simple solution, start reducing arms sales to foreign countries, this act alone would reduce many deaths worldwide as a result of war and terrorism.

Finally, let us start making end roads to real peace. We have many opportunities to solve problems. Anyone can point a gun and kill someone, but it takes real strength to sit down and work on long lasting solutions. Something which we have not put much effort into.

Giving people tools used to kill each other is not a valid plan for Peace.

Today would be a good day to start.

Peace Out My Friends!

2009-09-15T06:30:00.002-05:00

At what point does being a victim start to justify being a perpetrator? Recently we have celebrated the eighth anniversary of 9-11. This day was a horrible tragedy that will forever be told in the history books. Thousand died that fateful day. Since that day our government has sent the military out to foreign lands to invade and to root out those responsible for this travesty.

We invaded Afghanistan, but only half-heartily, because we were more focused on invading Iraq and overthrowing its’ leader. The Congressional 9-11 commission determined that the Iraqi people had nothing to do with the events of 9-11. Instead of stopping finding a way out of this travesty of our making we continued. Currently we have killed between 80,000 –100,000 people of Iraq, these numbers are best estimated depending on what source you use. Some of these people were children and defenseless women. And again, the Iraqi people had nothing to do with 9-11.

We are still in Iraq. We have taken the war from Afghanistan to Pakistan. The Wars that are being fought here have been fought there 100 hundreds of years. No winners. Only losers. The Pakistanis, those from India and those from Afghanistan and even those from the Soviet Union have fought in these mountains without winnable results. The only news that we get on a routine basis via the media is that our fighters have dropped bombs, fired artillery or killed innocent civilians as collateral damage? When do we take responsibility for these needless deaths?

Some say that these people who instigated the terrorist attacks on 9-11 did so without being from a country or have a flag to fight under. The assumptions are false, the Taliban were in charge under the Afghanistan flag, the group that is ran by Osama Bin Laden is actually from Saudi Arabia, and many of those terrorist were form this country as well. Keep in mind this country (United States) will never invade Saudi due to the oil agreements that are in place. And also to point out, the United States funded and armed the Taliban while they were fighting the Soviets. The Taliban were ruthless people, they destroyed 3000-year-old religious statues with artillery that they had received from the United States. Those who do not know history are apt to repeat it.

Some say this is not a nation at war; this is a political war, using the military to be at war. This war cannot be compared to World War II, Korea or Vietnam. Those wars most of our citizens served or was affected and many shared in the loss. Currently it is only a few that have witnessed the destruction, the killing and shared in the loss. There is no draft, there is no new troops going to the front, it is the same soldiers going back and forth. And these soldiers have little no support from the government to the nation.

As a combat veteran of the Iraq War, I have seen first hand the destruction and ugliness that we have done. I have seen schools bombed with the children still in it. These children were innocent of the ugliness of war. Revenge is not sweet if we are only killing to be killing. I have witnessed and seen the apathy that our government has to its servicemen and women who serve. Our government did not and still has not provided it servicemen the tools to do a job, lack of body armor, up-armor vehicles to less than adequate weapons systems. None of the issues are new, we just ignore them because it does not affect me!

The National Guard and Reserve forces have been deployed and redeployed too many times; there effectiveness has been long expended. The fact is, no one from the local level to the national stage has even neither thought nor discussed ways to bring our servicemen home. We continue to send our servicemen and women back in body bags. For everyone they kill of ours we are killing 100s of theirs. In Vietnam, we lost over 50,000 service personnel and the Vietnamese lost over 8 million. In World War II, over 50 million people died.

My questions may be lost in the rhetoric but all I am asking is why no one is discussing this very important issue of Peace. The cost of war directly affects everything we do or do not do. The cost of war affects monies that we could secure our country by putting war dollars into education or war dollars into health care. And by the way, you should support health care for all citizens in this country and do so now!

I have served and will always be affected by that service. If anyone has a right to question it should be a veteran. But I feel we should all question. We should hold our leaders responsible for their continued actions.

Killing and killing is not the answer.

So what about it, when will you be ready for Peace?

Peace Out My Friends...

Educational Bankruptcy

2009-09-14T06:33:00.001-05:00

A new day, a new opportunity

It appears that as we continue to face questions, face issues and face problems in our everyday life; we need more in formation and ultimately more education. A recent study found that many citizens (approximately 35%) are functionally illiterate. This means these folks can only read and write at a 3^rd grade level. As I began to look at the problem, I soon learned that our society has deliberately done this to these individuals.

In a local school system where it is routinely boosted that it is one of the best schools in the state, the ugly truth is that this system has one of the highest drop out rates in the state. So basically when a student show signs of trouble the student is gently pushed out of the system. Thus those students that are left enrolled and graduate, the percentages reflect a high graduation rate. Do not fear, this happens in every school system in the state and most likely across the country.

These students very seldom ever go back into a school setting again and this failure causes them to burden self confidence issues for much of their life. Instead of developing a place and a way to educate all of our students we justify these actions as a survival of the fittest mentality.

The Federal No Child Left Behind Act has been a failure for several reasons, it has not been totally funded and it promotes the above actions. If students cannot pass a certain test, and the failure of these test reflect directly onto the school, the student is encouraged to find opportunities outside the classroom.

We are becoming Educationally Bankrupt in this country. If we as a society continue to choose politics over education just as we have done in the past, we have no room to complain about others whom come to this country and take advantage of our schools of higher learning to better themselves. Our children are not going to colleges and universities but instead many are ending up in prisons.

There is a direct correlation between the lack of education and those being incarcerated. It should be pointed out that in the United States we incarcerate more than any other country in the world. We can continue to debate which are laws are really needed and which laws are not but until some change is made the fact remains the same. More of our young people go prison than in any other country.

What a waste.

So as we begin our new day and you want to make a small change in your community, write your local school board, your elected official and ask them to put education before politics.

Always have peace in your heart

Peace Out my Friends!

COEXIST!

2009-09-13T19:29:00.003-05:00

Today was a busy day.

I reviewed some homework, did some yard work, painted part of a garage.
And then the day was over.

While I was outside working I thought of a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson-

“Shallow men believe in luck. Strong men believe in cause and effect.”

I read this a long time ago and for whatever reason it popped into my head today.

I suppose, it is what it is…

Something to ponder, do good, goods thing happen, do bad, bad things happen.

ANOTHER RANDOM THOUGHT…

Anyway as usual for a Sunday the local church bells were ringing throughout the day, as they would ring I reflected on my childhood and remember going on summer vacations to visit my grandparents, oddly enough our vacation was always at the same time as the Baptist Vacation Bible School. The words Baptist and school prevented it from being a vacation. Nonetheless we went, and we were given sermons to do the “right” things. Or we would eternally burn in hell.

One of the only songs I remember being manipulated to sing was a religious song that went something like this,

“Jesus loves all the children of the world, red and yellow, black and white they are all precious in his sight”

I always felt this was strange because most of the adults that I knew hated black people and hated yellow people. We had segregated schools and busing issues etc but even after I left home and went into the military I witnessed much hysteria about other people if they were different. Not very becoming of Jesus I would think. It seems that even in recent history, we are all hysterical about the Mexican people coming to this country and building a wall and such. So does Jesus want us to love others or build physical, emotional walls or just pretend that we really care for others? But only at a distance? Or only if they are legal? Or only through a scope at 1000 meters? Umm

These questions that are ever so conflicting bother me, even today.

But I did learn one thing, for the time I spent in the military I was able to see and appreciate much of the world and appreciate many peoples, but the commandments that were preached into me for so long, we I suppose I will burn. (You know, the thing that we have to do in the military sometime, yea that.) Maybe I am attempting to over compensate, I have a different faith and promote PEACE as much as I can. I value what others believe, but only ask them to practice those beliefs, practicing will make a better life for them, a better community, nation and world for all of us. We do not need extremist from any religion, just practice peacefully!

Eh? Think about it, OK, I know I am still dreaming my Utopian dream, but what is life if we cannot dream? Dream of Peace! Peace Dreams are much more pleasant than the nightmares of war!

Have a good day!

Peace Out my Friends.

We are more the same than different!

2009-09-12T21:12:00.004-05:00

We are more the same, than different!

We are all so very similar. All of the peoples of the world are more similar than different. We must attempt to bridge our differences. Latino, Black, White, Asian, Christian, Catholic, Hindu, Muslim, if not, those in charge of politics, and those in charge of religious organizations will continue to put wedges between us. Every country has majorities and minorities. This in itself does not make us different. The difference is what we do or we do not do.

All of us want to do good things, we want to make honest livings, and we all want to care for those we love. Compassion, patience, generosity and tolerance are many of the cornerstones that weave our communities and societies together.

If we all would just practice what our respective Gods teach us, that we could become a more peaceful nation and a more peaceful world.

I pray that we could place a moratorium on guns and tools of violence starting today. I also pray and wish that our country would cease and desist all arms sales to others countries. We are the perpetrators of much violence throughout the world. We sell guns to both sides.

We must find ways to fill our hearts with peace; many fill their hearts with the ugliness of hate and discontent. I recently had lunch with an old friend; he was filled with anger because he could not come to terms that a black man was president. I asked what about our last president who lied about everything from his military service to the reasons we were attacking Iraq. This gentleman paused and said he “could deal with a lying white man but not an honest black man.” We talked for along time after that. I encouraged him to find a place in his heart to come to terms with this bigotry, because if not it would not do him any good having pent up hate inside and that would affect his health.

He professes to be Christian.

I asked him at the end of our conversation, does his God forgive? He said yes. I then suggested that he talk with his God to find Peace and not hate in his heart.

We finished our lunch on good terms and I feel he is genuinely a good person but all good people have baggage and prejudices, but it takes bigger people to acknowledge these prejudices and become a better human beings.

I pray each day for a more peaceful community, a more peaceful nation and a more peaceful world. Many want to beat the war drums and only a few truly want peace.

What do you want?

Peace Out My Friends!

Patriot Day 2009

2009-09-11T05:19:00.004-05:00

Patriot Day 2009

There was a tragedy on 9-11-01 but that was not the worst or latest tragedy.

Many people died horrible deaths that day; those who killed were also killed that day. Our leaders went on a quest around the world to attack those who were responsible. Unfortunately those terrorists were killed as said before that same day.

Our political leaders rallied up the military and supported them with lack of equipment or poor equipment- unsafe vehicles, no radios, little to no ammunition and poor guidance.

Our military went on a killing spree that is still occurring to this day, our federal budget is in trillion dollar deficit which from 8 yeas ago we had a balanced budget, the social security program is shot, our economy is crumbling, access to health care is broke, and the pendants want us to blame the Mexicans and immigrants. Our schools are teaching tests instead of educating.

When chasing ghosts of a war, and not having a clear enemy nor clear goals or clear agendas we spend billions wastefully.

It appears no one seems to notice or even care.

All of these bad decisions and wasteful actions will continue to be a drain on our society. The worst tragedy of 9-11, is that we thought and acted out of hate and revenge instead of using our minds and hearts to find a solution. We have actually made matters worse.

Bombing of schools, hospitals, museums and places of worship; well frankly does not build the hearts and minds of your supposed enemy. Most people in Iraq and Afghanistan are just like you and I, just honest hard working people trying to do the right thing in life and survive. AND we would respond in kind if someone started bombing our schools and places of worship.

So as we “celebrate” this day, think not only of the victims of 9-11 but all of the victims and their families that have suffered. From the mother and her children that were killed while sitting in their home in a mud hut in the desert of Iraq, the school children that we killed, to the soldiers who died by friendly fire. So much death, so much sadness, when will the insanity stop?

Apparently no time soon

That my friend is a tragedy!

How many more of this air ambulances do we need to fill up before we get it?

Please ask yourself, are I more safer than 8 years ago, do I have access to health care, are my roads safe, are the young being educated to the best that they can be, are the old being allowed to live in dignity and not in fear. Are you better off financially now that you were eight years ago?

Chances off you are worse off than you were eight years ago and chances are unless something changes- getting our of two wars and stop the wasteful spending, things will get worse.

Peace Out!

Laugh More!

2009-09-10T05:23:00.003-05:00

It happens to all us, we get into a rut in life and we work and work and work. Sometimes we forget to stop and smell the flowers and laugh. I know very few people who actually enjoy their work. I have a boss who has told me several times that she "enjoys" her job. I feel deep down she enjoys her pay check and no so much her job but none the less it is her story and I suggest she stick to it.

Frankly I do not like my job and I can say I have not had a job that I truly like in a very long time. The things I like to do usually cost money or there is no money to be made. Alas, I have to find things outside of work to challenge my mind and body. Those who know me know I would rather spend time attempting to "awake" the work up and to find solutions to get us out of two wars, help feed the hungry and fight like hell to get all of my friends and neighbors eligible for access to health care. But since I am just a hard working 'smuck' and not a professional money connected politician, I have to work and spend time chipping away at attempting to being other aware of problems and solutions.

I do like some at my job and I try to make the best of it. It is when those people make me laugh that I have a good day at work. Laughter is a wonderful medication. One can laugh at anything.
As long it is not offensive to others. With my curved sense of humor I do have to be very aware of what I say and to whom I say, but I love so much we I meet those I can be myself.

I sometimes appear to always be serious but I am a "goofy" person inside.

On my serious side I feel I see things that others either do not see or just ignore, I spend a lot of my time attempting to raise questions and challenging many to see the problems and solutions. But as a one man crusade on these issues, it does tire one out.

I did not have the intention to write a long passage this morning but just to encourage everyone to laugh more.

Enjoy Life, Laugh more!

Peace Out My Friends!

Spring 1980

2009-09-09T06:21:00.005-05:00

Everyone has a story, we all have a beginning a middle and an end. Sometimes we know that there has to be a better way, but it takes us a long time to figure it out.

It is called experience.

Spring 1980

“No shit there I was…sitting on the couch, wearing an old pair of jeans and a Peter Frampton Comes ALIVE t-shirt on, having an old fan blowing on me, not cooling me but just stirring the warm air around. A Dr Pepper in one hand and putting salted peanuts in the soda bottle with the other!” what some would say as a typical Georgia hillbilly and then I saw it, the United States Army commercial on TV. The music was upbeat and it had a jingle that stuck in your head, “When you have that hungry kind of feeling…to be all that you can be--- in theeeee Arrrrrmy!” the announcer went on to say that when you are in the Army, you do more before 9 a.m. that most people do all day! As I took a swig of my Dr Pepper peanut mixture I thought, “just getting up and out of bed before 9 a.m. was more than I wanted to do!” I was a senior in high school and I was so bored with school. Knowing that I only had a few short months left in school I had to figure out what I was going to do. Could it be that I would be a soldier?

The intensely hot Georgia sun was up early that day as it was most days, doing its usual best to keep everyone in the state miserable being sticky and uncomfortable. I used to think that the humidity was a curse from God for all the sins that southerners had done against the African Americans as slaves and at the poor white sharecroppers in years past. And being born white it was my responsibility to sweat as much of the sins of our fathers out as possible. The were times we would just sit in the swing under the big oak tree out back sipping ice tea and watch the sweat roll from each others head. With each drop that rolled from our heads and body we hoped that redemption was near. I believe that the heat is why southern folks talk so slow.

Growing up in the Deep South during the 1960s and 1970s were interesting times. All the historians like talking about the 1960s but I feel the 1970s were just as interesting. In the 1970s the Great Society was broke and it seemed most people had no focus, no one was rallying anymore, no protests, the war was getting over, and we were supposed to be desegregated. Big oil controlled gas, not that has changed. A void, apathy, mistrust in government; you know, kind of like the present. Except, social security is broke, and the war is back and blamed on immigrants to our country, the void and mistrust of government, is even stronger now than it was in the 1960s and 70s. It seems that more we want to change the less we change.

But I wanted to make a difference; change the world! I grew up with words like Watergate, Nixon, Vietnam, Love, Woodstock and Peace! I heard people say, “ I Love my country, don’t trust my government!” It was the dawning of a new era, the 1980s, man. We were going to do want the guys in the 1960s and 1970s did not do. We were going to make the word a better place! But how?

In my town we had several options when one graduated from high school, fast food, factory work or do something stupid and go to prison. None of which sounded like something I wanted to do. And as far as going to college, most figured it didn’t take a college education to work fast food, or at the factory and what good would be a college education in prison. But years later I did hear of a classmate that earned his degree from the Georgia Department of Corrections, but still with a life sentence it does him little good. I had already done some fast food in my short work career as a part-time dishwasher at the local greasy spoon. But Lord knows I had no desire to work in the local textile factory and prison was out of the question, I liked women. So being in a dilemma of trying to figure out what I was going to do when I grew up was on the forefront of my thoughts and actions. It almost became an obsession. Nonetheless my quest to make and have a plan for my life before I finished high school was taking form.

It was after 1:00 p.m. the next day before I actually got up and going, even though I had all the great plans about getting up and going over to the “Mall” to see a recruiter. The Mall was nothing like the Mega-Malls of today, it was more or less two strip malls put together with a roof cover all the stores. Houston Mall in Warner Robins featured a Sears’s store, Belks and Chick-Fil-A. These were about the only stores that were a full time mainstay. There was other little novelty shops and Mom and Pop stores but nothing very fancy. And of course all the branches of the military had their recruiting offices lined up side-by-side, with posters of exciting far away places or the enticing allure of cash bonuses!

I started with the United States Marine Corps, as I entered the office I noticed everything was red and it had one desk sitting in the far back of the office and behind the desk was the Gunny Sergeant. A man proud of his country, a man proud of his uniform and very loud! The Gunny looked up and shouted, “Do you want to be a Marine?” and I replied in my almost soon graduated voice, I just want some information. The Gunny yells back, “I only give out information to those who want to be a Marine! So do you want to be a fucking Marine or not?” With a surge of excitement I exclaimed that it would be an honor. The Gunny slowly rose from his desk giving me a complete once over, he must have been thinking weather or not this skinny kid could make the tough requirements of being a Marine. He walked like a robot over to me and stuck out his hand and we shook hands. As I recall it was more like a death grip than any handshake I had ever had before. The Gunny escorted me over to his desk and began telling me about being a Marine and what was expected and when all the training was over I would be tough as nails. We spoke briefly about what kind of job I would be trained to do, but mostly it was about how I would be a Marine. Jobs did not matter, as long one was a Marine. My visit that day to the Marine Corps recruiting office was my first and last, I was both intrigued and scared.

Time sure flies when one is being talked to and told about the great benefits of being a Marine. It must have been about 7:00pm when I left the office and the other recruiting offices were already closed for the day. It was still hot and humid as I left the recruiting office but the more I walked towards home the more I thought about becoming a Marine. And later that evening over dinner as I was explaining what at the time I thought were great benefits and the honor of being a US Marine, my father exploded, “What the hell are you talking about, are you stupid?”--- Being from Georgia many people from many parts of the country do think southerners are slow but I must have struck a nerve when my father began a long tirade about when he was in Vietnam and most of the body bags that he saw were filled with Marines. This was our last conversation about enlisting into the Marine Corps.

Either I was as slow as the rest of the country thought or I was stubborn, but I was going to continue my quest to figure out what I was going to do when I graduated from high school. In my day we did not have internet, home computers or cell phones, so it was up to a person to research first hand what he wanted to find out. My next visit to the Mall was to see the Navy Recruiter.

“Dawn Launch-South Pacific- Not just a Job but an Adventure!” I can still recall the commercial that was on TV at night. The commercial would come on late, right after the local news and before the Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. It was cool commercial, it showed a fighter jet taking off a carrier and then soaring high into the night sky. I felt armed and ready, the only thing I really knew about the Navy was from the commercial, I and never met a sailor, until the day I entered the recruiting office.

The Navy Petty Officer that I met that Saturday morning was a really excited when I was asking questions about seeing far away places and being able to work on a carrier like the one in the commercial. “First off, before you can become a sailor you must pass a written test and then and only then if you pass you can become a sailor.” So he continues that it was my lucky day, I had come in the office right before they were to take some other people up to Macon (the closest town from where we were living of any size) and test. I did not feel lucky, I actually felt hung over. It was early and I had purposefully gotten up early and planned on visiting the other three branches of the military, this way I could complete my research and then I could decide what direction I was going to go!

On the one-hour ride to the Macon test site the Navy Petty Officer talked the whole way there. All he talked about were women in far away places, sex, getting drunk and having tattoos needled into ones body. The sailor was about five and half feet tall, he had a full beard and he had many colorful tattoos on his forearms. One of the tattoos was a nude woman on his right elbow, with the elbow being a lopsided breast. It was a Ray Bradbury and Stephen King image! I kept telling myself how lucky I was because I had gotten there early enough to test, but only one other person was in the car with me. Ummm, so where were the other people? I guess not so lucky. The other young man in the car seemed slower than most, I just figured he was from Alabama or worst Arkansas. But damn it I was lucky! I was going to test!

The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) was the longest test I had ever taken up to that point in my life. I had never considered myself the brightest bulb in the box or even the sharpest pencil in the drawer, but I felt that the test was easy. I really never thought about any of the questions, some of them did not make sense but I just used the SWAG (scientific wild ass guess) method on the one’s I did not know. I truly felt the hardest part was staying focused when I completed each part, there where about a dozen parts and it took forever. It probably was about a 30-minute test that stretched into a four- hour test because of the way it was formatted and sectioned off. At the beginning of each section the proctor would read the same instructions over and over like we were stupid! All ending with the phrase, when I say “Time- all pencils must be down, understood?” But it was the south and hell I was used to it, the proctor had an unusually long drawl when he talked so the directions took about as long as actually doing the test. But the way I had figured it, reading the directions over and over each time allowed those who were having difficulty on the test have a reprieve periodically. And boy, did I have to piss before the test was over, but no one could leave the room until completion of the last section. On most tests one might remember a question or even one of the answers to discuss with others after the test, not me all I can remember about the ASVAB is how bad I had piss.

The Chief Petty Officer was waiting for me when I came racing out of the room, I really do not remember seeing him because of the urgency and soon to be explosion of my bladder. I made it without any accidents or wet pants! As the bathroom door swung open all I could hear was “Well” said the Chief, “How did you do?” The other young man had the deer in the headlight look. I caught only part of the conversation, “I think I passed” and continued to talk about being a sailor and going to Spain. The Petty Officer looked at me and I just shrugged my shoulders and went outside to get some fresh air.

Moments after I walked outside I could feel sweat beads begin to form and the stickiness was in the air. I begin to notice that there were about fifteen of us who had just taken the ASVAB, some were smoking while others were discussing questions and answers that they had put down. I did not know anyone, not even the deer in the headlight guy. Most seemed to be about my age but there were a few older guys that stood off by theirselves and seemed to be lost in their own thoughts. And now the waiting began, the Petty Officer told us that it would be about an hour before we got the raw scores back to see if we could become sailors. The hour passed.

When we had originally rode to the test site I was the one who rode in the back seat. Since I was the lucky guy who showed up at the right time, but on the way back was going to be an interesting ride. From the time the Petty Officer came out of the building he was talking to me non-stop, he motioned me to sit in the front seat. As he started the car and backed up he looked over to the deer in the headlight guy and said, “Maybe next time” It was obvious that he did not score so well. Failed would be the optimum word but words could not expressed by anyone by the SIC (Sailor in Charge). Wow, the guy was on a roll. Nuclear submarines, flight school and college money, it was non-stop for a whole hour. I never had seen anyone talk for so long without taking a breath. I would have signed anything if he had shut up long enough to breath!

Once back the Petty Officer asked me if I had a license, a social security card and high school diploma. He had some forms and was writing as fast as he talked. When he asked me a question he did not wait for an answer he would answer out loud for me to know what the answer was! Do you have any medical condition that might prohibit you from being a sailor? “No!” Have you ever been charged, cited, arrested or told that a record has been deleted or sponged from your record? “No!” Sponged, what the hell was sponged? This went on for about an hour, until he said well, what works for you? Monday or Tuesday? And then, the strangest thing happened he said nothing! It was silent, and then I said “Monday or Tuesday for what?”

The demeanor changed with lighting speed. Are you playing a game with me boy? Fired the recruiter, you come waltzing in my recruiting station wanting to be sailor, you test and now you are getting cold feet? What the fuck over? To take the god damn physical and join the Navy? What do you think I was talking about? Go on a faggot date! Cold feet hell, I was sick to my stomach, I was just doing research trying to figure out what my quest was in life. I said, “Tuesday.”

Tuesday it was then, it was settled. I signed a few papers and then we shook hands and I supposed to be at the recruiting station at 1700 hours sharp to go to Atlanta and spend the night then join the Navy. “Holy shit” what have I done, is all I can remember telling myself over and over again while I walked home. Another whole day shot, and now I am going to be an underwater barnacle remover. And I can even fucking swim. Life sucks. What was I going to do?

After my dad had exploded over just me talking about being a Marine, I wondered what his reaction was going to be when I would tell him that I was joining the United States Navy. I thought about this for a while and realized I just would not tell him until I had a plan…..

...It sometimes is interesting to look back to where we have been so we can appreciate where we are and where we are going!

More Later...

Peace Out my Friends!

Supplimental Homework

2009-09-08T05:36:00.002-05:00

Nineteen - Paul Hardcastle

3 min 37 sec - Aug 5, 2006 -

Great song from the 80s
www.youtube.com/watch?v=oSGvqjVHik8

Please take a few minutes and listen and watch this video. The first time I heard the song I was in Nicaragua in the 1980s. I heard it again when I was stationed in Germany several years later. I never heard it in the US until recently.

Peace Out My friends

Back to work

2009-09-08T05:20:00.004-05:00

Ah yes, it is back to work today. For those of us that had a three day weekend, it felt good. I am not completely recharged but none the less we are off to work today.

I have spent much time this weekend putting forth much writing into many of my projects.

If you are a reader then you know that I have many strong opinions about ways to obtain peace.

But for today, I will use just a few words.

I challenge everyone to take a moment and be kind to all they come in contact with.

True kindness from the heart is a cornerstone to peace.

Be Good, Be Safe and Peace Out to all my Friends!

INTRODUCTION

2009-09-07T18:53:00.005-05:00

Happy Labor day 2009!

First of all I do apologize about not being up, ready and having been posted before 6 a.m.

It is Labor Day of Course!

I chose not to do any labor today! So I say better late than never. And yes the picture is supposed to be blurry, it represents those anonymous people who yell and scream but do nothing positive or constructive in our society.

In todays blog I am submitting a draft copy of an introduction to a book that I have been writing. I am continuously working on several projects at one time, I am working a on mediation book, a collection of short stories, a book of which this introduction is being considered. And I also blog. Work full time, and attend school (19 cr hr this semester!)

Introduction

When I first thought of this book, “I Love my Country but…Let’s Make it Better!” I was lying on my belly in the middle of the Iraqi desert during the spring of 2003. Waiting for an incoming round. At that time I was not sure where my idea was going to take me, but I figured if the current incoming round did not kill me and I got through another war I could figure it out. Eventually my tour of duty was over. So back home over the next six years I began to formulate ideas. These ideas ranged from writing a historical novel or to an angry diatribe against the administration. But I settled on a grassroots approach to a book and I hope that I can make a difference in my community and thus make a difference in my state and country and in the world. This may seem to be a bold idea, but think of those who actually made a difference in their communities and went on to make a difference in the world. The people like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy, DC Childs and Cozy Morris. Most of you I can assume have heard of King and Kennedy but none of you have ever heard of DC Childs or Cozy Morris! Childs and Morris were two adults that impacted my life when I was a child growing up in the Deep South, Bonaire, Georgia. Childs was a local African-American who owned a wrecker service and he let me ride with him on calls many times, most of which were on rainy dark nights. Which I am sure was a sight to see; a little white kid with a crew cut and an old black man chewing tobacco riding in an old beat up wrecker in middle of a dark Georgia night. But I can remember many a story and learned many lesson from this man. Morris was my school bus driver and she also owned a nursery, which I worked at periodically throughout my childhood. Much of what I learned from her is contributed to listening to her talk to her plants. But in these one-sided conversations laid much wisdom.

I have done many things in my lifetime; I have been a soldier, a nurse, worked at Camp David under the Reagan administration and even owned an art store. I have traveled to dozens of countries in the world and have been all over the United States. I have met Presidents Carter, Reagan, HW Bush and Clinton. I have seen some people do it right while others struggle just to do it. The “it” is debatable, but the thing that we all have in common is that we all want to take care of our family, do what is morally and legally right and succeed in whatever it is we are doing. And when I say we, I am referring to my fellow humans in my community and my fellow humans on earth.

Over the course of these last six years I begin to realize trends in our history and also trends in the attitudes and actions of the everyday citizens. After living some 40+ years and serving over two decades in the military I began question why we continue to make many of the same mistakes and why we cannot fix simple problems facing our society and those in it.

We seemed to always be facing crisis in the following; education, health-care, unemployment, social services, and most of all a corrupt pseudo-democratic government. It is apparent to me if the latter were not an issue then most of the other problems would be a moot point. But unfortunately it is not the case, and there are many people that I believe could make a genuine difference in our government, at many levels, will not run because of the ugly campaigning tactics that are used. If these problems were not bad enough, and good people feel they cannot be elected the icing on the cake is that so few of us even vote. And then people are put into an office with little or no effort of the opposing view. This is a travesty. Our government forces democracy onto other countries, the Central American countries, Iraq and Afghanistan but does little to fix voter fraud or increase voter turn out in the US. But this makes the job easier to keep control of the masses, especially if the masses do not vote.

I am not going bash any administration because I feel most of the problems we have today was brought on by the lack of involvement of the people. We the people…are the first three words of our declaration but unfortunately ‘we the people’ have done little to keep the government controlled by the people. Many years ago during the founding of our nation, the people took turns in office, some had fields to tend to and others were store keepers, and teachers; the government and the militia were citizens first and then soldiers/politicians. We currently have too many politicians that were never good citizens to begin with, much less being a good political leader for our country. I am going to challenge those of you who maybe reading this to take action. Reading a book is not action but it is a start. What I write is not the one-size fits all answer but is hopefully a start to more dialog and action. We can make a difference each day by our actions towards others and our actions towards our community.

I remember seeing on the news thousands of demonstrators and protesters against the Vietnam War and I saw first hand what actions could do in the civil rights world of the sixties and seventies. But what I do not see now; is a collective group of citizens that what to make a difference in a positive way for our communities and society as a whole. I hear a lot of what I would call “hate” radio and a lot of finger pointing in both of our political parties. But see little action. There are many groups that promote hate and prejudice through their religious activities. And when these organizations do not have a viable argument they begin to scream that the press is liberal. Liberal hell, if the truth hurts, over the last few years we hear a lot of people talk about the “good” that we are doing in the middle east and then get and get mad when the press tells the story of killing, suicide bombers and thousands of innocent civilians dying. I can only say the good we are doing is only re-building what we blew up...

More to follow.

PS

I was again appalled how our news media continues to give air time to hate groups, but again on today evening news a report was televised again showing vileness spewing forth from hate radio personalities and the tea baggers. Again all the hype but NO substance. No solution just hate. Why.

UMM

Peace Out my Friends!

Winning the War!

2009-09-06T08:51:00.003-05:00

HOW TO WIN THE WAR ON TERRORISM

A) THE PROBLEM: Violence IS terrorism. Warfare is the most evil form of violent social cancer that exists. Using violence to promote peace is like using gasoline to put out fire. One flame may be extinguished temporarily, but volatility remains. One spark of violence re-ignites a larger flame in a larger area. Violence creates violence; in every war is the seed of a new war. We are the reflection of our actions. Force creates resistance; persuasion creates assistance. To promote peace, we must remove the legal, moral, and ethical justifications for war using a four-step process.

B) THE SOLUTION:

1)MAKE WAR ILLEGAL: Legally change the constitution of every nation, beginning with ours, so that proactive warfare (i.e. starting a war for whatever reason) can only be achieved by an absolute majority vote of its citizenry. One vote can stop a war, much like one brave individual stopped a tank. Legally change the constitution so that reactive (defensive) warfare can only be waged under conditions carefully spelled out in the constitution.

2) MAKE WAR IMMORAL AND UNETHICAL: Violence creates violence; everyone should personally renounce violence. Legislate the teaching of non- violent, win-win conflict resolution in every school at every level, and practice peace in every institution-especially the family. Leadership and change by example are the most powerful tools for creating peace. Edify peacemakers; advertise peaceful resolutions.

3) START A WAR OF KINDNESS: The rules of engagement are that we choose our worst ideological enemy and perform an act of kindness for the populace it represents. We then challenge that enemy to do likewise to its worst enemy; but the “shot of kindness” cannot be returned to its original source until it has “fired” at its worst enemy. In this way, the roots of peace can replace the flames of war. It is far more powerful to be for something positive than against something negative Escalation of the “War of Kindness” will eventually overtake violence. In our hearts, we all want peace and prosperity. If we choose the right tools to promote our values, we can all have it.

4) MAKE PEACE PROFITABLE: Enact legislation to financially reward institutions, organizations, and individuals that promote peace. Give tax breaks to peacemakers, financial incentives to peaceful endeavors, praise and recognition to peaceful results. Establish a culture of recognizing and advertising peaceful leaders and making them social heroes.

C) CONCLUSIONS: We stand at the crossroads in the “War on Terrorism”.We can be heroes and win the war by changing our civilization: change our thinking; change the world. LEGISLATE PEACE, PROMOTE PEACE, BECOME PEACE.

Hope for Tea Baggers!

2009-09-05T00:02:00.005-05:00

A word or two about those-

“Extreme Right Wing Christian Compassionate Conservative Teabag Bigots that some call Republicans”

I know I must have missed an adjective or two, but I am of limited space on my blog. I really do not want to discuss this pesky little critters but it seems every time that I think we are rid of them one of them just pops up. (Lately in the News we have had to hear Cheney’s and Newt’s mouth, I say, they had their turn, so sit on their hands and just shut up!) They did nothing collectively positive for our country, unless you count the mess that we are in now as a positive.

Our country has really fallen by the wayside over the last few years. And it seems that only a few people or groups of people want to seriously sit down and discuss real problems and real issues. And every time a real issue is brought to the table these critters start behaving like a patient at a state mental hospital. Talking and shouting in hyperbole and making no sense. Their attire has tea bags all over it. (Quick- get a shot!)

Sometimes I wish we could just record and play back all the things that come out of their collective mouths. Such as Hawaii is not a state? (Since when?) Should not trade with other countries! (Many are wearing tea bags made in china) Shouts are heard “Your Health-Your Problem” (Where’s the Compassionate Conservative Christian love) One of my favorites is “We are Fiscal Responsible”- (Ha, each and every republican president and congress over the last half century has increase federal spending many fold) and of course we cannot forget the contract with America? And most recently socialism this and socialism that; my socialism is bigger than yours...bla bla bla, nothing productive coming out of their pie hole!

OK, we have realized that those who have called themselves Mavericks are really quitters.

OK OK enough badmouthing those critters! I am a man of peace. I wish we could find a way to communicate with these folks. We continue to cry out about health care (millions do not have access to health care) Approximately 40% of the US population does not finish high school and about 25% are functionally illiterate! But by God we can go to war all over the world and waste our resources. It is easier to control the masses if they are uneducated. (Think about that!)

Either we will find a way to bring our country together and solve its problems or we will continue to fail together. It is one or the other at this stage.

FYI- we are failing at two wars! We are failing to educate all of our people; we are failing to allow all our people to have access to health care, we are failing to keep our people employed, we are failing to keep our infrastructure intake…. We must start taking responsibility and stop all the hype!

The times we live in are different than any other in our past.

The government states that we have approximately 10% unemployment but when you factor in the ones that have quit trying to find a job, the real number is 17%. These are millions of people that have no job, no access to health care and many are becoming homeless. The mortgage crisis is not over.

So my first suggestion is to take representatives from both parties and lock them away from the media and make them make plans to make laws to help our country get out of the mess it is in, keep the media and the pundants away. Give them 10 days- 20 days or even 30 days... Just do something constructive!

If you know of an elected official, do what you can to make them be responsible. Might be a nice guy and buddy to drink a beer with but if he is useless for the American People then fie him.

We need to here from you, I know I am not the only one with ideas, send me a note. You can sign Anonymous, all in all would love to get more feed back!

Peace Out My Friends!

Loose Screw

2009-09-04T05:33:00.002-05:00

Yea!

Those of you who regularly read this blog knew I had a doctor’s appointment yesterday and all is well. I only had one loose screw. I chose not to replace it so I just get to keep it close at hand; if I need it I have it! Ha Ha

The tests are still pending to see if all my bulbs are bright enough or even the pencils in my box are still sharp.

So all is well till my next check up. I guess, as we get older we are like cars; we need to in for maintance a periodic basis. I am surprised that I am still going forward, but all is good. I attempted to get a two-year inspection but that was a NO-GO, the doc said I had to come back in for an evaluation in six months!

After my doctor’s appointment I treated myself to a trip to a bookstore or two. A bookstore to me is like a fantasy come true. In the town I live in currently, we are culturally challenged. No Bookstores, No museums, a very small community college, live theatre is limited to the productions at the college.

Argh, good thing I have already lost one screw it could have been much worse.

Not to say there is not colloquial culture, such as the fine art of Saturday night racing, wrestling and Friday night high school football. (No, No I am not being sarcastic; these activities just require a different appreciation than what I am used too.)

All in all a very peaceful day! I achieved in one of my early goals for the day, that was to be on news black out, no TV, no radio and no newspaper. I hope that as I journey through this day, that it is more peaceful than it was when I stepped off Tuesday.

Well my friends, have a Great Day and be mindful of those around you!

Peace in this world starts with each of us!

Peace Out my Friends!

My Brian Gauge!

2009-09-03T06:40:00.002-05:00

Whew!

I just made it last evening. I was in class and my brain was leaking as fast as the instructor was trying to fill it up…

Not that the material is hard or even that boring but it just comes in the middle of the week and after working all day.

It is an Early American History class, and ironically enough we are being taught about how so many came to this country in search of gold the opportunity to convert the population to Christianity. (OK I promise I will not anything about that today, since I have already beaten that horse to death.)

Well I am off from work today to go and see my brain doc!

I will just leave you with one thought today;

“ Life is way too short, we must appreciate ourselves and those around us. Laugh more, smile more and have a great day, it does not matter how bad you might think something is, there is always someone who has a larger problem than yours, and usually they will tell no one!”

Be Good and Peace Always my Friends!

Off to the Rodeo!

2009-09-02T05:28:00.001-05:00

Off to the Rodeo!

Just as the early explorers, we pretended to be going on a crusade to liberate those that did not know that they needed liberating. At the time I wrote in my journal, “this does not feel right. Something is amiss. If only I would have the power to make a change, take a different course, influence others.”

A sick feeling overwhelmed me for days prior to the invasion. And even if I screamed I felt like no one would hear me. The war drums pounded louder and louder each day.

Our leaders told us that the Iraqis knew we were coming and would be rolling out the Red Carpet and they would help us in the overthrowing their government. We would not encounter any hostile action according to the reports from Military Intelligence.

Umm. A reason why the words, Military and the Intelligence should never be in the same sentence!

My up plastic canvassed Humvee, my Vietnam era flak vest, my jerry can of five extra gallons of fuel, a case of bottled water, 40 rounds of ammo and MREs. NO communication systems that was operational. What more could a man want? Especially only within hours of going to battle.

Even after all these years, I still hear people talk about the war like it was a good thing.

We should all be ashamed, very ashamed, Christian and non-Christian alike.

Maybe one day we can learn from our mistakes.

Peace Out My Friends!

Question? Why are we so violent?

2009-09-01T05:46:00.005-05:00

STOP AND TAKE A DEEP BREATH BEFORE YOU READ ANY OF THIS!

I have been pondering on a subject for a Thesis for school. It has dawned on me that our world is so violent, and I have been putting some thought into the eye for eye philosophy that is so ingrained in our collective views. Where does this idea of violence come from and what if anything can we do about it. And, is this violence justified in the world's most popular religious beliefs?

This is not intended to offend but as a reality check. After studying many religions for many years. I have been to many places; this picture today is the Birthplace of Abraham, it is located in Ur, Iraq. For many, Abraham is the father of modern day mankind. We read a lot about the sons of Abraham.

Funny thing, this building has stood tall and has been honored for thousands of years. But it only took Americans about three days to put graffiti on it. I am most certain that God must have told those soldiers to do that! Why?

During the 200 years of the Crusades the goal was to convert the Muslims in the Holy Land to Christianity per order of the Pope. Why?

The Exploration of Christopher Columbus was intended to conquer New Worlds and convert the local inhabitants to Christianity and do all of this, as they are to find a new route to the Far East. Why?

Those involved with Christianity throughout history have been responsible for deaths of millions in the wake of their conquest. Why?

Even after the Christians ruled most of Europe and the Modern day Americas, it still was not enough. Those Christian men that settled the Americans, when they were not killing the locals or raping the women gave them chickenpox, small pox and other non- indigenous diseases. And so went the Aztecs and Incas. Why?

Not to mention later generations just wiped out complete tribes of Indians in the name of God and the home country! Those that they did not wipe out, they were forced marched 1000s of miles away and put on reservations, where they live today. Why?

The Christians broke apart and began fighting between themselves. Why?

The Church of England (Protestants) and the Catholics. This fight continues today in Ireland. Why?

In the United States most Christian religions do not agree with each other and most negate the others customs and values. One religion wants to dunk ones head in a river and another sprinkle holy water on ones head. One claims celibacy but that does not include children and another Christian religion states you have multiple wives that include children. Why?

Recently many Christian religions of the United States have been attempting to change the 10 commandments to justify killing in foreign lands and to keep their psuedo beliefs alive so they can go to heaven. Why?

The Middle East is by far the worst, Christians, Jews, and Palestinians and anyone that has a gun professes that killing is a sure bet to heaven. (The United States sells guns to all these countries…) Why?

I must be shoe in for that trip; I have had to kill before. Killing sucks! Maybe because I am not a Christian and I have a conscience, who knows, a conscience is not so bad after all. Maybe having a conscience is a higher form of religion?

Today’s blog is not about slamming Christians but to remind them if one lives in a glass house do not throw stones! This means much of today’s violence starts right here!

Why is it so important to go and do missionary work and to do things like, you want this food you have to pray my way? I have seen this first hand in Honduras, Panama, Nicaragua, El Salvador and other places. Why?

Or Why can’t we just stop and take care of our own here, and stay our of other countries affairs? We have many who are hungry, homeless and a plethora of many other problems. Look around, right in your neighborhoods, towns, counties and states!

In an independent study that I have conducted, I found that there are over 200 hundred versions of the Bible. No wonder we have so much infighting? We need to come together and find common ground. We need to stop the behavior that we have been doing century after century. We have to stop the killing.

I am sure the same could be said of the Torah and Of the Koran but in this society I chose to attempt to find out why Christians are so violent.

Sometimes to understand the future we must first understand the past.

My journey in life has taken me around the world many times, I seek answers to very hard questions. My quest for Peace is from the heart.

There many good and wonderful people from many walks of life and many religious faiths, how to do get those people to make a difference?

I look forward to any comments or thoughts today!

Peace Out my Friends!

Good Morning World!

2009-08-31T04:15:00.003-05:00

GOOD MORNING WORLD!!!

Yes it is another fine Monday morning! Wa-Hoo! Another opportunity to have a great day! I am sitting here drinking my second cup of Joe! UMMM I can just taste the caffeine… AHHH.

It is so peaceful this morning. It is quite outside. The stillness is beauty unto itself. Not even a car can be heard this morning. The weather is just delicious, it is cool, and the breeze is gently blowing in the window. It feels great.

I hope all who read this wakes up to a good morning. Sometimes we have to push ourselves to feel good, but we must always count our blessings. It is our life and we must take charge.

This morning I have been reflecting on what I can attempt to do today to make someone else have a good day, make him or her smile or feel better about themselves. Many know I work in a prison and work with offenders that are afflicted with HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis and others with different communicable diseases. Today I am staying in a positive and in a good mood and hopefully it will spread unto others.

I just awoke in a good mood and hopefully I can share it!

I will leave a short but powerful Meditative thought with you this morning!

“May all beings live happily,

free from fear,

and may all share

in the blessings

springing from the good

that has been done.”

Have a Fantastic Day!

Peace Out My Friends!

Meditation

2009-08-30T16:26:00.004-05:00

Meditation

There are many types of Meditation. There is sitting Meditation. There is walking Meditation. Today I was weeding a small garden area that grows beautiful rose bushes. As I sat there enjoying the air, the sky, the cool breeze, I thought it is such a wonderful day. I would pull a weed up from the ground, think of good things and how good I felt this day. I suppose that there is now a “weeding your garden meditation.”

We are who we think we are; when we choose to feel happy then we are happy. If we choose to feel sad then we are sad. Feelings and emotions are natural and should be recognized but we should also keep our mind focused on balance. To maintain this balance we must enjoy ourselves and understand the peace comes from within. We can enjoy simple meditation or we can enjoy a conversation with a friend or even share a cup of tea.

In today’s world we all have a full plate. We have responsibilities at work, we have responsibilities at home, but many of us forget that we have responsibilities to self. We need to take time to allow our minds and body to rest. Breath in and the breath out. Leave the TV off or the radio off for an extra 20 minutes. We need this time each day to allow ourselves to recharge and a keep our inner balance.

Take what we do serious but be conscious enough not to take ourselves too serious. Life is short, life is fragile; take time to thank those around you, family, friends and those you care about. Make each day a blessing. Our happiness and peace come from within share it with others!

Meditate daily- Meditate often.

Peace Out my friends!

War is a Racket!

2009-08-29T08:56:00.004-05:00

War is a Racket

War is a racket. It always has been.

It is possibly the oldest, easily most profitable, surely the most vicious.

It is the only one international scope.

It is the only one in which the profits are reckoned in dollars and losses in lives.

A racket is best described, I believe, as something that is not what it seems to the majority of people.

Only a small “inside” group knows what it is about. It is conducted for the benefit of the very few, at the expense of the very many. Out of war a few people make huge fortunes.

Major General Smedley D. Butler

US Marine Corps

Two-time winner Congressional Medal of Honor

(From his book “War is a Racket”)

How many have died so far?

As of Friday, Aug. 28, 2009, at least 4,337 members of the U.S. military had died in the Iraq war since it began in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count.

The figure includes nine military civilians killed in action. At least 3,466 military personnel died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers.

The AP count is equal to the Defense Department's tally, last updated Friday at 10 a.m. EDT.

The British military has reported 179 deaths; Italy, 33; Ukraine, 18; Poland, 21; Bulgaria, 13; Spain, 11; Denmark, seven; El Salvador, five; Slovakia, four; Latvia and Georgia, three each; Estonia, Netherlands, Thailand and Romania, two each; and Australia, Hungary, Kazakhstan and South Korea, one death each.

PS: This does not count those died in Afghanistan!!!

After searching…

I have search for many hours and found nothing on the Internet where ANYONE, ANYWHERE has discussed a Peace Proposal to end the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

We still have 10s of 1000s of US military personnel in both countries. We cannot bring our sons and daughters home until we have a plan, we had no plan to get us into this mess, and we sure as hell have not figured out a plan to get out of it, we just keep throwing money at the problem. How many more must we bury?

FACT IS: yes there was on attack on US soil but those in power had their minds made up to start a war somewhere, actually two wars somewhere BUT refused to give the resources to what was needed to succeed at either. The war in Iraq was based on lies. And after eight years without success in Afghanistan, one must reconsider the choice to stay.

FACT IS: our government under the Reagan Administration supported the Taliban with money, weapons, and military support to fight the Russians. The Reagan Administration supported Saddam Hussein and sold him chemical weapons for the Iraq-Iran Wars of the 1980s.

FACT IS: been there, done that! BUT most have not, and have only been sucked into the hyperbole of the political right wing. Most do not know history, just the lies that continue to be spewed about by the Rush’s and other extreme media outlets.

WHY are we allowing these wars to continue? These wars are causing much suffering right here at home. Money wasted killing others is not being spent here for health care or education or many of the other issues that we face.

PLEASE write your elected officials!

"He who is not angry when there is just cause for anger is immoral. Why? Because anger looks to the good of justice. And if you can live amid injustice without anger, you are immoral as well as unjust."

Aquinas

Peace Out my Friends!

Poems

2009-08-27T06:12:00.004-05:00

PEACE

World Peace;

it is what we all want

or is it?

Pain, suffering, and nightmares;

it is what we all want

or is it?

Injuries, amputations, and death;

it is what we all want

or is it?

Defense contracts, kickbacks, and dirty politics;

it is what we all want

or is it?

Death insurance, military funeral honors and devastated families;

it is what we all want

or is it?

World Peace,

it is what we all want

or is it?

HATE

How does one Hate?

a useless emotion,

that causes only pain.

The opposite of Hate is Love?

can one find Love over Hate?

replace joy with pain?

Our World is breaking apart,

if two people per day stopped the hate,

could we find peace?

Peace in Families,

Peace in Communities,

Peace in Countries,

Peace in Nations,

Everyday someone dies…

as a result of Hate!

who is next?

Peace Out!

Commuting to work!

2009-08-26T06:09:00.005-05:00

Commuting to work!

Over the last several days we have left our main topic of Peace and talked about health care, crime, and touch. But in fact all of these things go together when discussing Peace. Many cannot find peace if they or a loved is ill and cannot get health care. Others are incarcerated on bogus laws and many go through their lives without being touched. Peace starts on an individual level not at national political levels, the national political level is usually where we do not find Peace.

In today’s picture, this was taken on what was called MSR (main supply route) Tampa in early days of the Iraq war. You will notice that the military vehicles only had plastic canvass sides and not protection from either the elements or the enemy. Sadly enough, even though the pentagon may disagree, bullets do penetrate plastic canvass.

We made this trip quite frequently. On this day the weather cleared after we began our journey and helicopters flow over, I am sure they were saying to themselves, “Those poor bastards!” But on we go…

In reading on of my past journals, I quote myself

“Did anyone put any thought into this campaign or was it just something thought of while getting drunk? I can imagine George and Dick getting drunk in the west wing then calling a bet to start a war, neither of these men ever did any real military time…- Little to no ammo, vehicles strewn about the desert mainly because they ran out of fuel, and each Colonel or above thinks they have something to prove, none of which to the safety and security of their soldiers…So many innocent deaths. Today, we have to pick up two souls to bring back so we can box them up and send them home. What a waste.”

During Combat Operations is not the time to think of the things one needs to bring, unfortunately no one gave a damn whether or not we survived or died, it was all politics based on revenge.

This was my commute to work for along time. I am glad that this commute is over for me but not a day goes by that I do not think what we could have done to prevent such suffering and loss of life. Maybe it is I who has a prevailing insanity? I just want a more peaceful and prudent world to live in, is that so hard to ask?

Sometimes I reflect on what Lyndon Johnson said after he left the White House, “The guns and bombs, the rockets and the warships, are all symbols of human failure.”

How true he was. So few have actually seen battle. But even fewer listen to those that have been there and survived.

Be Mindful today, think of Peace and your Peace on an individual level, share that Peace with others.

Peace Out My Friends!

Human Touch

2009-08-25T05:32:00.003-05:00

Human Touch

Since we were born, most of us liked to be touched. I think is true for many species. I recently got a small dog. When I first brought this little dog home it spent much of her time exploring and seeing what was what. As time went by this little creature just can not get enough touch, she just climbs up on ones lap and nuzzles her nose in your hand until you begin to pet her. Never enough, petting and petting, since we cannot verbalize to each other this is the way we communicate.

Recently while I sitting in my chair with dog in my lap I was pondering some of the ways touch is important to all of us. We may remember our mothers touching us after we fell down and reassuring us everything would be all right or maybe it was the touch of a paddling we received by our fathers. Even the simple gesture of holding hands with a loved one; touch is so important.

In medicine we are taught that a pill or shot is all we need, but in realty it is the spoken word and touch that make the biggest difference. Unfortunately due to our society we cannot touch. It seems that in our present day world many are more concerned with lawsuits more than recovery or care.

During my experience as both a combat medic and as a nurse I have witnessed the power of touch. Many times when a person has experienced trauma or faced uncertainty the best form of palliative care is the spoken word and touch. We can administer many types of medications but the medications do not sooth the mind, an injured soldier/patient wants to know that he will be Ok and to see his family again. Drugs help the body, the spoken word and touch sooths the soul.

Much of what we read about and practice in Alternative Health has actually been around along time and continues to be used in many cultures today. I am not saying that touch and talking is the answer to everything, but it does go along way towards recovery.

Think of this-

Next time you have a long hard day, would you rather have someone give a massage to your neck and shoulders or would you rather take 800 milligrams of Motrin?

Food for thought!

Peace Out

No Access to Health Care!

2009-08-24T00:04:00.002-05:00

No Access to Health Care!

We have the best Health Care in the world! But we have some of the worst access to that care. It seems that many in public officials have their health insurance and ability to access their health care but REFUSE to offer these services to everyone.

I am not sure why so many are opposed to the concept of taking care of your own citizens but it is no wonder we are in the mess we are in. Those same people who babble on about constitution rights but refuse to defend their country do not impress me. One of the primary ways we could defend our country is through having a healthy society. If all one has ever done is hold public office then that is not service to country that is feeding into one ego and self-gratification, especially when they do nothing after they are elected.

Set aside the suffering that we as a nation are causing innocent peoples around the world in our conquest to conquer nations. Consider for a minute the suffering that we have within the borders of our own country. We have honest hard working people that cannot afford access to health care and when they finally receive the health care that they desperately need, many die. Last year alone over 22,000 people died due to lack of access to health care. If these people could have been treated as in preventative medicine many would still be alive today! This is a trend that has been rising over the last decade.

What are we to do? What can we do?

First we must force our elected officials to take stand above the rhetoric and political bickering that has dominated our news of late, they must act like decent human beings and do the right thing, enact legislation that will provide for all of our citizens in this country. No Ifs, no ands and no buts! This must be the law of the land.

Second, we must push these officials to do this, write a congressman, write a senator and by god if they do not act then do everything in your power to make sure they are not re-elected. The time is now. We need decent people to represent us. I know there are a few, most are newly elected representatives. We must provide them with support as they are faced with challenges of the political game.

Once again I cannot reiterate this enough; healthy people are productive people. If one is healthy one goes to school and one goes to work. And working people fix a bad economy.

Oh my!

Peace Out My Friends!

Where is the Justice?

2009-08-23T00:07:00.002-05:00

Statistics and Justice

I was doing some research and came across a statistic.

“Close to 70% of inmates in state and local prisons abuse drugs regularly, compared to the approximately 9% of the general population.”

When I first read this, I thought, Is that all? It seems that we have so many drugs that flow into the prison I work at, that the percentage should be higher. I never have understood how all these drugs, cell phones and other contraband gets into the prison. But it does.

This statistic had nothing to do with drugs in prison; it was actually talking about those that were recently incarcerated and not receiving any form of drug treatment. But seeing reality everyday, the statistic appeared too funny to me.

Did you know? The United States incarcerates more people than any other country, this includes bogus crimes, real crimes and political prisoners!

And so it goes. I honestly wonder about both politics and the media sometimes. It seems I see things that happen but goes unreported and non-discussed. Recently the Governor of Missouri announced that the state legislators had decided to cut something around 4.5 million dollars from the budget of the Department of Corrections BUT they were getting federal dollars to increase the amount of Police that would be on the street…

I am not a rocket scientist but a simple ‘funnel analogy’ can best describe this effect. More police mean more arrests and more arrests mean more convictions. STOP the presses!!! So what happens to these newly convicted criminals? Let us see, NO money for prisons, so we let other convicted criminals back out to the streets. To start their crime sprees over again!

Does anyone else beside me even see this trend? OK, before we continue down this thought process that we know from history this does not work, let us take a step back and honestly look at real problems and real solutions. First and foremost let us figure out what is the #1 reason people get arrested for? Way easy, if you said possession of small amounts of marijuana, then you are aright! Give yourself 50 points. In our society we have spent BILLIONS and BILLIONS to arrest, house, feed, cloth and give medical care for those who have been caught smoking marijuana. VERY seldom do we ever catch a large distributor of these or any drugs, but those souls who have been caught are the ones who take up the most room in the prison system in this country. Most of these folks could not afford a lawyer and thus they went to jail and did not pass GO.

Before I go further I do want to stress the importance of having a lawyer. Not that I am a big fan of lawyers and feel tort reform is well overdue in this country but currently one needs a good lawyer, preferably one that is not so honest. Two cases in point, several years ago I was dong some independent research and was sitting in the visitors seating of the local state district court and witnessed this episode. If it were not true it would have made a great TV show. The first case, a sixty-six year old woman with a myriad of health issues was in court because she had moved out of the county, she was on probation for writing a bad check, she had paid 100% of the restitution and only moved because her daughter was willing to let her live with her due to health reasons and hopefully a little love. But she had moved without asking the courts permission. The Judge lectured her for a long period of time and explained to her that the rules of probation had to be enforced. And then he handed down his sentence of 5 years at the women’s state correctional facility. The deputies took her away. Second case; a 40ish year old man plead guilty to three counts of incest to his biological children, the man stood in front of the Judge with his head down and did not look at the judge once. His lawyer did all the talking; the lawyer in his fork tongue way delivered an eloquent speech about the ability to understand wrong doings and forgiveness. (I am sure the lawyer was not interested in justice but the money that he had just made. Cha Ching!) The Judge listened and looked at this watch several times. The prosecution attorney must have been asleep at the wheel OR had made a previous deal with the defense attorney. When the Judge asked the Prosecution if they had any comments, none were presented. The Judge asked the man if he would do this again and the answer was a feeble “no sir” the Judge gave the man probation and was released. The man shook hands with his attorney. He walked out of the courthouse and drove away in his Lexus. Justice Served? I think not.

This is not a once on awhile thing. Unless a case is high profile or attracts the media, many of these perpetrators of these hideous crimes never do jail time. Just recently a local dentist was placed on probation for sex crimes committed. But God forbid to smoke a joint.

Obviously Lady Justice is blind, paid very well and probably stoned.

Now let us recap. Do a major crime, stay under the radar no jail time- smoke some weed go to jail. So why cannot we as a society figure out that that jails and prisons should be left to the criminal. I do not smoke cigarettes nor do I smoke marijuana, but I see no moral crime in this. Many people drink, beer and whiskey beat their kids and go to church and it is considered OK. I challenge our legislators both federal and state to legalize marijuana and save money housing, feeding, etc inmates across the country. This is such a poor excuse for a crime. We all know that the legal system is not just and is not fair and it has been this way for many years, it is the poor and minorities that are always convicted and many times their innocence is proven many years later.

Clean out the population of jails and prisons with bogus offenders; lock up those who have committed crimes against others. Most of all once this is done then have truth in sentencing laws, if a person goes to prison for life then do life not 10 years and out you go!

I know many are thinking I must wacko to suggest making marijuana legal, but guess what we could tax it like cigarettes and alcohol! Thus we could fund more medical research, we could provide more money for access to health care or so many things, who knows, we could fund the DARE program more and give it substance instead of just a t-shirt!

UMM, smoke on that idea for awhile!

But first we must open our minds to the possibility.

Peace Out!

Closed Minds

2009-08-22T19:52:00.004-05:00

College Conversations:

One evening this last week I was talking with some students and the topic of the Wars in Iraq and Afghanistan came up, (no figure) the person I was talking to made the comment that it was OK to continue the wars because the economy was so bad. if the military had to return to the states and were discharged they would have no jobs. This was their justification for continuing the wars. Not that the wars were justified on political grounds or religious grounds but because the economy was bad.

ARGGGGH.

A few minutes later another person came up and had overheard part of our conversation and this person was sharing that she felt like the Wars were justified because it was the "Christian thing" to do. I was totally flabbergasted. These were college students that I was talking with. I really was speechless.

I thought I was going to vomit, the conversation did make me nauseous.

What could I say? Can't fix stupid, but I knew I had to try.

I asked them both if I could comment on their beliefs and I did. We had a conversation that I felt went nowhere. But at least I tried. It appeared that they could not get their arms around peace and those we as a peaceful nation could do more good than harm. They just looked at me like I had just escaped the state hospital. Apparently all they had ever heard in their life was "kill them all and God sort them out!" No one got angry or upset, but if they did they did not show it, I was peeved somewhat, because once again someone justified killing in the name of Christianity.

Anyway, hopefully as this semester goes on this class will be more enlighten that it started, it is a World Geography class...Neither of the students that I was talking with were in my class, and in my class we have not commented very much, the instructor has done most of the talking. To be honest I do hope we are able to have some student dialog, is so I plan on promoting peace as much as I can and hopefully seize this opportunity to help in enlighten some young minds. There are places that value peace, education and health care, the US not being of them.

I feel that there is more to life that just acceptance, we must make a positive difference in the world we live in.

Have a great day!

Peace Out my Friends!

I apologize about the tardiness of this post today, after this long week of working and going to school full time, I had brain failure this morning, all is well.

What Others are Saying?

2009-08-21T06:31:00.005-05:00

What are others saying about PEACE?

“There is no flag large enough to cover the shame of killing innocent people.” ~ Howard Zinn

“An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world blind.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi

“Either war is obsolete or men are.”
~ R. Buckminster Fuller

“Peace cannot be kept by force. It can only be achieved by understanding.”
~ Albert Einstein

“Never think that war, no matter how necessary, nor how justified, is not a crime.” ~ Ernest Hemingway

“Someday they’ll give a war and nobody will come.” ~ Carl Sandberg

“We cannot be both the world’s leading champion of peace and the world’s leading supplier of arms.” ~ Jimmy Carter

“The Army trained me to kill, the Politicians sent me here, but ultimately it was I who pulled the trigger. There has to be a better way to obtain Peace!” ~ C. David Strong

“We still have a choice today: non-violent existence or violent co-annihilation.” ~ Martin Luther King Jr.

“You never need an argument against the use of violence, you need an argument for it.” ~ Noam Chomsky

“There was never a good war or a bad peace.” ~ Benjamin Franklin

“Mankind must remember that peace is not God’s gift to his creatures; peace is our gift to each other.” ~ Elie Wiesel

“The more we sweat in peace, the less we bleed in war.” ~ Vijaya Lakshimi Pandit

“Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.” ~ Maria Montessori

“In peace sons bury fathers, but war violates the order of nature, and fathers bury sons.”
~ Herodotus

“All we are saying is give peace a chance.” ~ John Lennon

“It isn’t enough to talk about peace, one must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it, one must work at it.” ~ Eleanor Roosevelt

“Peace is not an absence or war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.” ~ Baruch Spinoza

“Peace may sound simple-one beautiful word-but it requires everything we have, every quality, every strength, every dream, every high ideal ~ Yehudi Menuhin

“Mankind must put an end to war, or war will put an end to mankind.”
~ John F. Kennedy

“You can’t shake hands with a clenched fist.” ~ Indira Gandhi

"Forced Democracy, Anyone?"

2009-08-20T06:21:00.002-05:00

“Forced Democracy, Anyone?”

Did you know that the citizens of Afghanistan are having an election today? Not a true and tested election but an election nonetheless. You see it is a forced election; there will be soldiers with guns forcing as many people as they can to vote. We have seen this technique used many times over the last several decades. Iraq, Haiti, Panama just to name a few. It really bothers me when I see our government imposing and forcing others to adapt to a psuedo-Jeffersonian Democracy. But to get our citizens to take part in the democratic process, we seem to just fail to vote, fail to get involved. So why is it “OK” to force others to be mandated to vote? And be forced to do a simple civic duty? Ummm

Just something to think about!

Last evening I was in an American History class, it is the largest class that I am currently enrolled in this semester. BUT I am the oldest by far than any other student. We were broken in to small groups for an group activity and I really forced myself just to listen to many of the side bar conversations that were going on. Keep in mind I am sitting in a civics type class and on a college campus. So many of these young people were just angry. One young woman was just plain rude, she was still peeved that Palin was not the VP of this country and when I reminded her that she was no longer the Governor of Alaska, she said I was lying…

Going back to college at my age is truly an eye opening experience….

It is way to early this morning, because I had to stay up late and do class then some homework, so more later my Peace Friends

Always-

Peace Out!

Where Do We Go From Here?

2009-08-19T05:17:00.003-05:00

Where do we go from here?

If all politics is local...

What do we do locally to reduce crime and the myriad of the problems that we face?

How do we get people involved?

How do we get people to take ownership of our problems?

How do we get people together to find solutions?

For those who know me, I have been a huge proponent of speaking directly to the public via Letters to the Editor, at your local newspaper. I also have been an advocate of writing directly to Elected Officials. I have published hundreds of letters over the last 20 years and have written hundreds of leaders to many officials.

When I write to the papers I never know who reads these letters and it seems that I do not have an opportunity for follow up and to be able to get others involved. I do however read many of the responses that appear to be from "kooks" in the community, many write without any regard to history or even to respond to the sincere suggestions that were made. I have written plausible solutions to the war and even health care, responses are sent back evoking God or socialism but not real responses or submit another solution? Makes me wonder if anyone else sees the problems I see.

As far as politicians are concerned. The last several letters that I have received from my elected officials are form letters that mention nothing of which I addressed in my letter to them? A local State Senator has prided himself in calling his constituents' "white trash." With elected officials such as this, no wonder no one votes anymore.

I sincerely hope that all my Peace Friends that read my blog will forward this to many of their friends and hopefully we can start communicating at the grassroots level. We need to find solutions to our daily problems. We are within reach of being successful in this endeavor. The homeless shelter in my community has closed, what will it take to open it back up? The food pantry is closed all the time, we have hungry people in my community, how can we help them? Education needs; I was in the local Office Max recently and I was speaking to an Educator who was buying basic school supplies for her students, many come to school not prepared, this teacher spending her own money to buy supplies. How do expect to keep quality teachers, if we are not paying them well and then forcing them to supply their students? The only business in my community that is successful is the Department of Corrections and County Jail! The two state prisons and county jail are filled to capacity. These institutions are full but pay poorly, the inmates have better resources that those who guard them. Many employees cannot afford health care while the convicted get free health care. We have elected officials who refuse to work on solutions but are always in the spotlight pointing the finger at others.

We need to pick a problem or maybe two and let us find ways to solve it locally, and then we can work on other issues. It does not matter WHERE you live, we all need to get involved, the problems are rampant and it seems are spiraling out of control.

It will take all of us to solve these complex issues. But we all have to want to solve these problems. I recently relieved an email from someone that was happy to be a part of the discontent that is going on, when asked what was their solution to the problems, I received a copy of an article published in a hate magazine about immigrants. I was amazed. I wrote back and asked again what she felt a solution was to our problems. So far after 4 days no response. We can do better with less hate and discontent.

I am always looking for ideas to solve our problems, please forward any suggestions you may have. We can do this together and be successful.

Through solving the basic needs- we can achieve Peace!

Have a Great Day!

Peace out my Friends!

Peace in Today's World

Good Grief!

Public Health

Down TIme

Stranger Things Have Happened?

Where are we?

Help! Help! Is anyone listening!

Interesting Facts!

Making the NRA Proud!

Ugly People

Wondering?

SOA Watch!

Need to Find a Good Book?

Betwixed?

Today's Reality

A word about my absence

BLACKMAIL! AFGANISTAN STYLE

A Silver Cloud

Someone Failed World History

What we are hardly ever told about the country is that it has been for 300 years the scene of a bitter civil war, says Christopher Booker

THE BRIAN IS A SNEAKY ORGAN

Where does the Time GO?

What do we we want to do?

Veterans Day

Endurance

Friends

Thoughts on Suffering

A Sad Day

Ramblings

I think I can!

Personal cost

Morning Rant

I'm Back!

Sick

OUT OF THE OFFICE!

Community Denial

Nobel Peace Prize

Mission Accompished

NO Peace NO Sex?

NO Peace NO Sex?

Histroical Perspective

In My Head

Thomas Jefferson

Interesting

Conscience of the Mind

Land Ho!

Perspective

Money

Fall 2009

Frustrating and Offensive!

Nurse Convention!

June 13-15, 2010 Columbia, Missouri

Class System

Not enought time- Long Day!

Slowing Down Terrorism

Educational Bankruptcy

COEXIST!

We are more the same than different!

Patriot Day 2009

Laugh More!

Spring 1980

Supplimental Homework

Nineteen - Paul Hardcastle

Back to work

INTRODUCTION

Winning the War!

Hope for Tea Baggers!

Loose Screw

My Brian Gauge!

Off to the Rodeo!

Question? Why are we so violent?

Good Morning World!

Meditation

War is a Racket!

War is a Racket

Two-time winner Congressional Medal of Honor

More Guns is NOT the Answer!

Poems

HATE

Commuting to work!