Forward

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Okay, here's the last post for 2005.

I would like to spend just a moment on Hope.

It occurs to me that all the frenzy... all the hype and celebration surrounding New Year's eve is a lot more than just a reason to party. It is almost a primordial sense of optimism... of Hope for the future. This goes way, way back in human history- this longing for a better tomorrow. This holiday seems to give us all a chance to really believe, if only for a minute, that the new year will be better than the last.

Hope is Christmas morning shining for weeks in advance... and it is the arrival of a newborn child. Hope is a thousand new reasons to go on for people injured and sick. Hope is the fuel for the engine that has driven human development for countless centuries. Hope has kept despair in check... and has allowed us to dream the sort of dreams that have changed the world many times over. Hope remains our only true defense against the terrible uncertainty that swirls around us every day.

My Hope for now is peace... this world has seen more than enough war and strife. Imagine that: I just wished for world peace... oh, no, wait... I just Hoped for world peace. Is that different?

Somehow, I think it is...

Happy New Year, everyone. Thanks again for your patronage... I look forward to spending lots more time with you in 2006.

Here's Hoping you have a good and hopeful holiday!

kmg

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More Words

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Next in our continuing series of lectures, we will tackle complaining, whining, and good old-fashioned excuse making.

"Complaining is like sitting in a rocking chair... you don't get anywhere, but it gives you something to do."

That is an old one... but it hits the point quite nicely. Complaining is everywhere... and nowhere so much as in the military. Probably growing as a natural function of lots of young people taking orders they don't always like- and just needing an outlet. Often times, it is harmless and cathartic... but like anything, if left to fester and if nurtured, it becomes a monster.

Ditto with excuses. It is almost an instinctive response for lots of people. I always joke to the Officers I'm training that before they begin shooting a course of fire at our range, they need to have their excuses ready. I always hear them... and I've heard them all. Not just for shooting, but for virtually everything you could imagine.

The most disturbing and potentially dangerous, though, is the "pre" excuse. This is the phenomenon wherein a person makes excuses for why they can't do something before they've even attempted it! Especially prevalent in children... this can lead to a special kind of laziness- a laziness bred from what amounts to a fear of trying.

I try to be optimistic about human nature. I really do. In fact, I am often told that I am way too optimistic and trusting... and, truth be told, that is probably true. I like being that way, though. It makes me wake up everyday with a feeling that great possibilities await. I like that feeling... a lot. Lately, however, I have been let down over and over- far more than I ever have been. I'm seeing the very worst side of a lot of people now- and it is taking a heavy toll on my spirit. I don't hold a lot of expectations for people... usually only that they be honest and treat others with respect and dignity, and all that. So I am always hurt when someone I really wanted to trust and believe in lets me down in one of those simple areas.

In any case, I will continue trying to clean up my little corner of the world... and trying to set a good example, as best I can. I will keep on saying these simple things to my kids, the Officers and Instructors that I lead, and anyone else who bothers to listen to my ramblings:

* Keep your complaining down to a dull roar- and keep working while you're complaining.

* Excuses are great... write them all down and we'll have a bonfire on Independence Day.

* Take care of people.

* Do what you can with what you have where you are right now.


(STANDARD DISCLAIMER: Thanks for listening to more ramblings, if, indeed, you did listen. Not responsible for any negative outcome. Definitely responsible for any added wisdom that could be even remotely attributed to these words- however unlikely that may be.)

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Words Strung Together

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You know how sometimes a simple concept will smack you in the face and seem suddenly to be the greatest thought ever? Well, I was giving some unsolicited words of wisdom to my daughter the other day, and that thought expanded to a whole lot more.

"Into each life a little rain must fall," I wrote to her. "The trick is in understanding that, even as we are being soaked, our crops are being watered."

Simple concept, right? Well, it definitely runs deeper than that for me.

The trials and tribulations we go through absolutely make us who we are. We owe our character to the things we have been through. We must never, ever belittle our struggles... or neglect to learn the true lessons from our mistakes. To do so is to deny the growth step that comes with failure and troubles.

I am richer by far for having had hard times in my life. They have made me better and constantly serve as a reminder of my strength (or lack thereof, as the case allows).

I would not trade the steps on my "life ladder" for anything.

I expect more hard times... in fact, I am sure that there are some waiting for me even now... and I say, BRING IT!


(Thanks for listening to my ramblings... sometimes it just leaks out.)

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Wishes

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Sorry I've been away so long... apparently, I've really stepped in it with this new job.

I am going to try to get back into updating the site- but it may be a while before I'm "regular" again. I appreciate all the time you regular types have spent with me here.

Anyway, if any of you are still around, please have a wonderful holiday. I wish an extremely Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you (yes, even the moonbats).

kmg

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Leave Of Absence

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Unfortunately, tomorrow will mark the first day I've missed posting since I started this site over four months ago.

I will be away for a week or so, and will be unable to update. I'm afraid this new job is getting a bit crazy on the busy-ness side.

I will return... and I will hope to still have the small, but loyal, group of readers that seems to like it here.

Thanks for the time and attention. See you all soon!

kmg

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Enough, Already!

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It is good to see Christians- and common sense people of all religions, for that matter- fighting back at the PC idiots.

That very loud minority out there is in dire need of being put in their place... and it looks like that is starting to happen.

[[ If this were allowed to continue, we'd soon be stringing "holiday" lights on the "holiday" tree, wishing each other "Merry Winter" and going "celebration" shopping at the department store's Seasons' Greetings sale.

But now, after years of all this "holiday" grinching, Americans are revolting and demanding Christmas back.

This week, fury erupted after the White House Christmas card omitted the word Christmas yet again, including wishes instead for a happy "holiday season."

Retailers facing boycotts over a lack of Christmas signage have caved, with Lowe's agreeing to take down "holiday tree" signs and Target on Friday agreeing to use "Christmas" in its advertisements.

The glittering spruce on the Capitol lawn in Washington reclaimed its Christmas tree title this year after a decade as a generic "holiday" monument.

Even Sheriff Joe Arpaio joined the fray, announcing Thursday that he'll be playing religious holiday music all day, every day in Tent City Jail and other Maricopa County Sheriff's Office jails. He'll include songs by the Chipmunks for the atheists, he says. ]]

Okay... that was too funny! Still, I wonder how this will play with the liberal powers that be. It is always amusing to hear the deafening silence from the main democrats when this issue comes up. There is just no way for them to win here.

Gotta love it.

Happy Indeterminate-Holiday-Of-Your-Personal-Belief-System

Christians Push Back (Lovingly, Of Course)

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A VERY Good Idea

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Wow. Finally, the GOP is going to push back... and in a big way.

I can't say how much I love this idea. I just can't say.

[[ The DRUDGE REPORT has learned from a top GOP operative that the Republican National Committee will provide state parties with a web video prior to release tomorrow afternoon that shows a white flag waving over images of Democrat leaders making anti-war remarks.

The ad is in response to the controversial comments Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry made earlier in the week.

A Democratic strategist who had the web ad described to her said, “This is way over the top but we have no one to blame but Dean, Kerry and others who continue to pander to the anti-war activists within our party.”

The web video advances the Republican contention that the Democrats only have a “retreat and defeat” message on the war in Iraq. The video highlights the effect Democrats can have on the morale of U.S. soldiers.

One Republican strategist familiar with the ad said, “The Democrats, especially Howard Dean have a way of trying to turn the tables and say ‘that’s not what I meant’ – its just those ‘evil Republicans’ This video will make them crazy – it reinforces what they really believe with what they actually said – and that is devastating for the Democratic Party.”

Developing... ]]

GOP Plans White-Flag Campaign Against Surrender-Monkey Dems

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Religion Of "Honor" Crimes

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It is just a bit... oh, I don't know... ironic, maybe? Cutting the throat of your 16 year old daughter is "honorable" because her being seen with a non-muslim is not "honorable."

Is ironic the wrong word there? I'm pretty sure it is the wrong word...

[[ Rukhsana Naz was 19 when her mother pinned her to the floor of their family house and her brother strangled her with a length of plastic cable.

Sahjda Bibi, 21, was preparing to celebrate her wedding when her cousin stabbed her 22 times with a kitchen knife. The father of 16-year-old Heshu Yones slit her throat because he disapproved of her Western habits and non-Muslim boyfriend.

All were victims of "honor killings," murdered by relatives who believed they had brought shame on their families through their behavior or choice of boyfriend, husband or lover. ]]

Did we all get that? Her MOTHER pinned her down so that her BROTHER could kill her...

Holy Lord... how does anyone ever come to this. How can this religion be looked at in any way as being "normal" and/or "peaceful"????

"Honor" Crimes Come To U.K.

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Go Joe!!

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Lieberman Rocks!!!

(Sorry... free registration thingy ahead.)
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Rumsfeld Speaks

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This guy will always tell it like it is... the problem is, he is usually not given voice from the media. I remember his press conferences during the early days of the war... he was brilliant in them.

[[ Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld urged the American press yesterday to reassess what he called repeated negative coverage of Iraq as his commanders in Iraq push an extensive information war to counter terrorists' propaganda.

"We've arrived at a strange time in this country, where the worst about America and our military seems to so quickly be taken as truth by the press and reported and spread around the world," Mr. Rumsfeld said. The reporting is "often with little context and little scrutiny, let alone correction or accountability after the fact."

Mr. Rumsfeld said the press is too fixated on the Iraq casualty count, which includes more than 2,000 American troops killed. (Notice how they slipped it in here... they just can't resist! -ed)

"It's appropriate to note not only how many Americans have been killed -- and may God bless them and their families -- but what they died for, or, more accurately, what they lived for," Mr. Rumsfeld said.

When he meets with troops in Iraq, "They ask, 'Why aren't the American people being given an accurate picture of what's happening in Iraq?' " ]]

Hmmm... maybe because the old media refuses to tell the truth to the people... because it runs 180 to their agenda...? Nah... couldn't be that.

Testify, Rummy!

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Infamy

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7 December, 1941.

Thank God there are still people who remember... and thank God for the people we had back then... we sure could use them now.

Here's a nice little story.

Pearl Harbor Memories

I won't forget.

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He Loves The Troops

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Senator kerry, remember all of that stuff you said back during Vietnam... you know, the stuff about how our troops were evil marauders who raped and pillaged and all that...? Then later, you tried to recant and say that you really didn't think our military was all bad and evil...

Anyway, Senator, how do you feel about our troops now? You know, the ones in the fight right this very minute?

"And there is no reason that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs of the--of--the historical customs, religious customs. Whether you like it or not--Iraqis should be doing that."

- john kerry - Face the Nation - December 4, 2005

Okay, so... our troops are "terrorizing" women, kids AND children... got it.

Thank you, Senator.

And thank you, America... for not putting that colossal idiot in the White House.

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High-Definition Insecurities

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I don't know why I thought this was important... maybe because it shows how different people have different priorities.

Here we are in the middle of World War III... with all the death and destruction going on in the world... and the only thing the hollywood ninnies can worry about is how bad they're going to look on TV.

[[ The unforgiving clarity of high-definition television has induced paranoia among celebrities obsessed with their appearance.

The technology, soon to become available in Britain, produces images so sharp that even subtle imperfections, usually hidden by make-up or flattering lighting, are brutally exposed.

Distressed celebrities are rushing to plastic surgeons and dermatologists for Botox or laser treatments. Technical and make-up experts are, meanwhile, devising increasingly ingenious techniques for masking flaws such as acne scars and bulging veins. ]]

Eeek!! Not A High Definition Close-up!!

Geez...

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And Now, A Word From...

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...Winston Churchill.

"Never give in-- never, never, never, never, in nothing great or small, large or petty; never give in, except to convictions of honour and good sense. Never yield to force; never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

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Saying It Right

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Wow. Here is a column in the Tampa Tribune by an American. That's all I can say to describe him... because his words are SO familiar to every other true American.

This is a real "feel good" column... mainly because it speaks for all of us (well, except for the moonbats, of course).

[[ The war against terrorism, especially in Iraq, has caused many Americans to ask if the cost is worth it. They watch television and read the papers about the casualties and terrorist suicide attacks. The media report daily the number of soldiers killed in Iraq but rarely report the positive events.

What if these same Americans had been around in 1944 and 1945? In 1944, the Marines stormed Iwo Jima in the Pacific. In about five weeks, they had more than 6,000 Marines killed and more than 19,000 wounded. Shortly following that battle, U.S. forces attacked the island of Okinawa, where more than 12,000 military personnel died.

Congressman Charles Rangel of New York continues to preach that the poor, the uneducated and minorities make up the majority of the military because they cannot find other jobs. That is not true. The military has a higher percentage of high school graduates than the overall population. A recent study by the Heritage Foundation, comparing incomes by ZIP codes, reported that 66 percent of our military forces come from the middle or upper class.

We live in the greatest, most compassionate, most generous and most religious country in the world. A percentage of our population does not appreciate that, for whatever reason.

We are the light of the world, and the majority of our population must begin to express itself so that those who would defame and debase this great country are placed on the ash heap of history where they belong. God bless America! ]]

Yeah!!

Recall WWII Sacrifice And Consider 'What If?'

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Mutually Exclusive Terms

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"Sincere" and "democrat/liberal politician." Those do not go together at all.

Anyway, here's a great article at the American Thinker on the insincerity of the dems... but also on how the President must, as we discussed yesterday, continue to press the surrender monkeys with statements of fact and truth.

[[ The President’s speech at the United States Naval Academy this week was powerful. It said most of the things that need saying about our war in Iraq and it left the Democrats backpedaling as they gasped for breath. At the heart of the President’s argument, however, was a contradiction which undercuts his case for the war in Iraq.

The President castigated those who demand an “artificial timetable” for an American withdrawal, but only after making this remarkable disclaimer:

“Many advocating an artificial timetable for withdrawing our troops are sincere, but I believe they’re sincerely wrong.”

How is it possible that purportedly patriotic American public officials can be sincere when they conspire to cut and run from our deadly enemies, to portray America as a weak and unreliable ally and to invite new attacks on our homeland?

As it happens, the Democrats aren’t sincere. They aren’t anywhere in the vicinity of sincerity. When they call for withdrawal from Iraq, as Nancy Pelosi did again in a response to the President’s speech, they are damaging their country. As the President pointed out, this is obvious. No Democrat has even tried to argue that scheduling a withdrawal would not have the consequences the President outlined. We must conclude that the Democrats know they are working counter to America’s interests at the same time they present themselves as patriotic public servants. This is the antithesis of sincerity. ]]

Indeed.

I just love the wrap up... it speaks what my soul crys out.

[[ Make them pay through the nose for their defeatism, Mr. President. Remember Al Gore sweating and frothing and the mouth as he bellowed that you “betrayed this country.” Throw it back at them with interest.

Attack until they stop twitching and then attack some more. If this seems unpresidential, the Vice President can do it. But one way or another, it’s past time for a serious offensive on the home front.

Fortune favors the bold. ]]

Hell, yes, it does!

Hit 'Em Again, Harder

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He Needs Another Bullhorn

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Here's a very good column by Jay Nordlinger in National Review about how the President's message has not received attention... and, indeed, has been virtually ignored.

[[ It’s strange to say that a president doesn’t get enough attention — that his speeches and arguments are ignored. But I think this may be true of GWB. Over and over, he speaks clearly about the War on Terror, and other matters, and month after month, people say, “Why isn’t the president saying anything? Why doesn’t he speak out? Has he no defense of his policies?”

Problem is, Bush can give a speech to a few hundred people, and the rest of the world takes little notice (or isn’t given very much).

Poor president, I’m saying: Doesn’t have a big enough megaphone. “Get real, Impromptus guy!”

But consider — consider not just this latest Iraq speech (Wednesday’s), but the one he gave on Veterans Day (November 11). He spoke at the Tobyhanna Army Depot, in Pennsylvania, and I urge anyone interested to read this speech. He says why we are at war; he says who our enemies are, and how they’re related; he says how the war is going; he outlines his vision.

Now, you may disagree with Bush, and you may despise him: but it should be impossible to say that he has no clue.

People say, over and over, “Why isn’t Bush saying anything?” He is — but is anyone bothering to listen? It’s not all that hard, even if Dan Rather — or whoever the new guy is — won’t dump it in your lap. Again, I urge you to read the Tobyhanna speech — skip the boilerplate about veterans, and how much money the administration is spending on them, at the beginning. The guts of the speech will take you maybe 15 minutes to read. It will be worth it, if you want to know the president’s view. As I said, you may disagree with him, or think he’s full of it — but you should at least know where he (and, by extension, we as a country) stand.

I have said for many years that Bush should hold more press conferences. Prime-time ones, in the East Room, or whatever. It would give him an opportunity to speak to people — lots of people, not just a crowd gathered in an auditorium. Let the questioning be hostile — the more hostile the better. Bush can handle it, and he would impart information, or opinion, that people should have. The White House staff should feel no need to protect him. He can talk. In his fashion — homespun and unpolished — but he can talk. ]]

This really is a must read... in fact, I really hope that someone in the White House reads it. This new rhetorical offensive that the President has been on is going to yield much fruit... if he keeps it on.

Most of us have felt frustrated at both the President's lack of "telling it like it is" and the media's refusing to tell it like it is.

I think it's getting better.

Listening To Bush

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Listen Up, Soldiers!!

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(And everyone else, too!)

Here is another great American telling it like it is:

[[ (General Tommy) Franks pinned part of the blame for the public’s disapproval about Iraq on the mainstream media, which, he said, is providing only one side the story.

“When we look at the mainstream media, and they want to know, when are you going to get out of Iraq? And the President doesn’t know when we’re going to know when we’re going to get out of Iraq because he’s feisty,” Franks said. “He’s focused on it for as long as it takes. He’s put energy behind it. The man has the highest integrity of anyone I have ever known, and I know it. He takes the blame, and so forth.”

About the mission in Afghanistan, he added: “I am proud that in a period of 75 days, my country gave 26 million people a chance for something they had never known in perhaps 2,000 years. I missed the stories in our media about what our country did for the people of Afghanistan.” ]]

General Tommy Franks Reminds America About A Few Things

The good General has much more to say... so go read it!

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Dr. Hanson Speaks...

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...so all the smart people are listening.

[[ Almost everything that is now written about Iraq rings not quite right: It was a “blunder”; there should have been far more troops there; the country must be trisected; we must abide by a timetable and leave regardless of events on the ground; Iraq will soon devolve into either an Islamic republic or another dictatorship; the U.S. military is enervated and nearly ruined; and so on.

In fact, precisely because we have killed thousands of terrorists, trained an army, and ensured a political process, it is possible to do what was intended from the very beginning: lessen the footprint of American troops in the heart of the ancient caliphate.

Save for a few courageous Democrats, like Senator Joe Lieberman, who look at things empirically rather than ideologically, and some stalwart Republicans, most politicians and public intellectuals have long bailed on the enterprise. ]]

A Moral War

All of it awaits you.

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I Guess It's Not Bias If They Believe It

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Here it is. The latest, greatest, shining example of EXTREME media bias. Just look at the headline on this AP story... and that is only the tip of the iceburg.

I keep wanting to say that I've never seen such incredible bias... but if I'm honest, then I probably have. I just can't believe it when it is this bad.

Reminder: This is NOT an editorial.

[[ President Bush's depiction of Iraqi security forces as "helping to turn the tide" is difficult to square with persistent setbacks in handing control of the country back to its own people.

His suggestion that Americans are solidly behind the mission also understates opposition at home, and his hard sell on the rising quality of Iraqi forces overlooks complexities on the ground.

Bush on Wednesday declared the Iraqi army and police forces are "increasingly taking the lead in the fight against the terrorists," even as recruits patrol Iraq's most violent cities barely three months after learning how to use weapons and police forces struggle to get officers to come to work. ]]

Bush Attempts Hard Sell On Iraq Process

I swear to the universe: this might as well be the democrat's response to the President's speech.

Wowsers...

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