We’re Not Sorry is a counter to some very strange people with some belief that they have the permission of the American public to make an apology for those of us who prefer life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness over “Religitics” (that’s my original word, but feel free to use it, unless it’s mirror, “Poligion” is more suitable (my word, too)), a return to the past, mass cults of personality (pass the Mohammed-Aid, please), and the general subsugation of any normal human interactions. These people are located at this site.

I tend to be pretty much at peace with life, but I had a small departure from “calmness” this afternoon while having a phone conversation. I did raise my voice, but the tone was purposefully deliberate, without personal attacks, or profanity. Anger? Yes. No thought of physically harming anyone, only to make apoint so points of view are focused on the truth, not some fairy tale world view.

Me: “John Ashcroft resigned.”
They: “Why?”
Me: “I heard them say the other day some people were going, some ‘burn out.'”
They: “Well, George Bush made it hard.”

Screen play version follows:

He begins to seeth, mental images of bodies falling from buildings, fireballs from jet fuel, toppling towers surge through his mind in rapid succession, but he recovers from the shock of such an incoherent and obviously STUPID (yes, and I mean it in the most complete sense of the word) statement having been uttered from the mouth of a 54 year old American citizen by birth.

Me: “How can you say that? It’s hard because we have been at war! Hard because John Aschroft and the FBI, and the DIA and the, oh, yeah, don’t forget the CIA, lead by a Clinton appointee, had to completely change how they did things to protect us from more attacks. Are you saying George Bush made it hard on those almost 3000 people that died?”

They: (not to draw this out) Unstammering comments to try to tell me it was the President’s fault, with no recognition of what came to the world on the morning of September 11, 2001.

My God, how can anyone with a brain their head (but, I hate to sound mean spirited, but maybe that’s the case, they don’t have one) even try to make this about George Bush. Comments about how “we are still headed in the wrong direction (re: Iraq)”, “Kerry didn’t have the advantage of being Presiedent, so how could you expect him to come up with a plan for the war?” Response: “He had access to essentially the same intelligence as the President, but FAILED TO ATTEND THE MEETINGS, so he is culpable in that he didn’t make use of what he should have known.” “Well, I bet there are other senators who don’t got tho their meetings!” AAAAAAUUUGGGHHHHH!!!!! SO WHAT!!!!! They aren’t the ones running for President! “well, people’s records get uncovered when they run for office.” “Tell me where you read that George Bush was an ‘absentee’ govenor?” (no reposnse). Standard tactic of one who has no ammunition to expend: Try to focus attention elsewhere.

I did pose the question: “How can you be so cavalier about those who died when we were attacked?” I’m not sure if I didn’t wait for an answer, or after a half a word forming, realized the answer forthcoming would be wrong, so I don’t think that came to closure, before I cut her off.

Some background: A woman with a good vocabulary, who runs her own business, sells jewelry on weekends for fun and the interaction and a little extra money, owns two cars, one that is never driven in the rain, or the winter weather, owns not only one house, but a second on a prime piece of waterfront property. Point: This person has the advantage of every American citizen to do as she pleases, and has benefited from the advantage of being a woman in a society that, despite it’s faults, provides a tremendous degree of equality and respect for women.

Response to being “pampered” by the United States legacy of freedom: Denigrate someone who stepped up to the plate and took the fight to a determined enemy. Forget to consider, while we are all in it together, there are many hard working people in the Government striving to keep us safe, and this isn’t something that happened at the drop of a hat, but has been something brewing for some time, transcending several presidencies…..but, it’s gotta be that arrogant “W”s personal agenda that has brought us here. Coming from a 2 year old, I may be able to accept it (while thinking of having a serious talk with the parents), but from a full grown adult with normal functioning mental capabilities? I’m still incredulous, several hours later, and I suppose I will be for life.

I commented: John Kennedy rose to the challenge on dark night in the Pacific and provided the leadership necessary for his men. “Oh, that’s what eanone would do.” Really? Yep, jfK ran and hid from combat, but I guess he’s the better man. John Kennedy unilaterally blockaded Cuba. “Wasn’t that the Bay of Pigs?” “No, that was us unilaterally invading another soverign nation. Blockading Cuba was another time.” “That was economic, wasn’t it?” (Wow, what an opening, a President unilaterally blockades a nation with a Naval Force over money and trade….grand idea.) “NO, that was because the Soviets were putting nuclear missiles into Cuba and the THREATENED US!”

I don’t think it sunk in. History, yes, pretty boring and who cares anyhow, when we can suck up the benefits and just listen to some drivel from a couple of multi-millionaires (Soros and Moore) telling us things that are proven false within about 22 seconds of any serious study.

Where is the indignation that a handful of people with millions of dollars of pocket change to burn showing up and, in the case of one, blatantly telling us he was going to buy the president out of office? I think any citizen should sit back for a moment and think: “Let me get this straight. You don’t like him and you will show up and distribute dollars and make an attempt to override my blood bought right to vote for who I want? Ok, so maybe I agree that I don’t like George Bush, but what if in ’08, I don’t agree with you?”

Duh….that’s it. If he’ll buy votes against the one you don’t like, he can buy votes next time against the one you like. What say you now? Kinda like the Catholics and Christians who were fine with the Jewish neighbors being hauled off in Nazi Germany. How would you respond when it was your turn? Yep, kinda hard to get a right back that you let go of, because it didn’t affect your over-privledged position in life.

Yes, it got my blood pressure up. After hanging up, the recollection of standing the mid-watch on pitch black nights, 35 hours laying over the reduction gear for major reapairs at sea, standing into port in many foreign lands, dressed in whites, knowing all eyes were on the handling of the ship bearing the Stars and Stripes and the action of every crewman, while my wife handled family matters alone in the States, standing over charts, rapidly scanning radio reports, hard copy intellegence, desperately trying to figure where the enemy submarines were, so we could order ASW assets into positions to protect the carriers and supply ships, and so many other things. While I never had the oppotunity to serve in any combat other than being at sea for Operation Prarie Fire off Libya in ’86, I steamed the waters of the World’s oceans so a conversation like this could happen.

I cannot regret my service for the stupidity of one person, who has heard many of my stories and knows of my service, and through links I send her, many of the stories of those who serve her now, but it sure felt easy to consider “going there.”

I feel better now. She just provided a catalyst for all the insanity that has followed this election. In her case, I had an opprotunity to present another point.

Enough. Maybe one day she’ll even stop here and read this…..and post her side of the story (that should be a classic read…:) )

Talk show host Dennis Prager had a succient statement on just what happened on the election day this year. In about a ten minute portion quoted on Focus on the Family on 11/04/2004, Dennis skillfully lays it out. Listen to the 11/04/04 broadcast on the page. It’s worth your time and may help you have intelligent discussions with others, if you haven’t been able to summarize what the American Citizens said.

If you’ve never heard that line before, it’s an ancient Chinese curse to be told “May you live in interesting times.”

I’ll post two links that should send a shiver up your spine by their very implications. It’s not that someone has a difference of opinion, but that one side wantss hte other to be completely disallowed from their beliefs. Hello, McFly! This is the nation with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and Bill of Rights that other yearn to live under, until recently, when it seems some have come to work to remove it in the long run.

The long term implication is that the “popular” vote may well be used to turn this country into a theocratic state. Not tomorrow, or in 2008, but with persistance, down the road sometime this century (my guess, for what it’s worth). Once enough Muslims, which I use here because it is the fastest growing religion (in terms of numbers of converts) in both the World, and here in the United States. Not hard to figure out once you have enough of a “directed” block vote, as they preach in the mosques popping up all over, then it’s off to the polls and the institution of Sharia Law, and other cultural changes associated with the Islamic faith become the law of the land.

Here goes, read them for yourselves and be forewarned of the coming wave of change, assisted by misguided youth, as well as puposeful adults:

Some college students, who happen to be Republicans, held a rally at San Francisco State University. Here’s what happened to them.

At least 45,000 Muslims have signed a petition, demanding removal of the book “Prophet of Doom” from public circulation. Let me pose a rheotrical question: When was the last time you saw documented evidence of a Christian, Catholic, or Jewish group (You know, those evil people) trying to censor any magazine, or book, or movie by demanding it’s complete removal from any viewing by private citizens? This conjures up images of only being one step from book burnings in Nazi Germany, doesn’t it? That being the case, why is President Bush, an unashamed Christian, compared to Hitler on a regular basis around the world, while Muslims are lifted up as some loving religion?

Leaving the States, and the protection of a written set of basic rules for our society, we next take a virtual flight to the Netherlands, where Theo van Gogh was brutally murdered and a note explaining the reason he was killed was left “attached” to his body with a knife. You guesed it, he exposed the mis-treatment of women in the Islamic faith. Plenty of reason to die: Exposing the truth.

This entire story gets better: Talk about intolerance!. No wonder there are those who want the Ten Commandments removed, then they can have those arrested for stating natural law (see “Mere Christianity,” C.S. Lewis, for a solid discussion of what natural law is).

Oh, and now it’s got legs! Here’s some “counterbattery” as a result. This certainly will evoke a respose in return. The term “escalation” comes to mind.

From here, it sure looks like this mess is headed for that place of “out of control” and that means innocents and beligerants both end up suffering.

I’m at a loss as how to wrap this up, which is probably why I’m not a writer by profession, but just someone with an opinion. Maybe it’s time to read Habakuk again, then take my place on the wall….

I followed a link to The Green Side and found an email sent from a Marine to his father. This Marine Officer makes some powerful points, and gives you a ringside seat to his emotions, and the things he has seen. Yes, it’s filtered through the eyes of a Marine, but he writes eloquently about the experience his fellow Marines and he will more than likely face very soon. He displays a degree of compassion the MSM would not allow you to believe is in our front line war fighters. Thank God he’s there.

For those of you who have been there, done that and have the T-shirt, thank you.

For those who are about to enter that close quarters battle environment, my prayers are with you, as is my admiration for your drive to do the hard work of democracy.

Keep your focus, Dave and bring your boys home….

This home grown movie is a seemingly real story of someone who missed the warning signs…

Apparently it came out a few years ago, but it should make you smile, if not laugh out loud. I guess two guys laboriously filmed sections of I-405, when they saw they were empty, then pieced them together to make it appear as though no one was on one side of that Interstate (short the driver of the Jeep). The plot is compeling, the acting fantastic, the story, well, maybe plausible, but if you need a chuckle, click up there….(and it’s not long…)

Interesting post from some real, live people in Iran (/sarcasm on: go figure!/sarcasm off) who are celebrating the victory for our President. One could certainly believe from the last several months of reading and listening to “regular” news, that we had maybe 2.7 people outside the borders of this country that maybe, sort of, under threat of torture, might say they liked America.

I’m swiping poetry of Russ Vaughn’s, Army Vietnam Vet with a real talent for coherent writing, from Matt. Published here for the record.

Today Is Veterans’ Day
On September 8th, I posted that Election Day would be Veterans’ Day…. Here’s something to commemorate the day by the MilBlog Poet Laureate (and fellow paratrooper), Russ Vaughn:

Their Veterans’ Day
Some said let you apologize
But that wouldn’t do it in our eyes.
A man astride of each position
Could we believe your true contrition?
And on deaf ears your words would fall
To those whose names are on that Wall
The vindication they now accept
In settling up this long-held debt,
Is that for them we gave our best
And denied you, John, your lifelong quest.
We fought for them, fought for our own,
To make you reap what you had sown.
Listen carefully John to what we say,
November 2d was their Veterans’ Day.

Russ Vaughn
2d Bn, 327th Parachute Infantry Regiment
101st Airborne Division
Vietnam 65-66

Sgt Joseph was horribly wounded in Iraq and is now at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, DC. The Army can only bring 2 of his family members (from Ft. Bragg, NC), any others coming there are doing so out of pocket. Sgt Bozik’s wounds are terrible, he has lost both legs and an arm and is in a coma. As any of you know, the cost of hotels in the DC area are very high and we know soldier’s pay isn’t that great.

Transportation and living expenses are needed to allow his family to be with him. There is a way to help out in the link above, if you feel so inclinced. In this other post, there are pictures of Sgt Bozik, sent by his mother. What struck me was the life in his eyes in those two pictures. While it is a cruel set of circumstances that did this, his look seems to say there lots of life left in this young man.

Please pass the word on, and don’t forget there are others like Joseph Bozik who we owe much to.

Matt at Black Five has more great stuff. This article is about a German woman who has been a real supporter of the wounded Soldiers in the hospital in Landsthul, Germany.

It’s nice to know someone is giving of themselves to show our wounded youth, serving the cause of freedom around the world some real love. The are connected to Soldier’s Angels, which is a non-profit organization, where you can see how to lend a hand to those who protect us with their own lives.