Many of us respond to the graphical representations of things far more quickly than a nice tabular green line, wide format data sheet.

Ken of SmadaNek has posted tracking in PICTURES (you know, for us people who didn’t do well at skool and can’t rear or rite):

See it here!

I don’t get it. A national level politician makes a statement in clear English, and, those he spoke off take offense.

The media and the staffers, now, being smarter than us troglodyte type people who can only work at McDonalds or get stuck in Iraq, have to tell us what he really said. Could it be the liberalized education system, more enthralled with telling children to feel, rather than know things (like the English language), has failed us and made us too stupid? I guess we didn’t study hard enough to know what he said wasn’t what he said…our bust, sorry….

But, the pattern I see is a national leader makes a statement in public and, when pinned down by the fire from those offended, he sneaks off to offer an apology in a completely inappropriate forum.

Senator Durbin is the first one I’m talking about. Now, Senator Kerry, makes a public statement and follows it up with more public statements telling us to just swallow the joke he bungled (jokes he loves so well), but, now posts a statement on his web site saying he apologizes for his offense “to anyone he offended” (Yeah, not like I think I did, but if it offended you, then I’m sorry).

Let me see: Durbin doesn’t go to GTMO and face those he called Nazis, but goes to a local (read: Friendly) veterans group in his district, and says he’s sorry to WWII vets. Kerry says lots in public and defends himself in public, but places a post on a website that says something differenet from what he personally is heard saying.

Yep, don’t blame President Bush, Senator Kerry, blame the poor job of liberals in completely brainwashing entire generations so we’d know you didn’t mean what you said.

As we all know, it’s the officers who have to spin the sotiry, but if you want the real gouge, get a senior “Non Comm” and you’ll get the unvarished thruth.

My experience was the Master Chief Petty Officers could deliver a factual, yet blistering report, when necessary, knowing they were in that “place” where the thruth couldn’t be avoided. Sonar Technician Master Chief Petty Officer (Surface Warfare) David Frey was one of those men who I learned early in my career to trust and rely on for straight answers. Later in my service time, I served with him again, with Dave being on many of the inspections I was tasked to run on ships all up and down the East Coast. I watched Dave, on several occassions, resolutely bring the message to officers from the division level, up to ship captains, and also to admirals with various numbers of stars on their collar.

He was polite, yet “professionally insistent” in making sure they got the story right. He was a remarkable shipmate.

This brings me to the words of an Army blogger, one of the early ones, a man of great discernment and one who can tell a story. He’s a Sargent Major now, but his blog is “Sgt Hook.” He’s been there and done it and got a drawer full of t-shirts to prove it all, and most likely has done much more he hasn’t gotten a t for. Listen to him.

He linked this site to his post, but his post, in the post-John Kerry ridiculous remarks era, is worth your careful read, for he says it best in “More Important Missions:”

I went to work this morning more than a little hot under the collar at the implication, whether by botching a joke or not, that your Soldiers were stuck defending freedom because they had somehow failed to work hard in school so I decided to get out of the office and check on my Soldiers. It has gotten quite cold here lately and I thought the crisp air combined with talking to Soldiers would help calm me down and focus on what really matters.

Stopping in the motor pool I came upon a group of mechanics, dressed in coveralls streaked with grease stains, working inside an open bay. The large bay had tall sliding doors on both the front and back of the building and were both wide open. Several mechanics were working on a 40 foot trailer parked in the middle of the chilly bay, while others were attending to a second trailer outside, waiting to be pulled in, and still a third set were atop another trailer outside, on the opposite end having just been pulled out of the bay. When I asked one of them why both sets of doors were open causing them to freeze their asses off. The young mechanic enthusiastically explained that they had devised a system whereby one team worked on the electrical and air systems of the trailer as it waited outside the bay, while another team worked on a trailer that had been pulled into the bay completing services on the undercarriage and wheels, then a third trailer had been pulled out of the bay where another team finished up work on the topside of the trailer. “Kind of like an assembly line?” I asked. “Yes sergeant major, exactly!” he replied going on to explain that they were able to knock out full services on five times as many trailers in this manner than by the three individual teams doing everything on one trailer independently. Pretty smart, I thought. Telling the mechanics to get back to work and stop waisting time talking to the sergeant major, I went in search of more Soldiers.
[…]

Read the entire thing, if you know what’s good for your soul, in these pre-election negative on everything news days.

Bradley Penniston has offered two copies of his book, “No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf”. Details from Beth on how to get them auctioned in the works. If not soon, I may have to crawl on my knees on broken glass to get John of Op-For and the USAF, to see if his guy will also run the eBay auctions for us.

on this fantastic story of leadershaip. training, courage under fire (literally) and enginnering.

Thanks to The USMC Team’s site, Villanous Company, for the header picture of the moment!

Trackbacked at: Thrid World County

Update 7 Nov 2006: More up to date auction info here.

Sorry! No stories today, ‘coz we’re raising money for the wounded troops. Valour-IT Kickoff Post

Link your good stuff (and post this link to Valour-IT at your site!)

From John at OPFor (the USAF Team Leader)

Richard S. Lowry, author of “Marines in the Garden of Eden” and the “Gulf War Chronicles” was generous enough to donate two personalized copies of each book to Valour-IT.

There’s a deal! Good books and a chance to fund the drive!

eBay links to the auctions:

“Marines in the Garden of Eden”

“Gulf War Chronicles”

Spread the word, move the cash!

Thanks, John!

Update 7 Nov 2006: More up to date auction info here.

“I apoligize to no one for my remarks.”

That one will go down in history. I’m sure all the mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, brothers siters, grnadmothers (Nancy Pelosi?), and grandfathers will accept this….

Part I, the kick off, is here!

We’re off! Thanks to those who have joined the fray on Day 1.

I’m going to create a universal email list of the Navy bloggers and email it out, along with Secret/No Other Service hints to get the funds flowing.

In case you didn’t see on the program blog, as of today, the 650th (WOW!) laptop for Valour-IT was delivered! That’s a lot of roll up your sleeves, engage your brain and open your wallet support from many people to make that happen.

Math, for those who are busy pounding the virtual pavement for $$$: To attain the goal of $45K in 13 days, we need to pull in $3461.54/day.

Between all of our friends, families, friends who have kids who made you buy Girl Scout cookies, band candy bars, or Boy Scout Jamboree tickets, this is a perfect time to pay them a visit, or at least ring them up on the phone/email.

At the moment, the laptops are in the medical facility libraries, but….with luck, one day they will be in the hands of the people who need them for the rest of their lives.

Think up how to get in contact with local radio stations and see if they’ll post the info on the program on their websites and include it in some of their programming.

Email to follow. If you don’t see one in your inbox, email me and I’ll catch you up (providing you’re not a plant from one of the Army sites, looking for good ideas).

Begin by checking in with your closest contacts today/tonight. Plan for the broader reach soon.