The Acts of A Few Good Men

There are those times and events in your life that should mean something. The taking of wedding vows, the birth of a child, the first time you make love to your wife. I cannot, in all honesty, say that viewing a movie is anywhere near the level of these events, but last night my family sat down and watched a movie that seems to give a fairly accurate perspective of the life and business of a Navy Seal.

I guess you could say that some of the action was predictable. Blood and gore may not have been at a minimum but was not gratuitous and it appears that much of the action could have been real or at least based in fact. The flick will not be winning any awards for acting though the special effects were not bad. The extraction in the jungle had me on the edge of my seat. The infiltration of the village was top notch, but there was more to this film than acting and action.

We got a glimpse into the inner workings and interaction between the members of a seal team, the members and their families. I am not going to lie, this was a hard film to watch. There were times that i wanted to grab a M-4 and join the action. The final scenes and, ultimately, the sacrifices made are inspiring. The friendship, trust, and just the way these men relate to each other is humbling and something we should all aspire to.

This was not an in depth look into the tactics and strategies utilized by Seal Teams. This movie follows 'Seal Team 7' into a simple personnel recovery and how it morphed into an operation to stop suicide bombers from entering the US. In the twists and turns of the plot, one Seal takes a round to the face,another makes the ultimate sacrifice to save the rest of the team.

I cannot say it enough times that these are the men we need on the walls guarding the kingdom. Like Jack Nicholson said in the movie 'A Few Good Men'; (the full monologue is here)

"You can't handle the truth! Son, we live in a world that has walls. And those walls have to be guarded by men with guns. Who's gonna do it? You?... We use words like honor, code, loyalty...we use these words as the backbone to a life spent defending something. You use 'em as a punchline. I have neither the time nor the inclination to explain myself to a man who rises and sleeps under the blanket of the very freedom I provide, then questions the manner in which I provide it! I'd rather you just said thank you and went on your way. Otherwise, I suggest you pick up a weapon and stand a post... "

 These are the men we need on that wall and i am honored to have even been in the military with such men.

Heroes

In my 44, ok 45, years on this planet, there have been those folks that have inspired me. When i was younger, admittedly, it did not take much. Prowess at acting, playing football or baseball would elevate someone to, if not god hood, at least demi-god status. As i aged my tastes evolved, or at least i hope that they have. In my mind, a parade of politicians, pundits and pastors have been elevated to that of hero. Thing is, I have noticed that no one is perfect. Time and again I have been disappointed in the integrity, or lack thereof, of those that we hold up as role models. There is not a week that goes by that we hear of Lance Armstrong doping to win Bike races or Roger Clemens using steroids. Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire may have been on steroids when they broke records. That does not mean that there are not athletes out there that do not deserve our respect. It seems that there is a concerted effort to bring them low and relegate them to mediocrity. Tim Tebow is one of these folks. (He should have never been sent to New York.)

I would bring to your attention that Soldier, Marine, Airman and Sailor are not on that list. This is not a slight by any means. There are acts of bravery and heroism every day in the Armed forces of any country. These men and women deserve the respect of the nation for the sacrifice they make whether or not our nation is at war.
For all the hardship and difficulty that the era was rife with, I almost wish I could have lived in the late 1700 to early 1800’s. Life was hard then but there were events that were in play that were historic in scope. Tomorrow is the 4^th of july. On this day in 1776 these words were penned;

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. (Copyright ©1999-2012 by the Independence Hall Association)

There was a lot of discussion and debate leading up to the signing of the constitution. To sign this document meant treason against Great Britton and the Crown. If there were ever a set of heroes that deserve our respect and honor, the 56 men that signed this document deserve our respect and honor, twenty-four lawyers and jurists, 11 merchants and tradesmen, and nine farmers. Ben Franklin was the only really old man. Eighteen were under 40; three were in their 20s.These were not agitators or community organizers. Most of these men were wealthy, with a couple of notable exceptions, such as Samuel Adams. John Hancock was one of the wealthiest men in the colonies. These were well educated men that had made their fortunes in the new world, but their desire for freedom was greater than their lust for wealth. They pledged their Lives, Fortunes, and sacred Honor all the while with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence. Did you ever wonder about what happened to those that signed the declaration? If you look here (http://www.baxtercountyrepublicans.com/founding_fathers.html) you will see an account of the fate of these men. Here are some examples;

Francis Lewis, New York delegate, saw his home plundered and his estates, in what is now Harlem, completely destroyed by British soldiers. Mrs. Lewis was captured and treated with great brutality. Though she was later exchanged for two British prisoners through the efforts of Congress, she died from the effects of her abuse.

John Hart of Trenton, New Jersey, risked his life to return home to see his dying wife. Hessian soldiers rode after him, and he escaped in the woods. While his wife lay on her deathbed, the soldiers ruined his farm and wrecked his Homestead. Hart, 65, slept in caves and woods as he was hunted across the countryside. When at long last, emaciated by hardship, he was able to sneak home, he found his wife had already been buried, and his 13 children taken away. He never saw them again. He died a broken man in 1779, without ever finding his family.

Edward Rutledge, Arthur Middleton, and Thomas Heyward, Jr., the other three South Carolina signers, were taken by the British in the siege of Charleston. They were carried as prisoners of war to St. Augustine, Florida, where they were singled out for indignities. They were exchanged at the end of the war, the British in the meantime having completely devastated their large land holdings and estates.

These men Pledged everything they had, Everything they were to the fight to free this country from oppression, and just the presence of their name on a document enough to send them to meet the hangman. These men and all those that sacrificed to win our freedom are the heroes we should place on pedestals, and anyone else that we seek to place on that pedestal should be compared to these.

A trip to Texas

Well for the last week or so we have been on vacation. A trip that was taken to try to reconnect with the family and some old friends. For the most part the interaction with family was predictable. there were few of the Family that decided to show at the 'family' dinner. I am sure there were good reasons. The surprise was my Aunt Carolyn. Her and her husband stayed up till midnight talking with Heidi, Kevin and I till almost midnight.

Early in the week The brother in law, Robert, And i went shooting. That was a good time. It had been a couple of years since i had been shooting pistols and longer since i had done any long range shooting. That was a good time. I have always loved shooting carbines and rifles. Even in the Army i would do better over iron sights at the longer targets. the closer ones were always a toss up but the targets 100 yards out and farther i could always hit. Well i was able to do a bit of long distance shooting with a 30-30 of Robert's. Not sure of the scope power but there was a scope. I had a 3 finger group at 100 yards and not much worse at 200 yards. I know that is not the best distance for long distance shooting. Most contests are 500 yards or so out. but for the first time in 7+ years that i had touched a rifle out side of first person shooters... i think i did well

There is a saying that a true friend is someone that you can not talk to for years and then, when you finally get back together, it is like you were never apart. I think for the most part that is true. After 10 years or so i got together with my best friend from High School. Steve was a big part of my late teen years. Learned to play Dungeons & Dragons with the help of Steve and another friend, Jere. Then there was the old army buddy that i caught up with on the way back up to the 'Great White North'. Tom, Who has a blog http://thomaswilsonstoryteller.blogspot.com/ opened his home to us and grilled burgers and hotdogs. We got to get reacquainted with his family and meet a couple of new additions. It seemed like we had never really been apart. We talked about things that two old soldiers talk about reminisced about people we had know and places we had been. Not to mention fun we have had since we last met. I stole the tank from his blog. It is a good pic!

All in all it was a great trip even if it was a long drive. Next time we go to Texas we may fly. But i will definitely be driving down to see Tom and his family again. there is just to much history there to be ignored.

Short one today but i am working on another installment on the stories i have been writng.

Good luck and God Bless

Star Wars

I have been a star wars geek since the first movie came out so long ago, I have seen every Star Wars movie released @theContinentalTheater in Denver Co. I dressed as Han Solo for the Revenge of the Sith and was upset when Han was frozen in carbonite. In that vein, i have written some fan Fiction that i thought was pretty good.

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Floating... Ptolemy looked around smiling he has always enjoyed the feeling of Zero Gravity. the fact that this rarely happens is irrelevant. Normally it would be a bad thing to have the gravity mesh fail in flight but Ptolemy regularly turns it off so it is easier for him to get around. This means his leg doesn't hurt as much and floating is easier than walking. Ptolemy looked to his right and saw his staff slowly spinning end over end in place which was weird, his staff should have been secured next to the pilot seat. then Ptolemy focuses beyond the staff at the canyon wall. He was not floating he was falling! a guttural scream ripped from his throat! In a panic Ptolemy reaches out to grab his staff, he missed and sends his staff spinning toward the canyon wall creating sparks as the wood and Cortosis weaved staff impacted the wall. Ptolemy thrashed as if trying to fly waving his arms as his legs took off in a dead run. involuntarily he turned from his back to front as he caught a glimpse of the rough ground rushing up to meet him...

*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*BEEP*

Ptolemy jerked awake and sent his staff flying across the cockpit of the yacht he had 'liberated' on Narr Shada. He was not sure who the vessel belonged to but it sat for 3 months with no activity and all he had to pay for it was the docking fees. That's what happens when you watch what is going on around you. Ptolemy Shrugged, probably some clueless elites wanting to get a look at how the other side lived... and saw how they died first hand.

Ptolemy glances at the nav computer and silenced the alarm. What a dream! he sighs as he leans back in the command couch wiping the sweat from his forehead, at least it was not as bad as the real thing. 'I must have hit the wrong button' Ptolemy mused as The Dawn Treader transitioned into normal space.

'Well' Ptolemy said to no one in particular, 'I have been on this ship long enough'. Ptolemy looked at the nav charts and saw a planet marked simply Yavin 4. 'Not much there seems to be an out post of some type on that moon, should be my kind of place.' Ptolemy began to hum as he set course for the planet.

there was a bit to do from that point, Ptolemy had accepted long ago that FTL travel was to complex for humans to figure out and so, left it to computers, but piloting in system was something he always enjoyed. Setting a course for the small world Ptolemy wondered what there was to be gained there and why the force decided to drop him here.

His mind began to wonder back 20 years or so ago to the events that changed his life forever, wedding Kerinn, the woman that he would have died for and almost did and the birth of his son. He could hear the cries of his son when he was born and how proud he was. Feeling that familiar stirring knowing he had passed his gift on to his son as Ptolemy's father had to him. Ptolemy was hoping to be able to train his son in how to control the gift or curse depending on your point of view. But Ptolemy had grown careless and his family had been killed by the sand people on Tatooine. The first shots killed Kerinn and wounded Ptolemy. The raiding party came down to the speeder they had been riding and Ptolemy fought with what ever he had. Killing 4 and driving the 5th Raider off. With no transport he gathered his son up and started the long trek back to Anchorhead. He did not remember getting there only waking up in an infirmary with no sign of his son. The damage to his right leg were such that he would always have a limp and so he fashioned a staff of the hardwoods of Kashikk and Cortosis the element that not even a light saber can cut through.

Ptolemy had been searching for his son for years, traveling the galaxy searching for any sign of an untrained force sensitive boy, man now, had it really been 20 years? The trail had gone cold on Narr Shadaa there was little information on the boy he sought beyond the fights the boy had gotten into. That was over 3 years ago and from the descriptions of the cruelty this man was capable of it was clear that he was not the man Ptolemy hoped to shape but, hope is never lost.

‘JvS control to ship designated Dawn Treader,’ Ptolemy almost jumped as the comlink crackled to life.
‘JvS control this is the Dawn Treader requesting vector to land.’ Ptolemy said into the comlink.
‘Dawn Treader permission granted to land and occupy pad 3west coordinates transmitting now’

The Navputer set a string of beeps indicating coordinates received. ‘ I have the coordinates, initiating landing cycle’

Ptolemy looked at the control panel as he easily guided the Dawn Treader to landing pad 3 west. The ship rocked gently as it hits a patch of turbulence the Initial Dampeners could not completely compensate for. Watching the various gauges and indicators Ptolemy fires the breaking thrusters and comes to a hover, extends the landing gear and sets down on the pad with bearly a bump. Pleased with the landing, Ptolemy goes through the post flight almost mechanically making makes notes on issues he needs to look into or get fixed. He leans back for a moment and thinks about what it is going to be like not to eat his own cooking for a few days. Chuckles to him self and gets out of the command couch, grabs his staff and limps down the boarding ramp.

While Ptolemy had never been a big fan of Tropical planets Yavin’s moon seemed nice enough. You could see the scars the jungle leaves on everything as it tries to absorb and erase all traces of progress from its domain and then there were the signs of some pretty nasty fights damage that is patched, noticeable because of the subtle shade difference in the patch and the surrounding wall. There were signs of cuts and massive holes in the walls scorch marks you can never really scrub off or paint over.

There was an under current of something dark like an oil slick on top of a puddle of water. Something you may not be able to see but taints everything it comes in contact with. It is there in the oily film on what you touch or as that flavor you cannot quite place. Ptolemy had felt that taint before on Nar Shadaa, A place in which he was able to blend in and hide his gift. Stealth was one of the first things that he was taught by his Father. There was a palpable tension in the air as if there were two sides of an issue that could not be agreed on or two factions diametrically opposed never being able to come to an agreement. Tension so thick it seemed to be on the edge of a violent conflict, held in check by force of will and tight control. Such forced peace never lasts, in Ptolemy’s experience; there is always something that ignites the passions on one side or the other.

‘Well’ Ptolemy said looking for a data access station ‘that just means I will not be staying long.’ Spotting what he was looking for, Ptolemy made his way to a data pad and accessed the repair listings, picked a service randomly and placed orders for several repairs that were needed for his ship. Then searched for a hotel or inn that he could stay at for the 2 weeks that that he would have to stay here while his ship was undergoing maintenance and repairs. With the mundane tasks out of the may, He accessed the map and found the closest bar a joint called the Darth Bar… sounded ominous but the local pub is usually the best place to get a handle on the local happenings. Looking at the map there was an area that caught his attention, apparently there was an academy for force sensitive’s in town… actually looked like it took up most of the town. Ptolemy chuckled to himself thinking ‘isn’t that just the arrogance of the Jedi and Sith. This port and settlement was probably created to serve the needs of the enclave.’ He accessed information on the Enclave and found the reason for the underlying tension. Jedi and Sith not only on the same planet but under the same roof… that’s gotta be a good time.

Ptolemy shook his head.

This information gave Ptolemy pause, not sure if he wanted to venture out of the star port with sith on planet but the lure of human contact was to strong. So, he gathered his cloak around him and erected the barriers to hide his gift and so the stealth that had served him so well on Nar Shadaa and made his way to Prancing Pony.

Out of habit he exaggerated his limp and leaned heavily on his staff down several streets. As he turned a corner he ran head long into a young man who seemed… distracted. The man was solid and as they collided, the young man had to take a step back to keep his balance. Ptolemy was not so lucky. He tried to absorb the impact but his right leg failed him once more and he fell. He arched his back to try and cushion his fall and only succeeded in rolling end over on to his stomach, didn’t hurt as bad but was a little embarrassing. Irritation flashed on the man’s face as he glanced down at the old man on the street. Then his visage softened a bit and put out his hand to help Ptolemy up. The way the man moved he was a warrior but the slump of his shoulders and the weight of his step showed him to be carrying something far heavier that even he realized.

‘I am sorry’ He said as he helped Ptolemy up ‘I am a bit… preoccupied’

‘No worries, I was in a hurry as well and my old leg does not work as well as it used to’ Ptolemy laughed and looked at the young man. There was something there that looked familiar but there was no flicker of recognition on his face ‘tell you what, I am knew on planet and in need of someone to show me to a pub. I was trying to find a place called ‘the Prancing Pony’ if you know where it is, could you show me the way?’

 

I have been thinking about the use of this blog site and my own love of writing, so i think i will publish here some small pieces that are parts of larger stories so some may not make complete sense but i will try not to put incomplete or pieces that are too open ended. The stories will be in a fantasy world called Pangea and the star wars universe. So, believing that brevity is the soul of wit, here is the first installment.

In this installment, Our heroes have entered a cave to get out of the weather, once in the cave, they stumble across and get drug into a fight with a creature.

Enjoy!

Frik and Frack eased down the passage and came up short when they saw a human staring at a HUGE wolf looking thing.

Frak looked at the man ‘his sheath is upside down’ he said a bit surprised. How does he keep his sword in there?’

‘Look’ said Frick ‘I am not sure that we should… hey what is that?’ pointing at the stone in the middle of the room.

’I dunno’ said Frack

There was a roar as the Human ran up to the beast and hit him with his sword. Frick and Frack winced as the deego knocked the man across the cave. ‘Hey I want to get a look at that rock.’ Frick said.

‘The human is keeping the thing busy’ Frack said as he drew his swords. And smacked them together ‘you go see and I will cover.’ The man ran past and jumped over a jet of flame that the deego spit at him. Frack ducked behind a rock as the flames licked at his cloak. The creature roared in pain and Frick looked as the creature bounced the man off the floor and then knocked him across the cavern. ‘That guy didn’t seem to smart’ Frack said as he smacked his swords together. That got the beasts attention and it turned its head toward the kinder. Frick let loose with a stone from his staff that bounced harmlessly off the creatures hide.

"So two more fools have come to join the first," it tilted it's head, "aren't you two a little young to be fighting?"

‘I'll show you little!’ Frack said running toward the hound leaping and striking with both blades producing twin gashes in the arm of the beast. He smiled and bounced back and forth between legs with both swords held loosely, ‘Who's the small fry now?’

The Deego roared in pain and tried again and again to smash the kinder. Frick Ran up behind the creature and thrust the sharp end of his staffing to the creatures back, then caught the things arm with his sling and was thrown clear. Frick flipped in the air and came down on his feet sliding toward the cavern entrance. He bounded up and ran back into the fray seeing his brother leap and bury his swords in to the fleshy part of the thing’s backside.

‘That’s one way to be a pain in the ass’ thought Frick as he loaded his sling for another toss. From the corner of his eye the kinder saw the human trot toward the pedestal with the stone on it. The deego grabbed a rock and threw it at the human which made him stop. The creature took a breath as Frick let the rock go, the stone sailed true and hit the thing in its eye which made it turn again toward the pint sized antagonists.

‘I don't know what you plan to do,’ Frick said spinning the sling, ‘but you best do it now.’

The human nodded and ran and grabbed the stone and time slowed down. There was a flash of red light and the body of the human was suspended above where the pedestal had been the stone in his left hand. His hair floating around his head like a sweat soaked halo and both arms spread wide as if waiting to embrace a long lost son. The beast howled and looked toward the human. Frick grabbed Frack and pulled him toward the cavern entrance but neither could look away. The silence in the cavern was deafening. Even the bats dared not make a sound. Then the humans arms came down to his side and fiery wings seemed to grow from his back. He drew his sword which was also wreathed in flame.

The brothers looked at each other wide eyed.

"People need me," The human replied in a calm voice, "and they need the power I wield." He raised his sword and pointed at the Dego, "I cannot let you take it from me, now move aside."

There was a moment of silence and the man said ‘then I am truly sorry’ The wings flexed and in a moment the head of the beast lay next to its body. The man landed a bit beyond the remains of the beast then sank to his knees and passed out.

‘you see that?’ Frack asked

‘NO’ said Frick sharply ‘I was just standing right here. Hang on’

Frick ran toward the place where the pedestal had been and looked around for a moment. He reached down and picked up an item that had survived the destruction of the pedestal. ‘Hey!’ He said as he looked over at Frack ‘what are you doing?!’

Frack was looking at and, more to the point, messing with the scabbard on the back of the human.

‘I was just looking to see how he did this.’ Frack said quickly. He strained to pick up the sword and carefully put it back in the scabbard watching how it went in seeing the latch almost immediately. ‘There’ he said as though he had just figured out how to create a pick proof lock. it latches on there.’

The kinder strained for a moment to turn the human over. He winced with pain as he rolled across his injured left side. Frick started looking through the many pockets of his cloak and the myriad of pouches attached to his belt.

‘Do you still have that potion that we found in the alchemist shop last week?’ Frick asked as he continued that search.

‘No I didn’t handle it’ Frack replied taking off his swords and trying to fashion a rig similar to the humans. ‘we need to get a fire going’

‘we have one going at the mouth of the cave remember?’ Frick reminded him. ‘Aha! Here it is.’ He announced as he took the stopper out of a small vial.

‘You know what that does?’ Frack asked

‘No but it cannot be much worse than how he is now’ Frick said with a grin.

‘Unless you kill him with it’ Frack pointed out.

Frick hesitated, torn between the desire to see what the potion did and the unwillingness to kill a human. ‘If Shendali made nothing but poisons he would not be a good alchemist now would he?’ Frick asked pouring the potion into the human’s mouth. The effect was almost immediate there were several cracks and pops as ribs righted them selves and popped back into place the man’s arm straightened and he opened his eyes and screamed as the badly broken arm was set and began to heal. The human thrashed around a bit and then was still. His breathing was ragged but evening out. Soon the man had a serene look on his face as though he was asleep.

‘See you killed him!’ Frack said backing toward the mouth of the cavern.

‘No I Did NOT!’ retorted Frick ‘Look he is breathing… and turning blue…’

As the watched the man the pallor of his skin went from a healthy tan to a nice shade of blue.

‘Hope that not permanent’ Frick and Frack said at the same time.

The brothers watched the man for a moment and decided they needed to make sure the man was awake before they took their leave. While Frack once again built a bed for a fire Frick went to the mouth of the cave and retrieved a burning stick and the skillet with their meal in it. Once they had a good fire going and had eaten their meal the both drifted off to sleep.

The year in review

Well it has been a year for the books. Both Heidi and I are still working, I am still studying IT Security, My son is still in school and has declared double majors in Music Performance and Psychology. He is still percussion section leader in sports band, plays drums at church, plays drums in the Dixie Land Band, is in the percussion Ensemble and has auditioned for the Wind Ensemble. He is a busy guy all the while maintaining a B average. He was awarded a $4000.00 scholar ship that he will get every year for 4 years if he stays at SCSU.

There has been a leadership change at our church and we have taken the opportunity to fill a couple of voids that were left as the dust settles so now i am running the sound booth and Heidi is helping with the worship team. With our new pastor there has come a focus on increasing the 'wow' factor of our services, this means reworking the sound system to support in ear monitors and purchasing shiny new LED lighting with control software. we had projectors to display announcements, lyrics and sermon presentations already. Our pastor also put in a 'smoke machine' not to put a carpet of smoke down but to put a haze in the air. I like the changes that have been made so far. I think the Smoke machine may be a bit much but i like the effects that we can produce with it.

There have been events that have happened this year that has woken me up. First i have something to confess. I have had little desire to get to know my family in my home state of Texas. to be honest most of my Mom's sisters had always treated us kids with a but of a holyer than thou attitude. In fact when i was considering changing my last name to my mother's maiden name, my Grand Father had told me to my face that i would have to improve my self GREATLY to be worthy of such a name and told me he would be surprised if i were not in jail or dead by the time i was 35. He was surprised many years later when my son was better behaved at 2 than many in the family were. He never apologized to me for his statements but he did tell me he was proud of me.

So that is probably to much of of a history lesson as it pertains to me and mine. We had been in contact with some of the family off and on over the years but no where near all of them. It is a BIG family down there. This year a cousin that i didn't know, never had the chance to meet, never made an effort to meet, was murdered. looks like someone broke in to their house and shot her 4 times. The end seems to have been mercifully quick as all 4 shots were to her head.

Now i know you are thinking 'whats the big deal? you didn't know her.' and you would be right. I didn't know her. Her mom is my cousin and i know here even if we have not spoken in YEARS. (yeah it has been that long) but that event and highlighted a problem i have, a hole if you will in my story. the part of the story where your family is one of the biggest influences in your life. I the months since this tragedy, i have tried to get to know her. I found her face book page, i have talked to some people that knew her and of her and here is what i have learned.

I missed out because i didn't know her, because i didn't know her brother, who now stands accused of her murder(i do not think he is guilty) she was smart, fun and full of life! she was the sweetest girl you would want to meet. Conservative, fiery and outspoken. She loved God with all her heart and was, by all accounts, ready to meet her maker. She worked in her church and was attending college studying toward an English lit degree. She has God fearing parents and they did everything they could to instill this same reverence in to their kids as it was in them.

Mark wrote a piece on Thanksgiving about what he has to be thankful for. Here are a couple of exerpts from what he wrote.

I wanted a boy, Stacie wanted a girl, and God gave us both in one little bundle of TNT. To every one who ever knew Amanda she was the epitome of joy and laughter. As she grew up she would permit no negativity or self pity around her. Her limitless joy, curiosity, and zest for life repelled the blues like an invisible force field. She laughed because she loved it. She screamed because she could. She jumped and danced because you wouldn’t. And by just being around her, you would be taught that life was meant to be savored. It seemed her motto in life was “Take a really big bite and enjoy! And if a little bit ran down your chin, that was just fine too”.

And I got to be her Daddy. I was blessed to spend countless hours talking with her about every conceivable topic you could imagine. Amanda had a penchant for randomness. Her mind was used to taking and even sought out the path less traveled. We talked about life, love, God, horses, evil, happiness, sorrow, right, wrong, the sky, chemistry, ancient history, horses, the origins of the earth, writing books, politics, nature, horses, snakes, scared people, scary people, funny people, serious people, cars, industry, english, travel, Scotland, France, French toast, French fries, Whataburger, steak, beacon, cute boys, dorky boys, fun girls, weird goth girls, church, music, scuba diving, sharks, eating squid, sushi, camp fires, fishing, farming, horses, work, school, marriage, and her hair. Then she would be quite for a little while, I would catch my breath, and she would start talking again.

I am thankful for God’s grace to go through this horrible experience and keep my eyes on him. I am thankful for those I work with who love and support us. I am thankful that I am not and have never been ashamed of the richness of this country. I see the bountiful spread on the table at thanksgiving and unlike many, who only see gluttony, selfishness, and arrogancy because others in the world do not have what we have, I understand that that bounty exists because many people, for many generations before me, took great risk and bore great sacrifice to build a nation under God. And God has blessed it for their sakes.

I know this is a long read and i thank you for reading this far. For a cousin that i did not even know in life, this girl has touched my life. I tear up even now just writing this.

Thank you and God Bless

LOOK WMDs!!!!

so it looks like there were WMDs found in Iraq that we never heard of... Not sure why this would be the case but. WikiLeaks has shown evidence that it is so...

Lerry Elder over at TownHall has written a piece that shows WikiLeaks has vendicated the war in Iraq. You will find the piece here and here is an exerpt.

Bush, in building the case for war against Iraq, lied to the nation. He falsely claimed that Iraq was attempting to purchase yellowcake from Africa. Time magazine specifically referred to the yellowcake "lie" in accusing Bush of fabricating the case for war. Therefore, were Iraq to have had yellowcake -- an assertion called a "lie" -- it would have confirmed the presence of WMD, giving credence to Bush's declaration of Iraq as a "grave and gathering threat."

But ... there ... was ... yellowcake. This brings us back to WikiLeaks.

Wired magazine's contributing editor Noah Shachtman -- a nonresident fellow at the liberal Brookings Institution -- researched the 400,000 WikiLeaked documents released in October. Here's what he found: "By late 2003, even the Bush White House's staunchest defenders were starting to give up on the idea that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. But WikiLeaks' newly-released Iraq war documents reveal that for years afterward, U.S. troops continued to find chemical weapons labs, encounter insurgent specialists in toxins and uncover weapons of mass destruction (emphasis added). ... Chemical weapons, especially, did not vanish from the Iraqi battlefield. Remnants of Saddam's toxic arsenal, largely destroyed after the Gulf War, remained. Jihadists, insurgents and foreign (possibly Iranian) agitators turned to these stockpiles during the Iraq conflict -- and may have brewed up their own deadly agents."

In 2008, our military shipped out of Iraq -- on 37 flights in 3,500 barrels -- what even The Associated Press called "the last major remnant of Saddam Hussein's nuclear program": 550 metric tons of the supposedly nonexistent yellowcake. The New York Sun editorialized: "The uranium issue is not a trivial one, because Iraq, sitting on vast oil reserves, has no peaceful need for nuclear power. ... To leave this nuclear material sitting around the Middle East in the hands of Saddam ... would have been too big a risk."

I think someone is owed an apology...