The Pilgrim Sailor

235 Years Later We Continue to Celebrate

2011-07-04T08:25:00.000-04:00

IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776.

The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen united States of America,
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.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harrass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:
For Quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:
For protecting them, by a mock Trial, from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences
For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies:
For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our Brittish brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the united States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

The 56 signatures on the Declaration appear in the positions indicated:
Column 1
Georgia:
   Button Gwinnett
   Lyman Hall
   George Walton
Column 2
North Carolina:
   William Hooper
   Joseph Hewes
   John Penn
South Carolina:
   Edward Rutledge
   Thomas Heyward, Jr.
   Thomas Lynch, Jr.
   Arthur Middleton
Column 3
Massachusetts:
John Hancock
Maryland:
Samuel Chase
William Paca
Thomas Stone
Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe
Richard Henry Lee
Thomas Jefferson
Benjamin Harrison
Thomas Nelson, Jr.
Francis Lightfoot Lee
Carter Braxton
Column 4
Pennsylvania:
   Robert Morris
   Benjamin Rush
   Benjamin Franklin
   John Morton
   George Clymer
   James Smith
   George Taylor
   James Wilson
   George Ross
Delaware:
   Caesar Rodney
   George Read
   Thomas McKean
Column 5
New York:
   William Floyd
   Philip Livingston
   Francis Lewis
   Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
   Richard Stockton
   John Witherspoon
   Francis Hopkinson
   John Hart
   Abraham Clark
Column 6
New Hampshire:
   Josiah Bartlett
   William Whipple
Massachusetts:
   Samuel Adams
   John Adams
   Robert Treat Paine
   Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
   Stephen Hopkins
   William Ellery
Connecticut:
   Roger Sherman
   Samuel Huntington
   William Williams
   Oliver Wolcott
New Hampshire:
   Matthew Thornton

Byron Berry -- Rest in Peace

2011-05-24T15:43:00.000-04:00

Byron Berry

I post this as Byron's funeral is being conducted. I don't really know what to say, other than to turn to the texts of my religion for the prayers of the faithful.

---------------------------

Into your hands, O Lord,
we humbly entrust our brother Byron.
In this life you embraced him with your tender love;
deliver him now from every evil
and bid him enter eternal rest.
The old order has passed away:
welcome him, then, into paradise,
where there will be no sorrow, no weeping or pain,
but the fullness of peace and joy
with your Son and the Holy Spirit
for ever and ever.
Amen.

Blessed are those who have died in the Lord,
let them rest from their labors,
for their good deeds go with them.

Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord.
And let perpetual light shine upon him.
May he rest in peace.
Amen.
May his soul and the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.
Amen.

May the love of God and the peace of the Lord Jesus Christ
bless and console us
and gently wipe every tear from our eyes:
in the name of the Father,
and of the son, and of the Holy Spirit.
Amen.

Lord Jesus, our Redeemer,
you willingly gave yourself up to death,
so that all people might be saved
and pass from death into a new life.
Listen to our prayers;
look with love on your people
who mourn and pray for their brother Byron.
Lord Jesus, holy and compassionate,
forgive Byron his sins.
By dying you opened the gates of life
for those who believe in you:
do not let our brother be parted from you,
but by your glorious power
give him light, joy and peace in heaven,
where you life for ever and ever.
Amen.

----------------------------------------

Again, friends, if you can find the time in your schedule and the spot in your heart, please say a prayer for Byron and for the rest of my family.

Pax.

News for the Day - 20110523

2011-05-23T14:36:00.000-04:00

Mississippi floods; Raging southward; A snowy winter and stormy spring have filled the Mississippi to overflowing; May 19th 2011; The Economist
As I read this article, I noted the devastation that occured in these areas. I do, however, have to wonder about the amount of water that is draining down, and the impact that the levee system has had on them. In ancient times, the Egyptians relied on the flooding of the Nile to bring the much needed silt that fertilized their fields for their crops. Granted, we have synthetic fertilizers nowadays for that, but I wonder how bad it would hurt things if we didn't have the levees and let the rivers flood as they naturally are wont to do. I know it would devastate a lot of people, but maybe we should clear those people out and let the rivers do what the rivers do. I know I'm not thinking too far ahead with that idea, but I sometimes long for the days when nature was more natural. I love human invention and human ingenuity, but I sometimes wax sentimental and yearn for the old days.

Lexington; Apollo plus 50; The meaning of the race to the moon, half a century after the starting gun; May 19th 2011; The Economist
I find this article disheartening. Mankind's legacy on this planet it going to end. Eventually we are going to deplete the resources of this planet, especially with the population ever increasing. Granted, there's a predicted plateau in population growth towards the end of the century, but I believe, as a species, we need to start travelling and populating beyond our own planet, solar system and galaxy. It may take hundreds of thousands of years, but I believe it is the future of our species. That's what disheartens me, we seem to have given up on anything bigger than us and are focused only on our own divisions on this planet. I'll freely admit that I believe in life on other planets, the universe is too big for us to be the only inhabitants of it. We need to go find those other inhabitants. Not just that, but if you want to truly unite the world, find a common enemy whose purpose is to destroy mankind--that would do it. I hope it never has to come to that but, at the current rate, it seems to be the only thing that will save us.

Kayaking Today

2011-05-21T21:21:00.002-04:00

I went kayaking today in Lake Smith in Virginia Beach with some friends today. It was a nice little paddle. Lake Smith is freshwater, so the smells you get are much different than the smells you have on a software marsh or brackish water. Most noticeable to me today was the honeysuckle. It smelled absolutely amazing, and it brought back some very fond memories from my childhood. When I was growing up, grandma and grandpa always had a pond in their back yard. It didn't always have water in it, but sometimes it did. The pond was in the very back of their back yard, and on the far side of the pond was a fence separating grandma and grandpas land from the house behind them. The fence was always grown up with honeysuckle in the spring and summer and I remember running around the pond with my sister and friends when we were kids. We used to pluck the honeysuckle flowers off the vines, pull the stamen out and eat the nectar that came with it. It's a silly little memory, but it is a good memory. I use this to lead into some rather bad news. I received a phone call from my aunt last night telling me that my uncle, Byron, was in intensive care, his liver was shutting down, most of his other organs were shutting down, and they were prolonging his suffering. They decided to remove the respirator, and my uncle died this morning around 1000EDT. The timing was poor, insofar as all of our mental states are concerned (mom died right before Christmas, now her brother died less than 6 months later). But, the lord moves in mysterious ways and he does things on his time, not mine. The one thing that I can be rejoice in is knowing that he is experiencing a greater joy than I can imagine, and he gets to see my mom again, something that I wish I could do, and will be happy when I finally get the chance to.

I don't want to make this a depressing post, hence why I started with something upbeat. But, if you can find it in your schedule and in your heart, please say a prayer for my uncle Byron, and say a prayer for my family.

Today's News

2011-05-19T09:47:00.000-04:00

VICTORY! HB 1937 Passes Texas House, posted by Mary Ruwart on May 16, 2011
This is a bill in Texas to ban the TSA's "enhanced pat-downs" at Texas airports. While this bill hasn't gone to the Texas Senate yet, the Texas House passed it unanimously. I find it interesting that they are standing up for some individual liberties. I find it even more interesting that it passed unanimously. Way to go Texas! (Trust me, you won't hear me say that often.) Now, let's see if it passes the Senate.

10 Indications The United States Is A Dictatorship; On May 18, 2011, in US NEWS, by PecanGroup
I found this article to be informative, though I disagree with the conclusions that the author draws from the different areas. I don't believe the United States is a dictatorship. I do, however, believe that we are slouching towards an oligarchy. I know some of you will disagree with even my assessment, but, in my mind, it has all the classic indicators that big business is running things. Granted, they may be doing it by proxy (i.e. buying off congressmen), but they are, in my mind, doing it. I think Americans are starting to wake up as we realize that our pocket books are getting smaller and the government wants to take even more. And I hope it is that which eventually saves us (this is why you see the rise of the Tea Party -- and also why you see more people becoming interested in the Libertarian Party ***DISCLAIMER*** I am a Libertarian). But, read the article, interesting stuff in there.

Forget the gas tax - a driving tax may be next By Steve Hargreaves @CNNMoney May 18, 2011: 7:49 AM ET
The previous article was a very nice prelude to this one. The government just can't keep it's hands out of our pocketbooks. All the other taxes we pay aren't enough, now we have to pay taxes on how many miles we travel?! My first cry on this one is privacy--the government has to dip way into my privacy to even be able to charge me for the miles I drive--I don't care HOW they decide their going to do it, it's really none of their damned business how many miles I drive or where I drive. I think the best solution to the government's money problem is to get rid of a lot of the government. How many redundant agencies do we really need? As an example, there are 72 independent federal law enforcement agencies. Do you really need an FBI, ATF and DEA? They do different things, granted, but why can't their administrative leadership be consolidated into one agency (the FBI) and get rid of a LOT of overhead? And that applies to numerous other federal agencies. Look it up, do some research--you'll be appalled.

Army Vice Chief: Pentagon Should Target Waste in High-Tech Surveillance and Munitions Programs
This is something I REALLY agree with, though I think he's narrowed his scope way too much. He's looking for big programs and trying to cut money fast, but I believe there are more efficient and faster ways to do this by just starting with basic software that the military uses for many different things. The services use their own programs for just about everything they do instead of using common programs. If DoD were to start a consolidation effort to get everyone to using the same programs and to stop contracting someone to write specific software only for one service, we could probably save tens to hundreds of billions over a decade, easily. Not only that, but it would make us more interoperable. Imagine the services really being able to work together. I, of course, also have a pie-in-the-sky view of our software interoperability. If we're truly going to have a global information grid (GIG), we should make it a true GIG. DoD should be like Star Trek insofar as our computer systems. Everything should be linked together such that if someone transfers from a command, or a piece of equipment is transferred somewhere else, when it is recorded in the departing units system and logged into the receiving unit system, the entire GIG should know where X individual or X part is. Star Trek calls it LCARS -- Library Computer Access and Retrieval System -- where everything is integrated to operated together. I don't know, maybe too many DoD techies have been watching "The Terminator" and "Battle Star Galactica" and are afraid of integrating the technology. *sigh*

Facebook pages on Christianity outrank pop stars in user activity, CNA News, May 19, 2011

While I find this interesting and think part of it has to do with younger people searching for more substance and meaning in life, part of me can't help but think that a lot of the reasons behind the large spikes on these pages can be attributed to trolls. It's sad, but there are people out there who go to these sites just to jerk peoples' chains.

Rules of Engagement Change for Piracy, Information Dissemination, May 19, 2011, by Galrahn
"Extended Unit Self Defense" almost seems like a play on words to me. I would've thought this would've falled under the umbrella of collective self-defense. I know that should, technically, apply to units you are operating with, but I would think when it comes to a distress call of a ship due to piracy, collective self-defense would apply. In my opinion, anyone conducting acts of piracy should be shot. We used to hang them from the yard arm. Ah, the good old days....

That's all for the time being. I'm sure there'll be more today, and I'm sure I'll have more opinions. Until then, peace!

Hitting the Reset Button

2011-05-19T07:22:00.000-04:00

I've decided to hit the reset button on my blogging and try to get back into it. I've been using Facebook as my primary means of communication and posting about stuff--and I will continue to use it--but it is limiting in how many words I can say without posting a note. Quite honestly, the note feature doesn't work very well, and I have yet to get it to function on my iPad. So, I'm switching back to my blog and using twitterfeed to feed it to my Facebook wall. I don't know if it will show the entire post or not, but it will link you to the blog from Facebook so you can read my entire post. If you've read through my blog in the past, you will remember that I can be verbose and very opinionated, but that's okay. In an better world we would all be opinionated and talk about things instead of shackling ourselves into silence out of fear we might offend someone or hurt their feelings. I'm sorry, if I believe something, or feel a particular way about something, then I should talk about it. Talking about things and discussing ideas and opinions with other people is what helps change a stilted view of the world. Sometimes people can even convince me to change my opinion. Give me a good and logical argument and reason, and I will change my mind. Or, I just might change yours. Or, we just might agree to disagree. And it's all okay. That's the way things are supposed to work in a free society. Though "free" is a stretch nowadays in this country that is slowly becoming a police state.

This is my re-introduction to blogging. Hopefully I can get back into the habit of making it a daily routine. Bear with me everyone. And please comment on posts I make. I do moderate comments, but that's only to keep spam out.

Welcome to my pilgrimage. Hang on, though, the ride gets bumpy sometimes.

Creeping Sharia

2011-05-17T09:54:00.000-04:00

I try to be as multicultural as the next person, however, I can't help but feel that, even in our own country, there are shadow governments set up that are issuing their own decrees and judging people based on a set of laws that are completely contrary to the American idea of freedom and justice. Those would be sharia courts, and I believe they are a threat to freedom. Fortunately, Australia seems to see it the same way I do. The two quotes I love:

"Australia's brand of multiculturalism promotes integration."

"If there is any inconsistency between cultural values and the rule of law then Australian law wins out."

Our society is already clamping down on freedoms and turning itself into a police state. The freedoms we used to enjoy are slowly melting away. I don't want to see my religious freedom go the same route as the rest of my freedoms.

Blue Candle

2010-12-24T12:32:00.001-05:00

A tradition I learned of many years ago was to place a candle in your window on Christmas Eve as a way to show the Virgin Mary that she has a place to stay for the night. In essence, it is a way to say that the Virgin and Christ are welcome in your home. I have always used a blue candle to further symbolize the Archangel Gabriel who annunciated Mary's choice by God to bear The Messiah. Thought I would post a quick note on that so when you saw it in my profile on Facebook you would understand.

Mom's Eulogy

2010-12-13T00:18:00.001-05:00

Mom's Eulogy as I read it at her funeral:

Several weeks ago, I went on a drive through the mountains in Virginia to watch the leaves change colors. There were a myriad of colors on display, but the one that caught my eye was a lone tree whose leaves were bright yellow. In the midst of the whole forest this one tree stood, it's bold yellow a pronouncement to the world that it was not like the rest of them...and it wasn't afraid to be different. I relate this story to you because my mom was exactly the same as that tree--boldly defiant of the world to make her something different than what she was: loving, proud, compassionate, and as everyone knows, obstinate and stubborn.

Mom fought cancer for many years before she finally succumbed. I question whether the fight she put up was out of her obstinance and stubbornness, or if it was out of her immense love for her family that she held on for so long and fought one helluva good fight.

I could stand up here for hours and talk about the wonderful memories I have of mom, but that would do none of us any good. So I want to narrow the focus down to two.

First I want to talk about mom's unending kindness in her support of the cancer survivors. For someone who had suffered through one of the worst illnesses you can imagine, she never stopped being happy, joyful and loving towards everyone around her. When it came to other people with cancer and those, like her, who had survived it, her love and joy was tenfold. When it came time for the cancer survivors dinner, no matter how she felt, she pulled herself up and went, joyful and with a smile. She even made a quilt one year to be given away as a door prize. Her support for her fellow cancer survivors was nothing less than saintly. She carried that same exuberant joy into the clinic with her to her doctors and nurses. She was always making them something as a way to say 'thank you' for what they were doing for her, no matter how much energy and strength those sessions took out of her. She was an immense source of strength for her doctors and nurses, and for anyone who was blessed enough to be sitting in a chair close to her for treatment.

Second, she had this amazing love of--and an extraordinary knack for--quilting. Her house, my house--and probably many of your houses--are adorned with at least one of her quilting creations. These are some amazing a magnificent creations, in many beautiful colors, graced by exquisitely embroidered designs she chose to capture the person for whom she was making the quilt. I don't know about the rest of you, but the quilts she made me captured the things in life I enjoy, and captured them in not only amazing detail, but also in just the right colors that she knew I would love. Last year I was home a few months before Christmas, shortly after I had returned from overseas. Mom told me she was making a quilt for the cancer survivors and wanted me to pick out what should go on it--her only stipulation was that it had to look good with a light orange color. I diligently went through her collection and picked out the designs I really liked--hey, if I got the privilege of helping make a quilt, I might as well make the designs something I liked, right? Mom wrote them all down, and then went to work making them...and yes, it was a really beautiful shade of orange she had chosen. When I returned home for Christmas that year and opened my present, imagine my surprise to see all those designs on a quilt that magnificent shade of orange sitting in the box. I remember her smiling and saying, "well, I had to find some way for you to pick out the designs you liked!". That's just the way mom was--always thoughtful, exuberant, dynamic, creative, loving...the list goes on and on.

As I stand here celebrating mom's life and love, I feel the sadness permeating the air. I don't suppose that any words I've said can cut through that almost impenetrable layer of sadness we use to shield ourselves from the emotions that roil below, keeping them from exploding out in our grief. I will, however, posit that we should not wrap our emotions in grief and sadness, but instead we should celebrate mom's life and love. As I say that, I can see her looking down saying, "thank god someone gets it!"

As part of that celebration, I remind you that any loss is only temporary. We are united in Christ, and that union in Christ will bring us back together. I leave you with a quote from the Benedictine prayer book:

"We seem to give them back to you, O God who gave them to us. Yet as you did not lose them in giving, so do we not lose them by their return. Not as the world gives, do you give, O Lover of souls. What you give you do not take away, for what is yours is ours also if we are yours. And life is eternal and love immortal, and death is only an horizon, and an horizon is nothing save the limit of our sight. Lift us up, strong Son of God, that we may see further; cleanse our eyes that we may see more clearly; draw us closer to yourself that we may know ourselves to be nearer to our loved ones who are with you. And while you prepare a place for us, prepare us also for that happy place, that where you are we may also be for evermore."

I love you, mom, and I'm going to miss you.

God bless all of you.

Christmas Past

2010-12-07T00:11:00.001-05:00

My memory stretches way back as I stand here looking at the Christmas tree pondering Christmases past. I can remember going to grandma and grandpa's house for Christmas, the red mesh nylon stockings hanging around their picture window, full of fruits, nuts and the occasional toy. I remember grandpa always had one strand of lights hanging on his front porch and, as a child, that set of lights probably fascinated me more than anything else in the world. I don't know if it was because of the lights--they were just standard C9 bulbs, multicolored, with a bubble lamp on one end--or some odd fascination that grandpa left that one strand of lights hanging year round, only to plug them in after Thanksgiving. Any way I look at it, it is a very fond memory. I remember grandma's old LP player, playing Bing Crosby's "White Christmas". What a monster that old record player was! It was almost the size of a television. But I can remember putting the records on it at Christmas to listen to the music and enjoy it as we unwrapped presents and ate Christmas dinner. Really stretching my memory (i.e. I have no idea how I remember this far back) is the fire truck coming around town delivering fruit, I don't know if it was a contribution from the fire department or if our parents had purchased the fruit, I just remember it is one of my fondest (and earliest) memories seeing the fire truck going down the street, stopping and a fireman giving me an orange(wow! a real fireman giving me an orange!). It seems somewhat silly, but I can still remember it to this day, even if I was between 3-5 when it happened. The streets back then seemed so much larger, the town seemed so much larger. I don't know if it is the recollection of being a small child, or if it is the largeness of the community that echoes the largeness of everything in my memory. I guess that is what I remember most from my childhood Christmases: the overwhelming sense of community that permeated everything about the season. Many times I yearn for those days when everything was simpler and people were more friendly. I yearn for a time when I could walk down the street at Christmas time and not have to worry about the fact that I was walking alone. Most of all I yearn for the sense of family, friends and community that gave much more meaning to life. And I don't know who the fireman was who gave me that orange, but so many years later I have to say "thank you" to him for giving me such a wonderful memory that has lasted through so many years, so many trials, and has conveyed the true sense and meaning of Christmas through the fog of time.

O, Christmas Tree

2010-12-05T21:59:00.001-05:00

I sit in my living room tonight, staring at my Christmas tree. It seems a little odd, as the lights didn't twinkle as they did when I was a kid. The ornaments are different, too. And instead of an angel on the top, there is a star. There a many changes since then, and I'm sure the are many more to come. It's disheartening on one hand,and on the other, all I can think is that it is the natural order of things. The world doesn't stand still, nor do we. Things change and we change. I think the hardest thing I have to deal with from the change, though, is the loss of those who are so near and dear to me. Thus far, there haven't been that many I can remember who have passed on, but there are a few: both of my grandfathers, my aunt Joan, & Stella Key from the library where I worked when I was in college. Other than that, there haven't been that many who were close to me who have passed on to the glory that awaits. However, every time I look at the Christmas tree, the sparkling lights remind me of each and every one of them. I don't know what it is that recalls them, but I am thankful that there is a visible reminder of my family and friends who have passed on. We, as Catholics, believe that most people go through a purgation process before entering heaven, we call it purgatory. And we must pray for those who have passed on, so that if they are in purgatory, we are offering our prayers to God as expiation for their sins. Seeing the lights on the tree, and seeing those that I so fondly remember in each of those twinkling lights, reminds me that I should be offering prayers on their behalf. And so I do. And it is Advent, so what better time?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Getting Back into This

2010-11-07T09:42:00.000-05:00

Okay, folks, it's been a while since I've blogged. I'm trying to get back into it again. I'm waiting on some stuff to import into my computer, and then I will start blogging again. Sorry for the delay. Also, standby for changes to come to the blog. Not for sure what they are going to be, yet, but they will be coming.

Thanks for hanging in there with me, hopefully this will work smoothly and integrate with Facebook, so I can kill two birds with one stone.

Happy Birthday America!

2010-07-04T21:58:00.001-04:00

Today we celebrate the anniversary of our Declaration of Independence. A singularity in the history of human events bringing about a new world order that continues to define the future of humanity.

So happy birthday, my fellow Americans, and the future of humanity!

Test Post

2010-06-26T22:28:00.001-04:00

Test post, working out some new stuff here.... :)

Stroll through the Park

2010-03-19T09:32:00.004-04:00

I went for a stroll through Bennett's Creek Park this morning around sunrise and thought I'd post some pictures from my walk. I've walked through this park many times, but today it seemed a much better walk than normal. Whether it's from being cooped up in the house or if it's because I was the only person in the park as the sun was coming up.

This first picture is some oysters that were attached to the boat dock. As you can tell, they have been shucked by something (or perhaps someone, but since it's brackish water, I lean more towards something).

This picture is of the sun poking its head up through the trees of the park. I was on a fishing pier that parallels the bank of the creek, looking back towards the bank. Bennett's Creek is a tidal creek, and from this picture you can see that the tide is out. There's also a lone pine tree trying to eke out an existence on the bank of the creek.

I took a stroll down a very short path along the creek bank. When I took this picture, I thought the branch was a pretty cool element in the picture (that and there was no way to get a picture without it). I love the glow from the sunrise in the background and the reflection of the trees and the glow in the creek. The creek was amazingly calm this morning with wisps of mist all around.

A view from the boat docks looking up the creek. Here the glow in the sky, that I often refer to as a 'halo' because it usually surrounds the entire horizon as the sun is coming up, is really visible and amazingly visible in the reflection in the water. The visible mud leading up to the marsh grass is more proof that the tide is out.

A nice view of some mist over the water with the reflection of some trees. This view is looking down the creek. Another amazing view of the creek.

All in all it was a very good walk through the park this morning. I needed to get out of the house and needed to get some exercise. I was skeptical about hiking through the park, was thinking about a hike through a park where I could get a picture of the sunrise over the water. However, I think I made the right choice going to Bennett's Creek Park this morning.

Being a camera whore, I took more pictures than this. If you would like to see all of them, I posted them on my Facebook page, you can view them here.

Whistle-Blowers

2010-03-16T09:26:00.002-04:00

"Lehman Whistle Blower's Fate: Fired" by Michael Corkery, The Wall Street Journal, March 15, 2010

This article brings up a lot of the problems I have with business and society in general. When someone points out that a business is doing something wrong, why do we use a pejorative term, 'whistle-blower', to describe them and what they did? If they are doing the right thing--the morally right thing--why would we describe what they do this way?

To add insult to injury, as evidenced by this article, when someone does the right thing, they are fired for their actions. You can talk about 'whistle-blower protections' all you want, but I don't think they work. People who stand up for what is right and for the truth always seem to do so at great personal expense. I believe there is a perception that most people won't report wrong doing for that very reason--they are afraid they will lose their jobs and their livelihood. So, IMO, the very people who could have helped prevent the financial melt-down didn't because they were probably afraid for their jobs.

I don't believe whistle-blower protections work because, I believe, they are too easy to subvert. People see that and are too afraid to stand up for what is right for that very reason. People, like the guy in this article, who do stand up for what is right end up suffering extremely for their actions.

I think we should stop calling these people 'whistle-blowers' and instead identify them as people who stand up for the right thing. Protections for these people should be increased and we should be heralding them as heroes for the system.

I know I'm babbling, but...just my thoughts.

US Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) on Health Care Reform

2010-03-16T08:02:00.003-04:00

"Bishops on Health Care: 'It Must be Opposed'" by Rocco Palmo, Whispers in the Loggia, March 15, 2010

The US Conference of Catholic Bishops has issued its statement on the proposed health care reform bill. I won't reiterate their statement here, but I will say I agree with it.

Dodd Financial Reform Bill Discussion Draft

2010-03-16T07:29:00.003-04:00

Senator Christopher Dodd's proposed Financial Reform Bill

The above is a link to the discussion version of Senator Dodd's proposed financial reform bill. I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but I plan to. Like the health care reform bill, though, I have to ask who has the time...it's over 1100 pages long.

Here are the highlights from the official release on the Senate Banking Committee's website:

Consumer Protections with Authority and Independence: Creates a new independent watchdog, housed at the Federal Reserve, with the authority to ensure American consumers get the clear, accurate information they need to shop for mortgages, credit cards, and other financial products, and protect them from hidden fees, abusive terms, and deceptive practices.

Ends Too Big to Fail: Ends the possibility that taxpayers will be asked to write a check to bail out financial firms that threaten the economy by: creating a safe way to liquidate failed financial firms; imposing tough new capital and leverage requirements that make it undesirable to get too big; updating the Fed’s authority to allow system-wide support but no longer prop up individual firms; and establishing rigorous standards and supervision to protect the economy and American consumers, investors and businesses.

Advanced Warning System: Creates a council to identify and address systemic risks posed by large, complex companies, products, and activities before they threaten the stability of the economy.

Transparency & Accountability for Exotic Instruments: Eliminates loopholes that allow risky and abusive practices to go on unnoticed and unregulated – including loopholes for over-the-counter derivatives, asset-backed securities, hedge funds, mortgage brokers and payday lenders.

Federal Bank Supervision: Streamlines bank supervision to create clarity and accountability. Protects the dual banking system that supports community banks.

Executive Compensation and Corporate Governance: Provides shareholders with a say on pay and corporate affairs with a non-binding vote on executive compensation.

Protects Investors: Provides tough new rules for transparency and accountability for credit rating agencies to protect investors and businesses.

Enforces Regulations on the Books: Strengthens oversight and empowers regulators to aggressively pursue financial fraud, conflicts of interest and manipulation of the system that benefit special interests at the expense of American families and businesses.

Hopefully I'll get a chance to read both this bill and the health care reform bill (I'm still about six books behind, and none of them are as long as either of these bills--all six of them are probably fewer pages than both of these bills together).

Health Care Reform

2010-03-15T16:16:00.003-04:00

"Archbishop Chaput: Health care bill doesn't meet minimum moral standards" by Catholic News Agency, March 15, 2010

I said on my Facebook that Archbishop Chaput makes some good points. I also confessed that I haven't read the entire health care reform bill. At approximately 2500 pages, I wonder who has read the entire bill (Congressmen and Senators included).

Do I think we need health care reform? Yes. Do I think we can do a much better job? Definitely. There has to be some conscience protections for health care workers. There should be no federally funded/supported abortion in the health care bill (health care and abortion are, essentially, antonyms). I will eventually have to sit down and read the entire bill, but I think part of making it so long was to hope people wouldn't read it. I don't know if I'll ever get around to reading it, so I have to rely on people like Archbishop Chaput (amongst many others), to provide feedback on the bill for me. It would be nice if someone, somewhere, would dissect the bill and layout the basics of it so everyone can get the gist of the bill without having to read through 2500 pages of legal-eze that we're not going to understand anyway.

God forbid the government work FOR the people.......

Madeira

2010-03-14T18:51:00.004-04:00

My blog friend, Eleanor Stoneham, from England, who writes the blog "Wounded Healers to Heal a Fractured World", posted on Madeira, Portugal here, talking about why she loves Madeira. I had to echo in on this one because I have visited Madeira myself, so many years ago as a young Ensign on my first ship. It was definitely one of the more beautiful places I have toured. We stopped for a brief stop for fuel (BSF), and our Captain found it such a great place that he received permission from the Commodore to stay overnight there. It was an awesome overnight, too! The wine and food were both fantastic. I drank many espresso drinks on the pier at a small shop, and must have sent 40 or 50 postcards to friends. The funny thing about sending postcards from there was that it was completely opposite from the United States. Here, a postcard with cost you $1.50, but only $0.22 to send it. In Madeira it was the opposite, a postcard cost like $0.25, but it cost like $2.00 to mail it. I can understand that, though, since it was going through a foreign postal service to the United States. I have to admit, though, that Madeira was a beautiful place, though. I bought a wooden crucifix with a brass corpus that now hangs over my bed--and two more like it, one that I gave to my parents, and one that I gave to my priest (who proceeded to bless it and hang it over his computer in the hopes that it would help prevent him from crashing the world financial markets accidentally).

So, I hope you all enjoy the pictures Eleanor posted, and I hope you enjoyed my short story of Madeira. I would love to eventually make it back there to visit again, but I don't know when that would be.

Thank you, Eleanor, for bringing that small piece of joy back to me from so many years ago!

Here is the crucifix I bought in Portugal, and here it is hanging over my bed (ignore the messy bed, it's Sunday, I didn't feel like making it this morning). (FYI - the blanket I cover up with was made by my aunt before she died; the blanket at the foot of my bed was made by my Mom and was a Christmas gift from her this past year - she does awesome work! The bed is a Canadian Maple sleigh bed, I ordered it when I was an Ensign--it took me almost 3 months to get it, I had to wait for it to be made.)

Posting Again

2010-03-14T13:37:00.016-04:00

I've starting posting again. This will be a combination of stuff I post on Facebook and on here. I have a much easier time recapturing information from the blog than I do from Facebook. That, and I can pontificate more from here than I can from Facebook.

"Should We Remove the Civilian Justice System When Dealing with Terrorists?" by Matt Dahl, Secure Nation Blog, March 13, 2010

And thus we begin the path down the slippery slope.... As a society who believes in the rule of law and the rights of individuals, we should be appalled by this bill...not just appalled, but outraged that our legislators would even consider passing a bill like this. Anyone, including American citizens can be swept up ...into this. How long before politicians start finding ways to accuse their opponents of being terrorists and holding them indefinitely, without charges, without habeus corpus? I think it's time we recognize that if we truly are going to be the bastion of morality in this world, then we need to start acting like it instead of trying to strip away freedom in the name of safety. I'd rather be free than safe--how long before those very safety measures take away my freedom, and then I'm not safe from the government?

"US, Europe at odds over global financial reform" by Howard Schneider and David Cho, The Washington Post, Sat, March 13, 2010

IMO, any global financial reform is going to require a global response. I don't believe a patchwork of disparate responses will be effective enough to fix the markets. Instead, we need good, old-fashioned, compromise on a global solution. It might take longer to get it, but I'd rather have the right answer, with a f...ew course corrections as time goes along, than a gaggle of differing responses that requires every global actor to continually make course corrections to adjust for their other actors' responses (that includes the rest of the world reacting to our unilateral measures--we're in this with the rest of the world--and our economy is SIGNIFICANTLY globalized).

"Campaign stunt launches corporate 'candidate' for Congress" by John Wagner, The Washington Post,Sat, March 13, 2010

This plays nicely into what I was saying previously. Only in America can someone make a mockery of the election system and the Supreme Court and NO ONE GETS IT! Now I see why I liked Supreme Court Justice Sotomayor ... she opposed treating corporations like individuals ... now if she would just change her mind on firearms.....

"Turkey coup plot: What's behind the tumultuous identity crisis" by Yigal Schliefer, The Christian Science Monitor, March 12, 2010

Perhaps the deep state is starting to get a little more shallow ... perhaps this is part of draining the water off the deep state ... :)

"Microsoft's Bling filters 'rude' keywords in Arabic countries" by France 24

Censorship is just one indicator of tyrannical regimes. The world will never truly be a free place until ALL people have access to information without censorship. Don't laugh, Americans, it happens here, too, though not like this. I remember being in school and a book that the librarian found a little offensive was ...removed from the shelf--a form of censorship. Open access to information is the true hallmark of free people - stripping information out because someone doesn't want you to see it (excluding information classified in the interests of national security - but that could be a slippery slope) is a mark of tyranny.

"Man's happiness and fulfillment depend on religious freedom, asserts Vatican Official" by Catholic News Agency, March 11, 2010

Another interesting article. I don't want to force religion on anyone, just as I don't want anyone to force their religion on me. However, I feel that no one should be denied their religious freedom, either. Too often, in the name of 'progress' we denigrate peoples' religious beliefs, discount them and ignore them. ... Take for example health care workers. Health care workers who disagree with abortion shouldn't be forced to perform abortions. Health care workers who disagree with euthanasia shouldn't be forced to perform it. The one problem I have atheists is that they are so quick to demand their right to not believe, but then they want to take away anyone who does believe right to believe. If they have a right to be atheist, then I have a right to be Catholic. If they have a right to have an abortion, I have the right to not have to perform it. The same goes for religious organizations like charities, they shouldn't be forced to have a leader who doesn't agree with their religion.

"US weighs stricter car safety rules" by Josh Mitchell, The Wall Street Journal, March 11, 2010

I like the idea of the black boxes in cars, I just question some privacy issues associated with them. Could be a good idea and could help prevent false accusations in accidents--and could help solve some mysterious accidents. However, there would have to be something built in to help protect the privacy of the individual who owns the car.

Numbers from Sidebar, The Washington Post, March 10, 2010

Interesting numbers. As a Libertarian, I feel that the government needs to step out of marriage other than to be the keeper of the contract. Yeah, I know it goes against my Catholic roots, but we have to keep in mind that we are a secular society, and we are, supposedly, a free society. If we truly want to be a free... society, then we have to be, well, free. Government needs to step back and let people be people. (I also think this is an issue that state government needs to stay out of, too.)

"It's Obama vs the Supreme Court, round 2, over campaign finance ruling" by Robert Barnes and Anne E. Kornblut, The Washington Post, March 11, 2010

I do have some concerns over this. Free speech is free speech, and I believe the Supreme Court ruled the way they should have in regards to free speech. HOWEVER, I find exception in the fact that corporations are being treated the same as people. I do not believe that companies have the same rights as individuals--s...omething Justice Sotomayor said in one of her first decisions on the Supreme Court. So, this is almost a paradox. It only stands to reason Republicans would hail it--business interests; and Democrats disagree--business interests. I feel it is a good decision for freedom of speech, but a poor decision in placing businesses on equal footing with individuals.

"Sotomayor issues challenge to a century of corporate law" by Jess Bravin, The Wall Street Journal, September 17, 2009

Here is the article on Sotomayor's decision I referred to in the previous article.

"House bans earmarks to for-profit companies" by Paul Kane, The Washington Post, March 11, 2010

In my mind, this is a necessary first step. Campaign finance reform is just a first stop in reforming the political process, IMO. I see this as a first step, of many future steps, necessary to finally turn politics around. The problem, until THE PEOPLE get involved, it won't amount to anything and we'll continue with the status quo.

"Vatican Daily on Abuse: 'Where were the Women?'" by Rocco Palmo, Whispers in the Loggia, March 11, 2010

Interesting article on women in the church...very interesting article....

"In China, Wal-Mart presses suppliers on labor, environmental standards" by Steven Mufson, The Washington Post, February 28, 2010

This is what I keep talking about with globalization - eventually these cheap markets that exploit laborers will be held to the same standards as our manufacturers; and it isn't even taking government intervention...

"Wal-Mart exports rules to China" by Thomas P.M. Barnett, Thomas P.M. Barnett Weblog, March 11, 2010

Dr. Barnett's take on the same thing.....

"Tracking a new kind of civil disobedience" by Kathleen Burge, The Boston Globe, February 18, 2010

It's amazing how when you try to do something good for people, you're called a thief ... yet the people who are supposedly being stolen from live in the lap of luxury--the economic elite ... makes you wonder who the real thieves are.....

Okay, there is my foray back into posting in the blog. I'll keep posting in both the blog and on Facebook. I may expound more in the blog than I do on FB (more room), but feel free to check both.

Lazy Monday

2009-10-26T13:07:00.003-04:00

Monday is here, and I've gotten a late start. I didn't want to get up this morning--it felt good knowing that I didn't have to get up this morning, so I stayed up late last night watching shows about werewolves on Animal Planet. It was silly of my, but it was a little rebellion because I didn't have to go to work today.

The picture above is from First Landing Park in Virginia Beach. I did a short hike (about 5 miles) through there yesterday, but I'm only now getting to posting the pictures. If you want to see the rest of them, go here. It was a little chilly out and overcast, but it was still a nice hike through the woods. There's something about walking through the woods that just makes me feel better. I'm sure Thoreau would agree with me, too.

I don't really have much to talk about right now. I have a whole horde of things I want to get done and I've only been up for about an hour (yes, that's right, it's 1300 and I've only been up for an hour--of course I didn't go to bed until around 0600).

Peace, my friends.

Sunday Morning

2009-10-25T09:50:00.005-04:00

The view from the deck into the back yard today, and the weather for today. My back yard is not that large, but it's large enough for me. It'll eventually have a garden in it, possibly more than one, but I have yet to decide that. Instead, I'm sitting here nostalgic about the day and the house, though why I have nostalgia for a brand new house that I've really never lived in is beyond me. But I'll take the feeling, because it feels good. Almost as though there's a little seed of hope in the back of my brain that has taken root and is starting to send it's tiny green leaves up towards the sun. And that makes me smile.

The trees, as you can see, are changing color. There aren't as many trees in my yard as I would like. Those trees line the city's easement behind my house. Though I suspect I'll be back there cleaning some of that area out, trimming trees, getting rid of the undergrowth and claiming part of the city's easement by squatters rights for nothing more than the pleasure of being in the trees. I'm sure they won't mind.

Today I'm planning to go look at kayaks. I'm not ready to buy one yet, I'm just going to look and talk to some people. Then I'm probably going to go hiking for a couple of hours and then come home. There is plenty to do around the house to keep me busy and occupied. I can't resist getting out into trees for at least part of the day, though. It's just going to be too beautiful of a day not to. Responsibility, however, always reminds me that no matter how carefree I'd like to be, I have things that I have to do. Living is a business, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. The concept of rule of law guiding our dealings with our fellow man has made living a business. There's paperwork to do for everything. It all stems from a mistrust of each other. Because of that mistrust, we create rules and laws to make sure that we all play nicely together. And when we don't, we have the police and the courts to enforce those laws. Though it doesn't always work as easily as I've made it sound. Instead, wouldn't it be better if we were just nicer to each other? I guess that's too much wishful thinking for me. God forbid that we actually follow the golden rule.

All of that being said, I think it's time to finish my coffee, then take a shower and get ready to start this day on a more hopeful foot.

Nike+ Human Race 10k

2009-10-24T14:58:00.004-04:00

Today over 70,000 people will be running in the Nike+ Human Race 10k. I did my run earlier today, and am happy to report my results. Take the standing in this with a grain of salt, as more people run, it's bound to change (and probably not for the better!). Just wanted to get it posted on here so everyone can see. It's linked on my facebook, too.

This run hurt today. I've slowed down on my running due to an injury in my knee, which made the 10k hurt a little more than it should have. I finished it though, but had to stop at a couple of stop lights (damned stop lights!). I discovered a few things on this run: 1) dri-weave socks may wick sweat away from your feet, but not away from your shoes, which caused my feet to jiggle a little in my shoes, i.e. my feet slipped a little inside my shoes, definitely a weird feeling; 2) the trees changing color are AWESOME and made the run that much better; 3) the old couple sitting on their front porch enjoying this awesome weather made me smile because of their simple joy and pleasure of sitting on their front porch--I had to say good morning to them because they looked so happy; and 4) walking back from Starbucks after my run, noticing the trees and the grass and nature in and of itself made me realize how druidic religions could have developed. Yeah, I know, crazy thoughts, but my thoughts nonetheless.

Hopefully everyone is having a great day today! It's beautiful outside right now, but I don't know how long it's going to stay that way because it's supposed to rain sometime today. Oh well, at least I got to enjoy it while it was nice :)

Home

2009-10-23T11:11:00.004-04:00

As you can see from the picture of the front door of my house, I am home and have started attempting to get everything ready for Halloween--and also ready for just living here. It seems a little overwhelming to be home just because of the sheer amount of stuff that I want to get done around the house. That, and the sheer amount of cash I'm going to see disappearing as I get stuff situated around the house. I'm not looking forward to that, trust me.

I'm sitting at the bar that straddles my kitchen and living room, organizing paperwork, bills, thoughts and projects wondering when it is all going to end. At times like this, it makes me wish I would've rented a house or something because it would've saved me the trouble of having to do all of this. But, I have a house of my own, a place of my own that I'm not renting from someone, so that is definitely a plus in my book, even if it seems overwhelming at times. But, I just have to get myself psyched up for it and start working on it to get it all done. It won't be too hard, it's just the outside view I have of it right now.

The hardest part, in my mind, is going to be painting. Mostly because I haven't exactly picked out what colors I want in the house yet. And because I have to move and cover furniture to to it. It won't be that bad, though, I have my nephew here to help me. The second hardest part is going to be putting the garden in the back. I remember putting the garden in the old house. The soil is clay around here (Virginia cement, you will often hear), and requires a lot of tilling, a lot of additions and a lot of work to make it acceptable soil for a garden. After that, everything is pretty much gravy, other than spending money to make it all work.

So, my friends, wish me luck as I transition to this new path in my pilgrimage. My journey in the Navy is slowly coming to an end, and it will be the big transition for me. And I haven't figured out what I want to be when I grow up. One step at a time, I keep telling myself. Now I just have to listen to myself.

Morning Babble

2009-10-08T07:29:00.001-04:00

The first vestiges of sunrise this morning as I was heading into work. It was a beautiful sight, much more beautiful than the sight of work.

I was listening to the news this morning concerning healthcare reform, and I have to admit that I don't really know where I stand on the issue. Well, I know where I stand and what I think we should do, I just don't know where I stand on the bills that are being proposed. Does healthcare need reformed? Yes, it definitely does. Should the government run healthcare? No. I believe the government should place better regulations on insurance and insuring people, and that everyone should have insurance and healthcare. But government running it isn't something I see as effective. Forgive the analogy, but the government couldn't even run the Mustang Ranch--a brothel and a bar--how can we expect them to run healthcare?! Overly simplistic, yes, but true nonetheless. The human side of me says that everyone is entitled to healthcare, but the pragmatic side of me doesn't see that as completely possible. Illegal immigrants, for example. The human side of me says we should take care of them, too, but the pragmatic side of me sees that as a slippery slope into disaster--what would stop people from illegally coming here just to get medical treatment at the expense of the American taxpayers? It's a tough issue because there is more than a financial aspect to it, there are lots of moral aspects to it. And not just in providing healthcare, but in what services are provided. Abortion, for example. I don't believe doctors should be required to provide abortions if the don't believe in it. Forcing that on doctors or removing their licenses is wrong, and completely flies in the face of our first amendment rights. To correct the ACLU, freedom of speech is *NOT* the first right listed in the first amendment, freedom of religion is. Forcing doctors to provide services they are morally opposed to or threatening them with removing their medical license is a direct violation of their first amendment rights. I could go on for hours on this, but I have to go into work, I'm still sitting in my jeep in the parking lot (been sitting here for over half an hour).

**iPhone Post**

Dona Nobis Pacem

2009-10-07T07:23:00.001-04:00

I don't know how clear this picture is, it was taken on my phone on my way in this morning. It was a clear morning, though dark. I was captivated by the stillness of the bay and the reflection of the lights from across the way so I tried, unsuccessfully I believe, to capture that in a picture. That stillness is something that I have often longed for inside of me, and something I have (finally) attained in this portion of my pilgrimage. I'm not exactly sure what I did to help me achieve that miracle, but I'm neither going to second guess nor psychonalyze it. It was a gift (dona nobis pacem), and I will accept it and leave it as such. It is a tenuous peace, though, one which I have to remind myself of, especially while sitting at my desk trying to discern--ok, divinate--exactly what we are trying to accomplish. But, that's a story for a different post. Today, I focus on the peace that I have attained through this pilgrimage of mine, and my thankfulness for it. I just have to question myself--if I hadn't achieved the peace I was searching for on this IA, would I have volunteered for another one? I suppose I should just let that go--after 3 IAs, it's probably time that I went home. So, my friends, I guess the whole purpose of this post is 1) to let you know that the pilgrimage is paying off, esp in the peace of soul portion, and 2) if I can attain peace in my soul, NOTHING is insurmountable--I accomplished what I thought to be impossible.

Peace, my friends -- and to borrow a phrase from JPII, "be not afraid!"

**iPhone Post**

Syllables of Time

2009-10-06T20:37:00.002-04:00

Tonight, I give you a quote from about 3 years ago from my journal:

"I remember from Star Trek: Generations the quote, 'Time is the fire in which we burn.' It seems that each syllable of time is a spit of fire that burns at you and eats away a piece of your life. Each syllable seems to be a penance meted out on you for something you've done in your life, and you cringe as each syllable goes by--only to look back on those syllables years later with the bliss of remembrance through the veil of sentiment. The fires they caused, the hot pokes from each a distant memory, dissociated with the syllable that remains forever in your mind."

Strange things I thought of back then.....

Running

2009-10-04T21:38:00.002-04:00

622 - that's me, running in Jacksonville, FL. For some reason, I've gotten the urge to run. Some friends have made the comment that they expect me to end up like Forrest Gump and run across the country. I doubt if I'll take it that far. But, still, I find myself signing up for a run every weekend of late. Why is that? I don't really know, other than to say that, somehow, it has become a time of Zen for me. My brain tunes out the world, tunes out the things that are going on around me, and focuses on the road in front of me. I tune in to the beat of the music I listen to, my footfalls somehow magically align to that beat, and I'm running. Nothing else, just running. I guess that's why I like it - the worries of the world go away, the worries of relationships past, the worries of relationships future, the worries of worrying...all gone, vanishing with each stride I make down the road. That, my friends, is why I run, and why I've grown to love running.

On a different note, you'll notice the new facelift for the blog. It needed something new, so I changed it. I don't know if I'm happy with it yet, or not, but I'll see how I feel about it over the upcoming days. But please, feel free to send me any comments or suggestions on the facelift.

Facelift for the Blog

2009-10-02T07:10:00.001-04:00

No takers on suggestions for a facelift for the blog? Come on, someone out there has to have some good ideas!

**iPhone post*

Wednesday -- T-16

2009-09-30T07:09:00.001-04:00

This is a test post from my iPhone using a new app. 16 days left at CENTCOM, then I go home! Hopefully I'll start using my blog again once I get home, but I think it needs a facelift, and perhaps a new name??? Thoughts??

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

9/11 -- The Echo

2009-09-11T08:41:00.003-04:00

I posted the below on 9/11 in 2006, thought it still rings true today, so I thought I'd repost.

I had originally envisioned some time-laboured graphic to post here commemorating 9/11 and all of the people who died that day, and all who have died since. The fact that I'm not very artistically gifted notwithstanding, I chose to go with something simple--the Flag of the United States of America. It is a powerful symbol that sums up who and what we are as Americans, and helps carry that proud tradition across the world for all to see--regardless of what words our politicians say or supposed atrocities carried out by troops in foreign lands. We are a great nation with a proud history. Yeah, we've done some not so pleasant things in our history, as have all nations. It is, unfortunately, part of the growing pains of countries.

Today, we still hear the echoes from 9/11 around us. We see the wars that were started, the lives that were changed, and the change in the course of human events. However, like Pearl Harbor, the Alamo, the MAINE and countless other rallying cries from countless other wars throughout human history, this one, too, will slip into the history books and barely be a whisper on people's tongues. Why? Because we are growing from it. The world is changing from it, and eventually, the world will outgrow it. It is an echo now, and eventually will become an echo from a time past that no one wants to remember. We will glorify it in holidays, but school kids will be unable to tell you exactly why we commemorate this day other than to rotely recite something out of a history text book. That's not entirely a bad thing. History needs echoes, history needs as Dr. Barnett calls them, "System Perturbations" to make a "rule-set reset" to allow us to progress in the course of human events. Does it in any way denigrate the sacrifice of over three thousand people on 9/11/01? No. Does it in any way make the sacrifice of our fallen comrades in vain? No. Those souls on 9/11 and our comrades in arms who have fallen since have not died in vain. They are ushering in a new era of the world. It may be rife with some anarchy, and there will undoubtedly be more bloodshed. But in the end, the world that will be created from it is a world that is connected, a world that can take those echoes of history, learn from them and grow together into a better place. 9/11 was only the beginning of a change in human history, the change is far reaching and has years left before it will finally come to fruition. Granted, you and I will be dead before it arrives, and it won't be a perfect world, but it will be a better world. We will live through what appear to be dark ages before it comes, but, much like the initial dark ages, civilization will be preserved and will spring back into the world. And the world will be a much nicer place for our children and their children. Just wait--they'll tell you about it.

We are not so mired in history that we can't maintain our patriotism and celebrate today and note the ultimate sacrifices that were made by our fellow Americans. Patriotism has a place in the world, and helps to build Dr. Barnett's "future worth creating." For today, I leave with with today's quote from Pope John Paul The Great, from his book Memory and Identity:

The native land, then, is a complex reality, in the service of which social
structures have evolved and continue to evolve, starting from primitive tribal
traditions. The question arises whether this evolution of human society has
reached its final goal. Did not the twentieth century witness a widespread
tendency to move toward supranational structures, even internationalism? And
does this tendency not prove that small nations, in order to survive, have to
allow themselves to be absorbed into larger political structures? These are
legitimate questions. Yet it still seems that nation and native land, like the
family, are permanent realities. In this regard, Catholic social doctrine speaks
of 'natural' societies, indicating that both the family and the nation have a
particular bond with human nature, which has a social dimension. Every society's
formation takes place in and through the family; of this there can be no doubt.
Yet something similar could also be said about the nation. The cultural and
historical identity of any society is preserved and nourished by all that is
contained within this concept of nation. Clearly, one thing must be avoided at
all costs: the risk of allowing this essential function of the nation to lead to
an unhealthy nationalism. Of this, the twentieth century has supplied some
all-too-eloquent examples, with disastrous consequences. How can we be delivered from such a danger? I think the right way is through patriotism. Whereas
nationalism involves recognizing and pursuing the good of one's own nation
alone, without regard for the rights of others, patriotism, on the other hand,
is a love for one's native land that accords rights to all other nations equal
to those claimed for one's own. Patriotism, in other words, leads to a properly
ordered social love.

So, no matter your religious, ethnic, social --or whatever you chose to relish about your individualism--background, today, look towards whatever God you worship and say a prayer for the world and for those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. The world will get better--just wait and see.
by Scott at 9/10/2006 10:49:00 PM

Good Friday

2009-04-10T09:16:00.001-04:00

To quote from one of the episodes of the TV series "Touched by an Angel", "death came on Friday, life came on Sunday, but there was a long, hard Saturday in between." To which was replied, "I guess we're all stuck in Saturday."

This being Good Friday, the day where we remember the crucifixion of Christ, this statement came to mind. I have thought about it today and am somewhat intrigued by it, because it seems that we all, indeed, are stuck in Saturday. The craziness of the world right now, the crazy and hectic nature of our lives and our jobs; the troubles in the financial markets, the trouble with terrorism, the list goes on. What of these troubles? I think these troubles are all a product of being stuck in Saturday. We've witnessed the crucifixion, that one thing, Christ, who gave meaning to our lives, is gone. And we lament. Lament for what we had, and lament for the fact that we've become victims of a cruel system that would take our Savior from us. And yet, we forget that he is our Savior, and that the cross was a necessary piece of our salvation.

John the disciple and Mary the mother of God were both present at the crucifixion, as were numerous other people. At the foot of the cross, they beheld the glory of God in an act of selfless sacrifice. The lamb was slain to take away our sins. But it did more than that. The foot of the cross was our community, the centrality of human coexistence. It was at the foot of the cross that we were all united in a way more transcendent, yet more real, than any other union of humanity. We were all united, because it was at the point, standing at the foot of the cross, staring up at God made flesh, that God looked down upon us, passed us all into the care of his Mother, of our Mother, died, and with that death liberated us from our sins and transgressions. All of us. A single unifying point of all humanity culminated in Christ dying on the cross. We all came together and mourned the passing of Christ, but forgot about the singularity, about the single, unifying point for all humanity. We woke up on Saturday morning and our Savior was gone. We wept, then we went on with life. We withdrew inside of ourselves and focused on us and our own wants and desires, and forgot that Sunday is coming--the most glorious of all days! Christ's death on Friday was the singularity that brought all humanity together and bound us as a species, as the sons of God. Sunday is the fulfillment of that singularity--when Christ arises from the grave. He died, and unified us in the liberation of our sins. He rose from the dead, creating for us all a new life, the capstone of the new covenant with God. A time of glorious rejoicing and celebration in our humanity and in God! But instead, we are still stuck in Saturday, the lamentations of our victimization rolling off our tongues and congealing in puddles of self absorption all around us.

We're stuck in Saturday. Until we realize that we're stuck in Saturday, until we realize that our lives do not focus no 'me' but on 'us', we will remain stuck in Saturday. But when we realize the 'us' of community and the greater good and the greater Glory, then we will step into Sunday, and our salvation will truly be fulfilled. I bet we'll even see Jesus smiling at us.

Wednesday

2009-03-25T22:32:00.002-04:00

Lumen Christi gloriose resurgentis sissipet tenebras cordis et mentis....

Boy, is that a prayer I could use right now!

Another Song - Sums up some of me... ;)

2009-03-23T19:52:00.002-04:00

Another song for everyone today.... I know, I know, you're getting annoyed with the Christian contemporary songs, buttttttttttt, well, I like the message in some of them. This song just happens to be one of them. It's called "Free to be Me" by Francesca Battistelli. Listen to it, you just might like it! As for me, it explains a lot about me. If you like it, I just might tell you the story behind what made her write the song...and I'm sure you'll be pleasantly surprised!

"Be Not Afraid!"

Lent

2009-03-22T20:41:00.002-04:00

This is Lent and I feel as though I haven't been as penitent as I should be. I think a lot of it is settling into a new job and a new environment. I guess that could be a form of penitence in and of itself.

I'm embedding a song here called "Sea of Faces" by Kutless. It sums up the whole reason for this season, and I hope you enjoy it. It's modern Christian music, so I'm sure some of you won't like it, but I sometimes think we get so wrapped around the presentation of a message that we forget to listen to the message itself. Just remember, the baby wrapped in swaddling clothing was the savior of humanity.... So, stranger things have happened than getting a message from a contemporary Christian song!

Beginning the Pilgrimage

2009-03-15T09:25:00.003-04:00

I'm sitting in a hotel room now in Richmond Hill, GA getting ready to start my drive again to Tampa. Today I will finish the drive, but the sleep last night was great! I'm looking forward to getting this trip over with--the whole thing!

Here are some pictures of the beginning of the pilgrimage...not the best in the world, but a few of them, enjoy!

BubbleShare: Share photos - Easy Photo Sharing

"Be Not Afraid!"

The Pilgrimage Continues...

2009-03-14T12:04:00.001-04:00

The pilgrimage continues, yet again I am packed and getting ready to head out the door to the next place I am going. Fortunately this one won't be overseas, it will be in Tampa, Florida working at United States Central Command (CENTCOM). I didn't say I wouldn't be in a war zone because working at a combatant command can seem like a war zone.

Wish me a safe journey as I head out the door, yet again!

Christi Eleison....

Scott

Wednesday

2009-03-11T08:21:00.004-04:00

Wednesday has finally arrived - hump day as most would call it. It's putting me closer to departing my home and going to Tampa, FL until October for another GSA (yes, I volunteered for it). The timing on this one is poor, though. I won't explain it now, but I will eventually explain it. For now, I don't have too much to say, I mostly wanted to post a poem here for critique. This was the last poem I wrote while I was in Iraq (some of the others are too personal to post in here).

Freedom’s whisper echoes in my head
stirring my passions, but also my dread
of returning home to I know not what
for the demons of the past do there haunt
the house, my soul, my mind, even time
seems to turn against my thoughts and rhyme
fear, they say, is the enemy most true
but it cannot compete with melancholy and blue
for fear is only an instrument of mind
the breaking heart leaves blue behind
to haunt you every day and every night
emotion more powerful than merely fright

1/28/09
Balad, Iraq

Standing by for the critics......

Short Poem

2009-03-09T21:23:00.002-04:00

While I was in Iraq, I began writing poetry again. Nothing spectacular nor great, just a few simple poems. I thought I'd post one of them here, from when I was having a particularly bad day. Please take no offense from it, no offense is meant. Any critiques? I always like critics (so long as they're constructive!).

Time is a cheap and plotting whore
an ubiquitous and persistent beast
always giving less but demanding more
until your life becomes her final feast
1/16/09
Balad, Iraq

Not a great poem, but a poem. Stay tuned for more....

Back Again

2009-02-09T06:44:00.002-05:00

I'm sure everyone noted my gaps in posting, I apologize for those. I was deployed to Iraq and I just didn't have the time to post like I wanted to. I'm back home now, for a short time, before I get ready to go to Tampa for another billet. I will only be in Tampa for about 8 months, then, hopefully, I'll return home for shore duty to spend some time in my own house! (Well, more than an odd week or month here and there).

Because I have things to do today and am on my way out the door, I leave you with a short poem by Emily Dickenson:

This is my letter to the world,
That never wrote to me, --
The simple news that Nature told,
With tender majesty.

Her message is committed
To hands I cannot see;
For love of her, sweet countrymen,
Judge tenderly of me!

With those words, I can tell you that I'm back. I can't promise a post every day, but I can promise a post and I hope you find something in them, as I hope I find something in writing them.

Christmas

2008-12-25T06:05:00.004-05:00

Lux fulgebit hodie super nos, quia natus est nobis
Dominus; et vocabitur admirabilis, Deus, Princeps pacis, Pater futuri saeculi: cuius regni non erit finis.

A light will shine on us this day, the Lord is born for us: he shall be called Wonderful God, Prince of peace, Father of the world to come; and his kingship will never end.
(Is 9: 1,5; Lk 1:33)

Puer natus est nobis, et filius datus est nobis, cuius imperium super humerum eius, et vocabitur nomen eius magni consilii Angelus.

A child is born for us, a son given to us; dominion is laid o his shoulder, and he shall be called Wonderful-Counsellor.
(Is 9:6)

------------------

In those days a decree whent out from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled. This was the first enrollment, when Quirinius was governor of Syria. So all went to be enrolled, each to his own town. And Joseph too went up from Galilee from the town of Nazareth to Judea, to the city of David that is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David, to be enrolled with Mary, his betrothed, who was with child. While they were there, the time came for her to have her child, and she gave birth her firstborn son. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
Now there were shepherds in the region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. The angel said to them, "Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Christ and Lord. And this will be a sign for you; you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger." And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests. (Lk 2:1-14)

Christmas is here, and the savior of the world is born. Today we celebrate that birth, and now we prepare of the epiphany when the three wise men arrive. In churches throughout the world, the infant will now be in the creche and the three wise men will start their trek across the church until Epiphany when they arrive at the manger. If I were home, the three wise men would start on one side of the niche above the fireplace and finally arrive at the manger after having only moved mere inches each day.

I don't really have too much to say today. Today is a day of joy and celebration. Today is a day when light has returned to the world. Today is our day to rejoice in Christ's coming, and to make our light shine into the world. It doesn't matter what you bought everyone for Christmas, or that you even bought anyone anything for Christmas. What matters is how much of the light of Christ you reflect into the world around you. We are, after all, nothing more than a mirror that reflects his light back out into the world. We do so through our actions and through our love of our fellow man.

I'll finish this post by saying - May the Peace of Christ be with you, always.

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve - Eve

2008-12-23T04:35:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was the shortest day of the year and the official beginning of Winter. The days now get longer and, euphemistically speaking, light is returning to a darkness weary world. I didn't notice it, though, because I was in the office working. It's hard to know what is going on outside when you're always inside.

Today is the herald of Christmas Eve, tomorrow is the herald of Christmas. I sit at work wondering how time has managed to slip by, how this season of joy and penitence has slipped by, and seems to be nothing more than an afterthought to me. My joy at Christmas is limited to the joy of the birth of the Savior, it goes no deeper than that. And that is sad. I try to be joyful for other things, but I find it difficult when I am so far away from everyone and everything that I love so dearly. But isn't joy in the birth of the Savior enough? It is no less than the beginning of the salvation of mankind that we're talking about. Even though I'm not overjoyed in other areas, shouldn't the salvation of the world be enough joy to celebrate?

This year, I await Christmas like a child, in eager anticipation, barely able to contain my excitement at knowing that Christmas Day is almost here. The difference being my present is not something wrapped in colorful paper under a tree that jingles or rattles when I shake it. Instead, it is the presentation of The Christ, the mysterium fedei begins. Our salvation begins. Rejoice, O Israel, the King is Born! The salvation of man is at hand.

And isn't that joy enough?

"Be Not Afraid!"

Fourth Sunday of Advent

2008-12-22T04:19:00.002-05:00

The Fourth Sunday of Advent has come and gone. We've transitioned back to violet, back to penitence from our rejoicing as we prepare the way for the Lord. It is a muted penitence, though, as we remain joyful for the coming of the Savior.

Celebration, for me, is muted this year, along with my penitence because I am away from home for Christmas. But, muted celebration or not, I, with Mary, rejoice in God because of the wonderful things he has done for us. This season, more so than any other season, is a season filled with hope and joy. It is irrelevant where I may be located, whether or not I'm away from my family and friends (although I would rather be with them). What matters most is what we celebrate during this time of year. We celebrate the birth of a Savior. We celebrate the salvation of the world. We even celebrate our humanity--because God humbled himself to become human with us, to share in our trials and tribulations, and to show us that there is a way of hope, and that He is the hope. All we have to do is believe and have faith.

This is not a long post, forgive me for that, but it contains an abundance of joy and a muted penitence as I prepare for the arrival of the King. It's not too far away now, and when he comes, what a joyful time it will be!

"Be Not Afraid!"

Gaudete Sunday

2008-12-15T22:34:00.004-05:00

Everyone is probably thinking that I'm crazy because I changed the background of my blog to pink. There is method to my madness. I know I'm a day late, but it is for the Third Week of Advent. The Third Sunday of Advent is Gaudete Sunday and on that day we light a rose colored candle. Gaudete means "Rejoice!" We are rejoicing because we are getting close to the birth of Christ. So, I made my background rose colored (okay, okay, it's pink) and put up the picture of the three lit candles for Advent. Unlike everyone else who will shift back to purple for the remainder of the week, I prefer to stay with rose because I think we should rejoice the whole week (we are celebrating the birth of Christ--he's only the savior of humanity). At Mass, the Priest told us that he wished we could all overflow with the joy of Christ every day. He actually gave us a 'homework assignment' - to try to overflow with the joy of Christ and when someone asked us why we are so happy to tell them because of Christ. I think he's on to something with that, especially out here. Life here is not quite like life back on the homefront. It can be a little stressful and people sometimes get a little bent out of shape. But, we just have to remember the joy of Christ within us and to keep a positive attitude and celebrate because there are bigger things out there than us. Allow me to shift gears into a more somber note.

Avery Cardinal Dulles died on December 12, 2008, on the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. He was 90 years old and essentially THE American Theologian. May God welcome him into his open and waiting arms. Below is a picture of the Cardinal and his coat of arms (the words down the right side are the translation of the quote on his coat of arms. I know you won't be able to read the words that are in the text on the blog, but if you click on it, it should pull up a picture that will be large enough for you to read. The words are from Cardinal Dulles. If you have a moment, say a prayer for his soul. Here is an obituary for Cardinal Dulles.

I should be taking my leave now. It's already an hour past my bedtime, but I wanted to stay up to post in my blog and to make the changes that I didn't make yesterday whe it actually was Gaudete Sunday. Rejoice!

"Be Not Afraid!"

Second Sunday of Advent

2008-12-07T06:12:00.002-05:00

Today is the Second Sunday of Advent. The preface to the readings for today tells us of John the Baptist, who proclaimed the way for Christ. Here is what it says,

"John the Baptis is 'more than a prophet.' In him, the Holy Spirit concludes his speaking through the prophets. John completes the cycle of prophets begun by Elijah. He proclaims the imminence of the consolation of Israel; he is the 'voice' of the consoler who is coming. As the Spirit of truth will also do, John 'came to bear witness to the light.' In John's sight, the Spirit thus brings to completion the careful search of the prophets and fulfills the longing of the angels. 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit. And I have seen and have borne witness, that htis is the Son of God.... Behold, the Lamb of God.'" (CCC, 719)

John the Baptist is he who of whom Isaiah spoke when he said, "A voice cries out: In the desert prepare the way of the Lord!" (Is 40:1-5, 9-11) and is again extolled by the Apostle Mark (Mk 1:1-8).

For me, the Second Sunday of Advent means that we are closer to Christmas. I don't know if I'm ready for Christmas yet or not, I tend to prefer the more penitential seasons (guess I'm somewhat ascetic). Hopefully everyone is enjoying this time and preparing the way for Christmas. It was, after all, what John the Baptist was sent to tell us, "prepare ye the way."

Happy Advent!

"Be Not Afraid!"

Friday Morning

2008-12-05T06:01:00.001-05:00

I had such grand ideas for what to type in here, unfortunately in the wait for the system to come up, I lost most of them. I weas walking to the DFAC this morning and couldn't help but feel that I really didn't want to be around a lot of people today. And that was the truth. The only problem was, I was thinking about how I would like to just go away to a hermitage somewhere and be away from everyone except for the occasional times I had to go shopping for food or whatever. I really do miss the mountains, miss hiking, miss the beauty of the natural world back home. I guess I should be trying to take some pleasure in the natural world here, but it's difficult to do when the most your natural world consists of is a lot of sand and gravel.

This morning, as with so many other mornings, I found it very difficult to get out of bed. My alarm kept going off and I kept hitting the snooze button. Some part of my brain was trying to figure out why that confounded contraption kept pestering me. I finally rolled out of bed and got ready for work. It wasn't easy though--nearly requiring a Herculean effort. I've had trouble getting out of bed for a while now, at least a couple of weeks (or more). I keep joking that my body is rejecting this country like a bad organ transplant.

I've been quite prolific of late in my paper journal and in letters I've been writing. As I said previously, though, those are not for public consumption, hence why it's a private journal. Suffice it to say that my thoughts are not going un-recorded, their just out of the public eye. I love you all, but some of my thoughts don't need to be pushed out to the world...I'm not sure the world would appreciate them, nor would I even want them out there for public scrutiny. Which is somewhat ironic because what I believe I want to do when I get out of the Navy is to write. I'll figure that out somehow, until then, I'll keep posting here and writing in my journal.

There is work that I need to be doing, so I'll get off of here for now. Be well!

"Be Not Afraid!"

Another Day in the Hopper

2008-12-02T04:48:00.001-05:00

Fortunately my watch shows what day of the week it is, or I wouldn’t know that today is Tuesday. Seems that the week is going by slowly this week. We have a lot of work we are doing, so that should make the days fly by, unless of course it’s the anticipation of coming back into work to do it all over again that makes time seem to be creeping by – extending out the period, at least in our minds, before the crunch starts all over again.

Advent has started, the color in my blog has shifted to violet. On Gaudete Sunday it will shift to rose, and I will leave it that way the entire week instead of just on that Sunday. It’s my unofficial way of characterizing Advent by the Sundays and the candles that are lit. Since the Advent wreath I found didn’t have colored candles, I’m using the background of my blog in its place.

There really isn’t too much to report today. I slept very well last night and actually woke up somewhat refreshed this morning. I have no idea how that happened, but I’m going to be thankful for it, nonetheless. I’m getting interested in philosophy again. Well, I don’t think I became uninterested in it, I just didn’t make the time to study it. So now I’m studying philosophy again and I’m studying theology. All on my own, of course, but I am looking at eventually getting my Masters and Doctorate in Theology. It may take me some time, but I’m looking forward to it. I would like to get my Th.D. before I get out of the Navy so I can sign my name with a Th.D. at the end! Yeah, that’s being selfish, I know. But we all have to have something to look forward to.

I don’t really have much more to say today. I’m trying to post in here more to let people know that I’m doing okay. I hope everyone out there is doing well.

“Be Not Afraid!”

First Sunday of Advent

2008-11-30T05:38:00.001-05:00

Advent starts today. The readings are become readings of Israel’s anticipation of the arrival of the Messiah. Isaiah being one of the predominant ones. We will read about a weary Israel, about weary servants who long for their Messiah to come and to save them from the gloom of the world. The Messiah does come, yet they do not recognize him. It was prophesized that way, and I think it had to be that way. That was the opening for the people of God to expand beyond Israel and into the Gentiles. And that was a good thing. The combination of Christianity and Greek philosophy is a force that has brought enlightenment and good to the world.

So Christ comes, and we wait for his coming. Advent, as I’ve posted before, means “he comes.” We are awaiting his arrival, both eagerly and somberly. This is a penitential season because we should reflect on what we have done wrong and seek forgiveness for our sins to be worthy to stand in His presence when he does come. This part of the church calendar is second only to Lent, when we celebrate the fulfillment of our salvation. Christ had to come into the world, and he did through the virgin birth. Then he had to be crucified and resurrected to fulfill the salvation that he promised for mankind. He brought with him only two commandments: 1) love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your mind and, 2) love your neighbor as yourself. Two simple commandments that we still can’t seem to get right. But that is neither here nor there. We now stand in a season of purple, waiting for the return of light to the world. Rejoice, repent and be ready for it.

Time here continues to creep. Sunday is my favorite day around here because I get to go to church. I’m measuring my time here by how many times I go to Mass. Since they only have it on Sunday here, I only go once a week, so it makes the calculus much easier. It also makes the time seem shorter than counting days. I have no complaints, though. Sure I’m not at home, although I would like to be. Sure I’m not sleeping in my big comfortable bed as I would like to be. And sure I’m not eating what I want out of my own refrigerator as I would like to be. Those things will still be there when I return. This self appointed hermitage has had its benefits. One of them is getting back in touch with the spiritual side of me, and getting back in touch with me. Had I stayed at home, I don’t believe those revelations would have been as forthcoming. As I’ve told my spiritual director, though, it doesn’t mean I won’t backslide on some days and lament my situation and wish that things were better and different—I think that’s just part of human nature. But as long as I pick myself back up from those days and continue to move forward, then I’m still accomplishing what I set out to accomplish.

Pray for me, and I will keep you all in my prayers.

Enjoy this Advent Season as you prepare for Christmas. Our Savior comes but will we see him? Be prepared and celebrate in joy, but don’t forget the significance of this Holiday. Try not to make it so commercial this year, and try to make it more about the joys of family and a celebration of life. We only get one shot at life, we might as well enjoy it alongside our family and friends with love and warmth in our hearts. Pax Christi.

“Be Not Afraid!”

Saturday Morning

2008-11-29T04:13:00.001-05:00

Saturday Morning has rolled around, essentially another groundhog day. Winter seems to be starting to come around here, although it is more like the winters you would experience in Florida. The days are mild, sometimes warm, and the nights are cool, sometimes cold. It makes me wish that I were in New England where there was snow on the ground. I missed the leaves changing color this year…have missed them for several years now. I have missed a lot of things that bring a general sense of joy and happiness to my life. But, I have a job to do and sometimes we have to measure our lives based on our contributions to society and to those we love. That contribution can be indirect, but it doesn’t negate the contribution.

So, I’m here, in Iraq, making a direct and indirect contribution to our overall society, the overall wellness of the world, and to my family and friends. I wasn’t home for Thanksgiving and won’t be home for Christmas, but these are little sacrifices in the grand scheme of the world. And they are but microseconds on the grand scheme of the universe.

This post is mostly to tell everyone out there that I do miss them, and I do love all my family and friends. I hope you are all taking the time to celebrate and enjoy everything for which you are thankful. There will come a time when that may not be so easy, as I’m experiencing now, but we have to remember to continue on in faith and hope and things will always turn out for the better.

Be well, and God Bless.

“Be Not Afraid!”

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T12:03:00.001-05:00

Cocoon

2008-11-26T04:48:00.001-05:00

It has been a while since I've posted in here, for that I apologize. I get busy here and don't thing about posting, although I am very prolific in my personal (paper) journal. Not all of those thoughts are to be shared, though. This deployment was, and is, supposed to be a way for me to get back in touch with myself and who I am. It is supposed to be my metaphysical journey to find substance in not just myself, but substance in the world in which I can believe. It has been a long and arduous journey. And it is still a journey. I have yet to find the final destination, and don't believe that I will. And I don't believe that is important because I believe it is the journey that helps us to grow. It gives us perspective on life and living, gives us perspective on our interactions with our fellow man. And it should lead us down the road of human dignity.

Human dignity has been the hallmark for which most of mankind has been striving. I say most because there are still barbaric cultures out there (I believe we're waging a war with them now) who believe in suppressing humanity and suppressing the desires of people to grow beyond old beliefs that, like old wine skins when you put new wine in them, break when you put new ideas into them. We used to be that same group of barbarians with no culture. And while this may be the cradle of civilization, civilization doesn’t necessarily imply civilized, nor cultured. And I’m not saying culture in the sense of the snobbish Broadway crowds, I’m saying culture in the sense of human decency and dignity. It is a place where we strive to get along with one another, solve our problems through peaceful means and avoid violence because violence serves no true purpose other than to beget more violence.

Many people out there are going to complain when I say that the Catholic Church has been preaching human dignity for a long time now, but that’s okay, they are entitled to their opinions. Yes, the church did some not so nice things in the past. But, unlike our present situation, those were in the past. We learned from those mistakes and we grew. Now, the church has become the pinnacle of the human dignity debate. Why? Because she is continuing on that journey of learning and discovery. She didn’t impale herself trying to live up to old ideas for old people, and instead created new ideas for new people—and took the world into new territories of learning and starting the process of creating real and lasting progress for peace for all peoples.

This is unlike those that we are locked in a war with right now. Their ideas of civilization and culture are slavery and violence. If you can’t get what you want through talking to people, then you must put them to the sword. Women have no place other than to make more jihadists and sit secluded in rooms where they can see no one and no one can see them. They are relegated to the status of third/fourth class citizens—some would argue that they are mere chattel. And I find that disturbing and disheartening. I have to question what kind of divine creator would want his creation to destroy itself? If that’s the case, then he is nothing more than a bully burning ants with a magnifying glass. And that, I believe, is the way this culture views God. And it is such a wrong way to view God and such a wrong way to view our relations to our fellow man. I, for one, don’t want to go to heaven if it means I have to walk around in fear of someone sticking a “hit me with a lightning bolt” note to my back or knocking me down and beating me up to steal my halo.

I’m being a little too whimsical there, but I can’t help but fear that the concept of religion and God that I see over here is not only an erroneous one, but is a logical fallacy and, forgive me for saying it, an abomination of the faith, hope and love that is God.

This was supposed to be about me and my spiritual journey, not polemics, although it did turn into that. So, I’ll reel back from my digression.

I titled this post “Cocoon” because I feel that I am coming out of a cocoon. After so much stuff has happened in my life, somewhere in all of that stuff I lost who I was. I don’t know how it happened or when it happened—though I’m sure it didn’t happen overnight, it was a slow process—I just know that it happened. Part of my reason for coming here to Iraq on this deployment was to try to find that part of myself which I had lost. Like Thoreau, I “lost a hound, a bay horse and a turtle-dove and am still on their trail.” That trail is my journey. I’m sure that his “hound, bay horse and turtle dove” looked different than mine do, but I also believe there are many similarities. The difference is, I got off of the trail to finding them, and have only recently gotten back on it. And I feel that is the most important thing I could accomplish while I was here. If I could find a patch of grass the bay horse munched on, a bush of berries from which the turtle dove ate or a rabbit that the hound had chased down, then I will be happy and content knowing that their trail is still warm and I will continue to pursue them.

Don’t worry about me, I’m doing just fine. I may be a little tired and I may work a lot, but it’s not keeping me from the trail. I’m starting to emerge from the cocoon that I had trapped myself in. And it’s beautiful looking out with expectation, hope and longing into the sunrise of a new world.

“Be Not Afraid!”

"Practicing the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence

2008-11-04T04:39:00.002-05:00

This book is not exactly what you expect when you first start reading it. Brother Lawrence was a very pious man, pious to the point that I don't think it would be possible to live in the presence of God the way he did unless you were in a monastery, and even then, in modern times, I believe it would be too difficult. However, it shouldn't stop us from trying to spend time each day in the presence of God. "Practicing the Presence of God" is not necessarily a primer in how to do this so much as it is one man describing what he did, and other people echoing his words and extolling his life. It will, however, give you an amazing insight into Brother Lawrence's thoughts and life, enough so that you can use it to begin practicing living in the presence of God. I won't guarantee it for everyone, but I will say it is worth the read. I was a little put off at first by this version because it was broken up by quotes and explanations from the author that I thought would have been better in an annotated version. However, as I got further into the book, the explanations made understanding part of the book easier. I still believe it would have been better annotated in the margins, but they were useful notes, nonetheless. On a scale of 5 stars, I give it 3 for format, 4.5 for content. 3 for format only because I still believe it should have been annotated in the margins. Don't let that stop you from reading the book, though!

“Be Not Afraid!”

Tuesday Morning

2008-10-28T06:36:00.002-04:00

It is Tuesday, right? I woke up this morning and had one heckuva time getting out of bed. I’m drained and tired today. Yet, here I am, pushing along at work. I hope everyone who reads this is doing well.

Not too much is going on around here. We’re just busy working. I did have an unusual dream last night. I dreamed that I had to get to Church and I was running late for some reason. Somehow, I was in an alien spaceship and I was trying to tell them about church and God, but they said they already knew about it, and were going to church with me (your guess is as good as mine, there). We were cruising along somewhere in space trying to get to earth and to my church when we crashed into something and the ship ended up stalling. Signal the dues ex machina here, the ship magically appeared in the parking lot in front of the church and a lot of people were there waiting on us. We – myself and the aliens – went into the church, and the church had the front pew open for us. Some of the people who met us and a couple of the aliens ended up breaking off and going into the choir (don’t as me on that one, choirs aren’t the same in Catholic churches as they are in protestant ones). Then I woke up. If anyone has any ideas, please feel free to throw them my way because this confused the heck out of me!

When I was getting ready for bed last night, I started remembering a few things from my childhood. I remembered I was over and Grandma’s house one day. It has been raining a lot and her yard was flooded with water that was about knee deep on me. I think I was about 7 at the time. I ended up grabbing Grandpa’s john boat, put Grandma’s cats in it and pulled them around the yard in the boat. I must have been outside for a few hours, wading through the water pulling the cats along in the boat. Grandma called me into the house and she made hamburgers for lunch that day. Another strange memory I had and, like the dream, if anyone knows why I remembered that, please feel free to throw it out my way.

I need to get back to work now. I’ve been sitting here for a few minutes and I need to get busy working again. I hope everyone out there is doing well!

“Be Not Afraid!”

"The Wounded Healer"

2008-10-22T20:58:00.001-04:00

I just finished reading "The Wounded Healer" by Henri J. M. Nouwen. Actually, I ended up reading it twice. The first time I read it, i was reading in between sleep and didn't really feel that I got much out of it. So I decided to re-read it.

This was a good book. It talks about the minister as a "wounded healer", someone who has to recognize and deal with his own flaws and foibles before he can help people deal with theirs. Not in the sense that he has to get rid of them, because we can't, but in the sense that the minister has to recognize that he is flawed like everyone else, has to come to terms with that flawed nature, and still love God and his fellow man enough to help them. And his fellow man will respect him more for understanding his own flaws and foibles yet continuing on in life and in love.

I thought a lot about portions of this book, especially the portion that deals with human loneliness. We are all lonely, and that is a part of the human condition. It's what we do with that loneliness. If we try to get rid of our loneliness by finding someone who we believe will fill that gap, we are leading ourselves down the road of dissappointment, because that person will not be able to fill our loneliness. The only way to fill the loneliness is with God. The loneliness will never go away, we have to accept it as part of the human condition and move on with life, working with our loneliness instead of letting it eat us up. Henri Nouwen does a good job of summing up his own book, so I'll quote part of his conclusion for you:

" ...I described hospitality as a central attitude of the minister who wants to make his own wounded condition available to others as a source of healing. Hopefully the implications of this attitude have become visible through the different guests for whom the minister is called to be a receptive host. ...the old famrer, lost in the impersonal milieu of the hospital, afraid to die and afraid to live; the members of the inward, fatherless and convulsive generation; and those searching for new modes of immortality in the middle of a fragmented and dislocated existence--they are all asking for free space in which they can move without fear and discover new directions. When the imitation of Christ does not mean to live a life like Christ, but to live your life as authentically as Christ lived his, then there are many ways and forms in which a man can be a Christian. The minister is the one who can make this search for authenticity possible, not by standing on the side as a neutral screen or an impartial observer, bus as an articulate witness of Christ, who puts his own search and the disposal of others. This hospitatlity requires that the minister know where he stands and whom he stands for, but it also requires that he allow others to enter his life, come close to him an daks him how their lives connect with his.
"Nobody can predict where this will lead us, because every time a host allows himself to be influenced by his gues he takes a risk not knowing how they will affect his life. But it is exactly in common searches and shared risks that new ideas are born, that new visions reveal themselves and that new roads become visible.
"We do not know where we will be two, ten or twenty years from now. What we can know, however, is that man suffers and that a sharing of suffering can make us move forward.
"The minister is called to make this forward thrust credible to his many guests, so that they do not stay but have a growing desire to move on, in the convfiction that the full liberation of man and his world is still to come."

This book is geared towards the minister, but I don't believe it has to have its roots solely in the ministry. We are all wounded and we are all suffering. Acknowledging that fact and accepting it and living an authentic Christian life--as authentic as Christ's life--and sharing that authenticity, that acceptance of suffering, with our fellow man is what makes us not only Christians, but human. The love and compassion of Christ is the love and compassion that we as humans should be sharing with the world. We suffer, the world suffers, but together we can look out across the horizon and find hope and the future. I bet we'll discover that the future is much more pleasant than we're led to believe. We just have to believe and, in our wounded state, share with our fellow man the wounds we suffer, help them as they help us to grow spiritually and eventually the world will change and the future will be great.

I give this book 5 (*****) out of 5 stars. It expresses, very succinctly in only 100 pages, what we all need to hear, even if it was written for ministers.

Politics and the Election

2008-10-20T22:41:00.001-04:00

Ironically enough, I've tried to make it a point to stay out of politics this election year. Why? Because I look at my choices and am not happy with them. I still haven't decided who I'm going to vote for - possibly not even vote if I don't get my absentee ballot soon (not that it's entirely a bad thing). However, I would like to vote against Sununu.

I just finished watching "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" and was listening to Bob Barr, the Libertarian Presidential candidate. I have to say that I didn't like him as a congressman (R-GA), and I like him even less as a libertarian. I don't think he really understands what Liberterian is--if you've seen his votes and proposed bills when he was a congressman, you would understand. But, this isn't what this post is about.

I know everyone wants to ask me who I'm voting for in this election. I still haven't made up my mind. I understand that there is a black woman running for the Green party, perhaps I should vote for her--I know about as much of her politics as I do of McCain's and Obama's. Not that I've been researching them, either. Why? Because I'm sick of hearing about the elections this year. I'm sick of hearing about Obama and McCain. I'm sick of the rhetoric and the accusations and the sound bytes and things getting blown out of proportion. My thoughts are if they took Sarah Palin and Joe Biden and ran them together for President and Vice President, I'd probably cast my vote for them. As it stands now, I think I'm going to write in Robert Gates (current SECDEF). I think he has a good head on his shoulders and would make a damned good president. Yes, I know I'm a Democrat, but I'm just not happy with what we have-on either side of the aisle. So, who am I voting for? I don't know. Maybe if I don't get my absentee ballot, it won't be such a bad thing.

Other than that, things in Iraq are going well. I'm still working a lot, but it isn't anything that is going to kill me. I am kicking myself for not reading more thus far, but I still have some time to make up for that. Instead, I've been watching "The West Wing" before I go to bed. It's a really good show, but I need to spend more time reading. After all, I brought about 50lbs of books with me.

Nevertheless, things are going okay here, so don't worry about me. Worry more about my fellow Sailors, Soldiers, Marines and Airmen who are on the front lines both here and in Afghanistan. Send your prayers out to them.

"Be Not Afraid!"

Presidential Debate Tonight

2008-10-15T22:50:00.001-04:00

Just finished watching the debates tonight. While I was waiting for the computer to login, I had the misfortune of listening to the pundits. I missed the first 30 minutes of the debate because I was working on something, so I can't speak to it. I can, however, speak to the last hour of the debate that I did see. In that last half hour, McCain seemed, smug and snobbish. That's the best way I can describe it. I thought Obama did a much better job in this debate than McCain (keep in mind I didn't see the first part of it). Just my observation. Obama seemed to answer the questions calmly and rationally and didn't appear smuggish whenever he was getting ready to rebuff an answer from McCain. McCain, on the other hand, seemed to get smuggish and have a look of snobbery on his face whenever he went to rebuff an answer by Obama. I think I referred to it as a "holier than thou" look. It didn't really set well with me.

I do have to point this out, though...when asked how much foreign oil is imported to the United States-the answer is 100%, if it's foreign, it's imported. If it isn't foreign, it's domestic and therefore..not imported. Silly distinction on my part, but it rubbed a nerve with me. Also to say that we are going to cut down on the oil we get from the Middle East and from Venezuela while still importing oil is a fallacy. Oil is a fungible commodity-the stock market doesn't care where it comes from, it cares about what the best price is it can get. If that price happens to be from Venezuela or the Middle East, guess where the oil is coming from?

Okay, I nit-picked. I don't know enough about either of their platforms to speak too intelligibly about it. All I'm speaking about is their performance in the debate and some observations that tweeked me.

Be well, out there. I'm doing well here. Throw a few happy thoughts do my Mom and Dad, both of my Grandmothers, to Greg, and to Buddha and Isis. If you have a spare one, throw it my way...but I'd prefer you give them to those I listed above first. I'm doing ok out here, so give them the support of the universe, I'll be fine.

"Be Not Afraid!"

Thursday Morning

2008-10-09T05:24:00.001-04:00

"This is the day the Lord hath made, let us rejoice and be glad in it."

It's a hot day out there today, but I guess it's almost always hot around here. I'm not worried about it, though, I'm just going to keep pressing on with what I have to do. I can't really complain about much here, most of the basic needs of life are taken care of for me, it's just the long work hours that prevent me from my aspirations of finding some sort of inner peace while here. But it hasn't stopped me. I still strive towards it, and work everyday to accomplish some personal goal, no matter how small, so I can know that I've accomplished a personal goal.

I've been thinking a lot about my beliefs and my principles in life. I have come to believe that I have always known what my principles were, even though I was incapable of spouting them out from rote memory. I believe it is that way because we don't need to spout them out from rote memory, they are deeply ingrained into our psyche and into the very essence of who and what we are. They may change over time, but that doesn't mean they are any less ingrained within us. I have realized that the pinnacle on which my principles and beliefs rests is the pinnacle of human dignity. Humans are the basic element and entity to around which our reason and morals should be based. I believe that is why there is so much strife and hatred in the Middle East - their religion doesn't believe in human dignity. Humans are nothing more than a pawn in some uber-religious game. There is no dignity, there is no human respect, all that they have is a system that is based on hatred of anyone and anything that is different from who they are and what they believe. I believe Katherine Kurtz said it best in her Deryni series, "Humans destroy what they don't understand." Being over here, I believe her. But that doesn't mean that we should stop trying to spread the message of human dignity and hope throughout the world. I'm not trying to eliminate anyone's religion, I'm only trying to establish human dignity as the cornerstone of any future ethics. We've lived with John Rawls' theory of justice and positivism and hedonism, and all that it has gotten us is more misery and debasing humans as something less than what they really are. It's time we brought humanity back to the cult of humanity. We are a social creature, and we thrive in communities. We've lost community. It all started when we lost the idea of the family as the center of the community. The family is now nothing more than a group of individuals who remain steadfastly individual. It is that which is destroying humanity. It goes even deeper than that. This one is going to be a shock for a lot of people who know me, but we cannot have human dignity so long as we continue to kill innocent children. The practice of abortion is an affront to human dignity. As long as we deny even one member of humanity the dignity that they deserve, we have denied dignity to all of humanity. Again, human dignity is the pinnacle on which all of our future ethics must be based. Without it, we will continue to destroy ourselves.

Anyway, I know I don't get to post in here much, but I have to go back to work.

"Be Not Afraid!"

A Quote for Today

2008-10-03T05:39:00.002-04:00

“Drink wine, and you will sleep well. Sleep, and you will not sin. Avoid sin, and you will be saved. Ergo, drink wine and be saved.”
– Medieval German proverb

Sorry I'm not posting more, but I'm quite busy around here. That and I don't really have a lot to post about. I work a lot, it's hot in the desert but the nights are cool. There's lots and lots of sand. That's about all I can tell you right now. Enjoy the quote!

"Be Not Afraid!"

In Iraq

2008-09-19T22:34:00.001-04:00

My blog is now getting ready to take off on a different tangent than before. Well, a slightly different tangent. I won't be posting about work or anything like that, mostly it will be personal reflections and such.

To start with, I'll tell you a little about Iraq. It's hot. It's sandy. That's about as much as I can tell you. I work nights, so it makes it a little difficult to see much - not that I'm hoping to get up close and personal with any insurgents or the like, trust me. But it is nice to walk out and see the moon at night. It's actually a beautiful sight. The air is full of sand so the moon doesn't appear white as it does back home. Instead it has a yellowish-orange tint to it. It's a different way at looking at the moon, and it's a refreshing perspective. I remember one of my deployments to the Persian Gulf I commented in a poem I wrote that the sunsets were spectacular. The burning off of the gases from the oil platforms in the gulf have polluted the air, but that pollution makes for some spectacular colors in the sunsets. I don't see the sunsets here in Iraq, but I do get to see the moon and the new color that it has taken on. I can imagine what the sunsets are like, and I'm sure they are nice.

I was reading through a little booklet of laminated 4X6 cards that a church youth group had sent to us. By youth group I mean around 11 or younger. The booklet of cards had quotes from the Bible and little notes written by the kids to us. It did my heart some good to see some of the things that they had written:

"We'll pray for you every day,"

"[I] think anyone who is in the army is a hero above spider-man,"

"Thank you for fighting for our country even though you don't know me,"

"Even though your at war and you migh feel sad, but remember God always loves you,"

"I hope you are ok, and we thank you for taking the bad guys out of Iraq," and

"I know I don't know you and I don't think you know me. And we will probably never meet but I hope we do. So I just pray you stay safe."

There are a lot more than those, but I didn't want to quote all of them. One thing I did notice was that the children seem to be more in touch with their spirituality than we are as adults. It comes through in their writings--and it makes you feel good to read it.

Other than that, it is time for me to go to bed. This has already been a long work day, and I don't want to make it too much longer. I hope you are all doing well. Pray for everyone I'm deployed with, especially those who go out in harms way every day. If you have time, throw some happy thoughts my way, or hum a happy little tune for me.

"Be Not Afraid!"

"The Seven Storey Mountain" by Thomas Merton

2008-09-03T21:12:00.003-04:00

At over 400 pages, this book is quite the read. It is, essentially, Thomas Merton's autobiography, subtitled "An Autobiography of Faith." It chronicles Merton's life as he transitions from a wordly young man to eventually become a Trappist Monk. It took me longer than it normally takes me to read a book; partially because the 400+ pages had very small type on them, and partially because the book was a very deep book. I found myself stopping in the middle of a page, thinking about what it said, reading it again, and then stopping to think about it some more. A lot of those times were on points of theology, so due course was given to thinking them through. There were some, though, where I stopped because parts of my life seemed to mimic his life at that particular point. That’s not a bad thing, mind you, but I had to stop and think about the conclusions he drew from those life experiences and the conclusions I had drawn. Granted, I didn’t agree with him on lots of things, but there were some things where he and I definitely agreed (for some parts of his life, it seemed that we had lived each other's lives). I complained to a friend about this book because I thought it was marked by a lot of pseudo-memories e.g. the memories not exactly how the incident took place, but as seen through the lens of age, experience and wisdom. I would almost call it histrionics, but I won’t go that far, only because it was specifically the view of Merton’s life from his adult viewpoint that allowed him to point out his foibles and failings. In the end, this was a good book. I won’t give you specifics from the book; you’ll need to read it yourself for those. I do that because I don’t want to taint the outcome from those experiences of Merton by looking at them through the lens of my experiences. It wouldn’t be true Merton, then. Suffice it to say that this book is well worth the read. It may not inspire you to become a monk (it didn’t inspire me to), but it did let me see how someone else dealt with his spiritual life. While I may take a different tack than Merton insofar as spirituality (as most of us will do), we all have something we can learn from other people’s experiences. On a scale of 1 to 5 stars, I give this book 4.5 – only because the there were some instances where the histrionics were almost completely transparent. Please don’t let that stop you from reading it.

Open Source Counter-Propaganda - MountainRunner

2008-08-22T23:55:00.002-04:00

An interesting article on counter-propaganda. I suggest reading it. Information is more credible when it is the truth--something our information machine keeps missing. If you lie to the people or tell them half-truths, they will eventually find out, and then you destroy the very intent of getting the information out. If you're honest and up front with your information, people will see you as more credible. Plus it also helps to mold your actions as well as the actions of your enemy. Funny how that works.

Open Source Counter-Propaganda - MountainRunner

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Beautiful Blue Skies Today

2008-08-21T09:57:00.001-04:00

Today is absolutely a beautiful day! Blue skies, 72F, sun softly beating down. Just awesome. In honor of this beautiful day, one of my favorite songs, enjoy!

Pic and a Note

2008-08-20T16:27:00.003-04:00

My brother Andy, this pic is for you. I couldn't compete with sitting by the pool and drinking margaritas; the best I could do was sit in the hammock and drink a glass of wine (not shown in the picture).

The note, for all of my friends who read this blog is to look at the sidebar to the section titled "Good Reads" under "Books I'm Reading". When I read news/blog articles of interest in my feecburner and star them, they show up in this list. It only displays the last ten, but if you click on the "read more" button at the bottom right of the widget, you can see all of the articles that I have starred from feecburner. I encourage you to look at them. I typically only star articles that I find interesting for one particular reason or another - which loosely translates to articles I will go back and read again because I intend to reference them for my own writings because they help me develop my thoughts.

I have tons more stuff I would like to talk about right now, but there are two problems: 1) some of it is too personal to be included in such a public forum and 2) I haven't developed my reasoning on some of it enough to post it. I know, I know, I can be pathetic at times. Please, humor me, this is the only life I have to live, I want to make sure I get my facts straight ;) Besides, I've stuck my foot in my mouth enough times in the past without posting poorly thought out arguments here and sticking it in even further!

Be Not Afraid!

A Poem and A Critique

2008-08-18T15:15:00.002-04:00

Again, I don't usually post items in their entirety unless I'm on my cell phone or like it enough that I think it should be repeated here. Well, I found a post in First Things that bears repeating, so I'm going to repeat it here. If you'd like to see it in it's original setting, you can find it here.

Holy Matrimony

Posted by Nathaniel Peters on August 18, 2008, 11:02 AM

Earlier I posted a note about our junior fellow Stefan McDaniel’s essay on friendship in the magazine Dappled Things. As I was reading the new issue yesterday, I came across an artful poem by Roger Mitchell that employs the metaphor of barrel-making to describe marriage:

Holy Matrimony
(Anniversary in Colonial Williamsburg)

Watch the cooper resume
his old manufacture,
how the hollowing knife
will carve perfect volume
from imperfect nature.
So we two, man and wife,
embraced like oaken staves,
these golden rings our hoops,
this common life our cask,
have joined our tapered selves.
From us, clerkish time scoops
his purchase. You might ask
what our maker meant,
what profit would he earn
working with such rough woods,
as if, after a stint,
he might hope to return
and find us full of goods.
We form a paradox:
open to deliver
yet tight enough to hold,
an enclosure whose locks
free all who would enter,
though bound by bands of gold.

“Open to deliver / yet tight enough to hold.” A beautiful description of the freedom in bound unity that one is supposed to find in the married life.

Survey: U.S. military and movies - MountainRunner

2008-08-18T07:45:00.002-04:00

If you get the chance, please go to the link below and take the survey that it links to - it's all in the interest of a Master's Thesis and public diplomacy.

Survey: U.S. military and movies - MountainRunner

Goodbye Camp McCrady

2008-08-14T09:25:00.006-04:00

Well, my family and friends, the much awaited day of my departure from Camp McCrady has arrived. I am about the leave here and head to Ft. Bragg for the next leg of my journey. I had a lot of fun while I was here, made a lot of friends--some lifelong friends. While here, some people complained, but my friends and I made the best of it, and had a lot of fun in the process. Now that it is over, it is time for more training and then forward into the real combat zone. I'm not worried, though, it's what I volunteered for, and what I want to do.

With that, the tone of my blog now changes from a chronicle of events to more contemplative and perhaps esoteric. It is time for me to do what I set out to do when I took these orders so many months ago: get back in touch with who I really am while supporting the United States of America in her efforts to end terrorism throughout the world. It is not an easy task--neither of them--nevertheless they are tasks that I take seriously. For God and Country, for my family and friends, and for myself.

So, I leave you with the last bits of this as I depart Camp McCrady and all the new friends I made. May God bless you, everyone, and grant you peace. The posts will change, but my heart and my love for all of you won't.

Be Not Afraid!

IA Training - Day 16 - Final Day

2008-08-14T04:23:00.002-04:00

Today was day 16 of training here at Camp McCrady. It was supposed to start early with PT but when we woke up (at 0500, PT at 0530) it was pouring down rain so PT was cancelled. Most of us ended up going back to bed before breakfast at 0700. We then had to be in the classroom at 0810 to start training. I won't talk about the topic of training, I will say that it was good training, only in seemed to drag on forever. Suffice it to say we were all bored - very bored! It wasn't the instructor's fault, he was trying his best to make it entertaining. Some material, though, no matter what you do to it, it's going to be boring. Once that was completed, we went to lunch and then returned to the classroom for Cultural Awareness training. This was good training that sparked lots of questions about Iraqi and Arabic culture and Islam. It took longer than it was supposed to, but it was a pretty good class.

Once we completed that, a group of friends and I went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse for dinner and we each had big pieces of charred cow flesh - OOH-RAH! And was it ever so good. Some nice gentleman overheard us talking about our upcoming deployments and dropped $200 on the table for our bill. WOW! There are lots of great people left in the world out there, and it reminds me of one of the reasons we do what we do - for them and their freedom. God Bless them!

Here's a slideshow I put together of the pictures we had. There's a jumbled mismash at the end, don't worry, though, they were developed from real film (yes, some people still use real film!) and there are pictures with the kind gentlemen who contributed the $200 towards our meal.

...We Band of Brothers...

2008-08-12T21:14:00.003-04:00

WESTMORELAND. O that we now had here
But one ten thousand of those men in England
That do no work to-day!

KING. What's he that wishes so?
My cousin Westmoreland? No, my fair cousin;
If we are mark'd to die, we are enow
To do our country loss; and if to live,
The fewer men, the greater share of honour.
God's will! I pray thee, wish not one man more.
By Jove, I am not covetous for gold,
Nor care I who doth feed upon my cost;
It yearns me not if men my garments wear;
Such outward things dwell not in my desires.
But if it be a sin to covet honour,
I am the most offending soul alive.
No, faith, my coz, wish not a man from England.
God's peace! I would not lose so great an honour
As one man more methinks would share from me
For the best hope I have. O, do not wish one more!
Rather proclaim it, Westmoreland, through my host,
That he which hath no stomach to this fight,
Let him depart; his passport shall be made,
And crowns for convoy put into his purse;
We would not die in that man's company
That fears his fellowship to die with us.
This day is call'd the feast of Crispian.
He that outlives this day, and comes safe home,
Will stand a tip-toe when this day is nam'd,
And rouse him at the name of Crispian.
He that shall live this day, and see old age,
Will yearly on the vigil feast his neighbours,
And say 'To-morrow is Saint Crispian.'
Then will he strip his sleeve and show his scars,
And say 'These wounds I had on Crispian's day.'
Old men forget; yet all shall be forgot,
But he'll remember, with advantages,
What feats he did that day. Then shall our names,
Familiar in his mouth as household words-
Harry the King, Bedford and Exeter,
Warwick and Talbot, Salisbury and Gloucester-
Be in their flowing cups freshly rememb'red.
This story shall the good man teach his son;
And Crispin Crispian shall ne'er go by,
From this day to the ending of the world,
But we in it shall be remembered-
We few, we happy few, we band of brothers;
For he to-day that sheds his blood with me
Shall be my brother; be he ne'er so vile,
This day shall gentle his condition;
And gentlemen in England now-a-bed
Shall think themselves accurs'd they were not here,
And hold their manhoods cheap whiles any speaks
That fought with us upon Saint Crispin's day.

---William Shakespeare, King Henry V

IA Training - Day 16

2008-08-12T19:55:00.002-04:00

Today was day 16 of training - one more day to go after today! OOH_RAH! Not that I haven't had fun here, but it is time to go.

Today we had convoy operations. We were in a convoy going to a town to talk to a sheik (went to town to talk to a man about a dog...) about stuff his town needs. On the way there, we were attacked in multiple different ways. We had just a little training on the convoy operations, so they weren't expecting us to do anythign great or fantastic (kind of hard to do when you don't really know the procedural way to do it - exacerbated by the fact that those who do it, do it all the time and are quite experienced at it and grow new people into those spots). And we didn't do anything great or fantastic.

Once we completed convoy operations we did land navigation. I don't really have too much to say about this other than it's a lot easier than people think it is. If you know where you are and where you want to go, can get a bearing between the two and have a compass to get there, you can get there--easily. Once we had finished our land navigation, we marched back to the barracks in full battle rattle and then proceeded to clean our guns. I cleaned mine and then went to the liason office to ask a few questions. I finished asking my questions and then had to pick up my medical record. I went to dinner after that, and didn't really feel much like eating. I had a headache and my ears were congested. I went by medical and had doc take a look at me. She told me I was probably coming down with a cold and gave me 800mg motrin and a decongestant.

That pretty much sums up today. Tomorrow's post will probably be short, too, although it will begin the preparation for my transfer downrange to Iraq. Just as a heads up, as I make the transition into Iraq, I will no longer be posting about anything military. Not only because it violaes opsec and many other things, but also because one of the reasons for going on this tour was to rediscover myself a little - my pilgrimage, much as the title of the weblog says. It is that I intend to post about. So, get ready for a shift in gears in the near future.

Be Not Afraid!

IA Training - Day 15

2008-08-11T21:16:00.004-04:00

Life will find a way, they say. Here's a baby pine tree fighting to survive in this world. Not too much to report for today. We did and introduction to urban ops and IED's today. It didn't take a lot of time, yet seemed to consume lots of patience. We walked down a road trying to spot IED's, then learned how to clear rooms in houses. After that, we came back to the barracks and then had a tranportation brief at 1700, followed by a special meal of steak and baked potato. It wasn't a very big steak, but it was a steak! That pretty much sums up day 15 of training. Tomorrow we should take more pictures, so I'll have more to post. Tomorrow should pretty much be the end of training, which will be nice. I plan to copy all of the pictures to DVD's and give them out to people.

All right, I'm going to bed. We have to be up somewhat early in the morning, so I need to get some sleep and get ready for it.

Be Not Afraid!

IA Training - Days 13 & 14

2008-08-10T22:38:00.003-04:00

This will be a short post, I need to get to bed soon. Days 13 and 14 were mostly uneventful days. Day 13, Saturday, we learned land navigation and how to use the grid system. I have never used the grid system before and was somewhat concerned about learning it. Once they taught it to us, though, I found it to be very easy. Then it dawned on me, if they can teach someone in the army to use it, then a fifth grader should be able to learn it, too (because the army dumbs everything down to the stupidest person). Okay, that's mean, but it was very simple. We will be doing some land nav problems sometime this week, though I don't really remember when. That was about the extent of day 13, other than running errands and going to a hotel for the night (where I sat in the hot tub until I looked like a shriveled up prune).

Day 14, today, was spent running more errands. I got up late, had a late breakfast/early lunch, then went to run errands with my battle buddy and another friend. We were going to try to go kayaking on the lake here, but by the time we got there, they were no longer renting kayaks. Darn the luck. We ended up going out to dinner and then going to the mall to look for a pair of crocs for my battle buddy. The mall closed early (what is it with the south and blue laws?!) so we didn't get any. We decided to head back to the base, and when we got here, I couldn't find my keys. So we went on a mad hunt everywhere we had been running errands, me leaving my name and phone number in case my keys turned up. They ended up being in my computer bag, inside the cushioning around my laptop. Somehow they managed to get inside the cushion and didn't rattle or anything. I only found them because I took everything out of my bag and was wadding it up to put in my locker when I felt a lump. Low and behold that lump was my keys (after 3 hours of panick and driving around looking for them).

Okay, it's late, I need to get off of here. No pictures for you tonight, sorry. I will take some pictures of the barracks I'm staying in and some of the people I'm here in the barracks with and post them. We're supposed to take a group picture tomorrow, I believe, with all of us in full battle rattle. If we do, I'll post it here, too.

Be Not Afraid!

IA Training - Miscellany of Pics

2008-08-08T21:49:00.012-04:00

I sat down with some friends tonight and synced their cameras with my laptop and pulled their pictures into my albums. I thought I'd share some of those other pictures with you. I won't list exactly where we were for each of the pictures (because I don't remember) but I'll tell you what I can about them. Enjoy!

This is all of my friends' favorite picture of me. My battle buddy called it "doing PMS on the camelbak". My camelbak mouthpiece managed to find its way into a pile of sand while I was taking off my IBA. I was using the water in the camelbak to clean the sand off the mouthpiece. It worked. And it's not a bad picture of me.

This is my favorite picture of me. I was taking off my IBA getting ready to sit in the bleachers. The IBA has velcro just about everywhere on it, so you just peel the velcro off and go. If you look, you can see my 9mm on my right side in the green gun case, and on my left (brown) is the magazine pouch for 2 - 9mm mags. Something about this picture I like. I'm not for sure what I like so much about it, but I do.

One of my buddies and me downrange on lane 16 at the M16 prequalification. I remember this only because I had the lane at the very end, as noted by the striped white and black marker behind us. This buddy will be going to Iraq with me.

Large caliber weapons familiarization. This is the 50 caliber. I seem to be looking at it as though to say, "what the heck does this do?!" Really I'm looking for the safety so I can pull the trigger (well, in this case press the trigger).

My buddy who's going to Iraq with me cocking the 50 cal. He has a dead serious look on his face. I don't know why I liked this pic so much, but it's one of my favorites.

My battle buddy and me after having shot the M16 prequal range. We're both covered in sweat and damn near exhausted after peeling off the body armor. This was a good pic. Just ignore the strap hanging down on my brain bucket - I had to get creative to keep it on my head yet move it enough to be able to see the sight.

Humvee ops! OOH-RAH! I got to ride gunner in this one. This pic was taken by my battle buddy. I was standing on a platform that is mounted in between the 2 front seats and the 2 back seats, with my head poking up through the hole in the top of the humvee. I made the 12 mile drive from Camp McCrady to Ft. Jackson riding there. It was sweet! If you ever get the chance to do this, I highly recommend it. You'll eat a lot of dust, you'll get windwhipped and, if the sun is out, sunburned, but it was a helluva lot of fun!

My battle buddy took this picture, too. You can see me sticking up through the top of the humvee with my M16 in hand. Again, this was AWESOME!

Okay, I don't remember where this picture was taken, don't even remember it being taken. I don't remember it being taken because I was out cold in this picture. I had the back plate of my body armor propped up on my brain bucket, which made the back of the body armor keep my back up at an angle. I tucked myself down a little in the armor and used the neck collar as a pillow. It only took me about 3 minutes to be out cold. Shooting, people yelling and babbling--these disturb not the ways of the jedi sleep master! This should be some indication as to how long and tiring the days have been around here.

Hope you enjoyed the pictures! These are just a few of the ones I like. I'll try to post more later. Eventually I'll try to upload them all to bubbleshare and facebook so everyone can see them.

Time for me to go to bed - I'm actually going to get some sleep tonight YEAH! It's almost 2219 and I don't have first formation until 0735. Since breakfast is at 0530, I'm going to skip it and eat a power bar when I get up. Right now I'm looking at getting up around 0600. That should give me enough time to get ready (more than enough - I'll probably snooze a little bit).

Be Not Afraid!

IA Training - Day 12

2008-08-08T17:17:00.002-04:00

Today was a mostly benign day, to say the least. We were up not quite as early as we were yesterday (thank God) -- well, most people weren't. I ended up having the weapons watch last night from 0300-0600 so I was up early. I caught up on posting in my blog, uploaded some pictures to facebook and took care of some stuff for work. It was a productive night, but not as productive as I would have liked. There are some administrative things I need to take care of that I haven't gotten to yet, and it doesn't look like I will be getting to them anytime soon. I will eventually get them done, I don't really have a choice, but it won't be on my original timetable for getting them done.

Today we went to the indoor, computerized range and did scenario shooting. They gave us several scenarios where we had to judge whether or not/when to use deadly force. I liked the scenarios, they were good, the only complaint I have is that they were too short. I can't really complain about that, though, since there were over 100 people to run through them. Afterwards we came back for lunch and then for a class on combat stress, or as the Navy calls it Operational Stress, given by a Chaplain. I cleaned my M16 and my 9mm after we finished the class. That took about an hour, but it needed to be done. Once I finished that I came back to the barracks and took a nice long shower to get all the sweat off of me from wearing my IBA earlier and to get all the solvents and oil off of me from cleaning my weapons. I tried to make a couple of phone calls after that, but no one answered (they were probably busy), then went to my jeep to grab a couple of things out of it, and now here I am typing this. That was about the extent of our day today.

I trust you noticed the new background on my blog header. I figured if I had to be in that uniform for the next 7 months that I might as well make it a part of my pilgrimage.

That's about all I have for now. I didn't take any pictures today, unfortunately. However, a group of us are getting together after chow tonight and sharing pictures so we can consolidate them into a DVD and thumbdrives so we can share them. There are a couple that I know I want to post. Once I get them, I will make sure that I post them.

All in all, this training here hasn't been that bad. There have been long days, I've been tired from carrying around an extra 65lbs, I'm bruised a little and beat up a little and there were some things that I didn't really like. But that was all small stuff. For the most part I believe we learned something. It may not be the kind of learning we like where we're given weeks on end to learn something, instead it was here's the information, don't forget it. But, we need to understand that things are different in a combat zone. And at least exposing us to them and helping us to learn how things in the army work (since we will be in support roles to them) is invaluable knowledge that will help us when we go down range. I'm sure there are some things we didn't learn and some things that we definitely are not going to learn. But that's understandable because we are going to support missions, and this training is just to introduce us to the situation so we can be somewhat prepared in one of those "Oh sh!t!" moments.

Be not Afraid!

IA Training - Days 10 & 11

2008-08-08T04:45:00.009-04:00

A little more catching up to do. I have the watch tonight (0300 to reville) so I have time to type and post this. Wednesday started out at normal time, around 0500 and we went to the range to do our M16 qualification shoot. We shot in full battle armor and had to score 23 out of 40 to qualify. My first round, not so good, I scored 22. My second round, much better, 26. So I qualified and got that over with. My platoon convoyed in Wednesday morning in Humvee's instead of taking the bus. It was pretty cool! I was the humvee gunner. One of my friends got a picture of that, once I get a copy I'll post it here. We followed up qualification with some classroom stuff. Not a lot of fun, there, but it was something that had to be done.

Yesterday we did night/low light fire. We had to be in formation at 0250 and loaded up into the bus to go to the range. At the range, they showed us the targets and then took us out on the line with two 10 round magazines. They then shut off the light and started raising and lowering targets while shining spotlights. It was interesting, to say the least. Once we completed that, those of us who are mandatory 9mm had to qualify low light shoot. They gave us 18 rounds and we had to hit 12 of them to qualify. It was still dark outside, twilight hadn't really started to break yet when we started this. You started at 3 meters, then 7 meters then 15 meters. It was an interesting shoot, to say the least. We shot once and I managed to qualify on it. Once we completed that, we went to another range, had breakfast and then proceeded to get a familiarization fire of several large caliber weapons. Once we had completed that (and stood in the sun in full IBA for about 2 hrs), we went back to the original range to begin shooting reflexive fire and obstacle fire. Reflexive fire is where the target pops up while you're facing left, right or away from the target and you have to respond and fire. That wasn't too bad. The bad one was the obstacle fire. We started out in full IBA and stood in line for over an hour in the sun before we got up to the targets. We then had to sit in a humvee, when called, jump out, close the door, lock and load the weapon, then move to a standing obstacle, a kneeling obstacle, a crouching obstacle and a prone obstacle. That one was hard because I was baked before I ever got up to the humvee. Once there, running and everything sapped all of my energy. I ended up going back to the shade and stripping out of my gear as quickly as I could and guzzling about 3 glasses of gatorade. Once that was done, we came back to McCrady, where I now have the 0300 to reville.

Me shooting the qualification. You can see the popped up target at the 150 meter line (white).

Me sitting under a tree enjoying my MRE (Meal, Ready to Eat) for lunch after qualifying. This one was penne with vegetable sausage. Not bad.

My battle buddy sitting under the same tree as me for lunch. He's eating the crackers out of his MRE with some blackberry jam.

My squad leader expressing how she feels about MRE's (they're not really that bad).

Breakfast after our night/low vis firing. A nice, hot, catered breakfast!

Alpha Company, 2nd Platoon taking a 10 minute breather before rolling into the next course of fire. It was HOT out there.

IA Training - Days 6, 7, 8 & 9

2008-08-07T19:20:00.000-04:00

Okay, I have to do some catching up from my last posts. This will cover days 6, 7, 8 & 9 of training. Saturday (day 6) we did a 9mm stress fire course. We were given 18 rounds and had to hit 12 out of 18 to qualify. This range was a series of barricades set up we had to shoot from. The overall range was 25 meters. We started out in full battle rattle and had to run in place for 1 minute. Once we ran in place for a minute, we had to draw our 9mm, shoot standing from 25 meters then run to the first barricade and shoot from the prone position. I had a lot of difficulty with this one because I couldn’t keep my helmet out of my eyes. From there, we ran to the next barricade and shot standing up as though we were shooting out of a window. Run to the next barricade and shoot from the kneeling position, reload, shoot again, then run to within 3 meters of the target and shoot. I managed to hit 13 out of 18 (hey, anything over 12 is gravy!). We had to do this twice, one right after the other. Keep in mind, 65lbs of gear, running around barricades while shooting with a 9mm, then doing it again…it isn’t easy! But, I still qualified. Afterwards we came back to McCrady and had classes. When we finally did get finished, I ended up getting a hotel room out in town with some friends to get away for a while. We all made sure that we got a hotel with a Jacuzzi so we could relax our sore muscles. It was nice, to say the least. We actually spent the better part of the evening running’s errands (haircut at the PX, gear we needed for this training, gear we were going to need for our deployments that wasn’t issued, etc). We got to the hotel a little later than we had wanted, sat in the hot-tub and then went to bed. We woke up Sunday (late – day 7) and met some other friends for breakfast at Waffle House. We then proceeded to run a few more errands (some of the guys wanted to buy cameras and a few other things). I was tempted to buy myself a new holster for my 9mm, but I couldn’t justify spending the money on a holster for a gun that I would only use while in theatre. I decided that I would wait until I got to Ft. Bragg because the guy I’m relieving told me they would issue me one.

Monday (day 8) was a classroom day, all day, and a shot-ex. We had classes on practical first aid (instead of ABC its BATS for combat first aid – Bleeding, Airway, Thorax, Shock). The dummies were brought out and we had to practice the first aid on them. The shot-ex was everyone running through medical to see if we were all medically screened for going in theatre, and if anyone needed immunizations, they got them. It was not an intensely busy day, because we didn’t wear our IBA anywhere, it was just a day that was stuffed full of little things.

Tuesday (day 9) was prequalification day for the M16. We went to the range and shot at popup targets at ranges of 50 meters, 100 meters, 150 meters, 200 meters, 250 meters and 300 meters. You were given 40 rounds and had to hit 23 to qualify. The targets randomly pop-up and you had to watch and when one popped up, take aim and shoot. In the picture of the lane you can see little humps, that is where the targets popped up from. It wasn’t as easy as it looks. What made it most difficult was when we had to put on our battle rattle for the shoot. As before, my helmet likes to get in the way. This was actually a pretty nice course of fire. It wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination, but it was fun. We shot 3 times for prequalification—essentially given us practice before we went into the actual qualification. I shot 26, 27 and 27. So, if this had been the actual qualification, I would have qualified. Granted, it wouldn’t have been expert or anything, but I’m okay with that! We ended up having boxed lunches out at the range, then headed back to McCrady for more classes. We were supposed to have a class on cultural awareness, but the instructor never showed up. Instead, our army drill instructors went over some of their lessons learned from in theatre. They talked about IED’s and working with the locals. They also were telling us some things to watch out for. Getting first hand knowledge from guys who have been there and seen it is, in my mind, a much better utilization of time than having an intel analyst type come in and talk to use about culture. We cleaned weapons afterwards, and then had to be back in the classroom in case the cultural awareness person showed up. At 1745 they let us go for chow. We went to the DFAC (dining facility), had chow, then went to the computer lab to check email (internet connectivity in the barracks went down in a lightning storm on Saturday and hasn’t come back up yet). I received an email from my detailer telling me that he had put me in as a placeholder for a billet at OPTEVFOR (Operational Testing and Evaluation Force) as a Testing and Evaluation Analyst. The billet is in Norfolk, though I’m not for sure where OPTEVFOR is located on the base. If I had internet connectivity, I would look it up (but, I’m typing this in word right now for import into my blog later). Hopefully I’ll get orders cut soon and will know that is where I’m going. Right now it is 0213 on Wednesday morning. I am up because I have the weapons watch and have to be up. Today we have our M16 qualification. So, everything we did yesterday during our prequalification, we are going to do again today, only this one is for qualification and score. Wish me luck! Although, by the time I actually get this posted, I will have already shot. I’ll keep you posted on how I did, though. Hope you enjoy the enormous amounts of pictures I’m posting! I have a few other things to take care of, so I’m going to close this. Hopefully connectivity will be up today so I can post this and write for today, too, and post some pictures from the qualification round.

As an afterthought, I have to say that the days around here are pretty well packed. They start around 0500 or so and we are doing something all the way up until dinner. Dinner is usually around 1800 or 1830. By the time I finish dinner and am on my way to the computer lab to check email (when we don’t have connectivity—which has been most of the time), it is after 7pm by the time I get to the computer lab. By the time I check email and try to catch up on the news I missed through the day, it is 8pm. Then I’m back in the barracks, taking care of community responsibilities in the barracks, and before you know it, it’s after 9pm, pushing 10pm and time to go to bed so I can get some sleep before I have to be up around 4 something to be ready to start the day around 5 something. Time seems to fly when we are here, especially when we are out at the range. In the classroom, well it drags, to say the least. Just thought I’d let you know that my day is generally packed with stuff from 0500 to about 2100. If you’re wondering why I don’t stay in touch that much, that is part of the reason. One reason I’m able to write this is because I have the weapons watch tonight from 0130 to 0300. It may not seem like much, but when you look at the schedule I have, and then note that I’m losing an hour and a half of sleep right in the middle of it, well, you get the picture. Stay safe out there, and I’ll do more communicating and keeping in touch once I get the time (and the connectivity).

Me running in place getting ready for the 9mm stress shoot. Note that I'm in full IBA (individual battle armor) - 65lbs worth of stuff.

First shot for the 9mm stress round, standing at 25 meters.

Second station of the 9mm stress round - you run from the first position to this position, drop down to the prone position and shoot the targets.

Me running from the prone station (after reloading) to the simulated window station where we shoot standing, again.

Here's the simulated window shoot. The barrel of the pistol has to stay inside the barricade to prevent the enemy from seeing where you shooting from and sniping you.

Next station, kneeling. You have to kneel, fire, reload, then fire again.

Finally you run out in front of the targets at 3 meters. I was wiped out by the time I finished this.

This was at the M16 pre-qualification. My Battle Buddy was in his IBA, I was not.

This is me with my squad leader on the left (in IBA holding her M16), and a civil engineer type on the right.

This is my Battle Buddy on the M16 pre-qualification range. I posted this one so you could see the length of the range. It was a 300 meter range and the targets popped up for you to shoot, and dropped when you shot them.

Another shot to give you a view of downrange. It was easier to see standing up than it was laying down in the sand. We had to shoot this range prone unsupported (we're supposed to support the barrel of the weapon-however, we were allowed to rest the magazine on the railroad tie).

A good picture of my Battle Buddy firing his round. This was in between fires so I didn't interrupt his shooting.

Here I am in the prone position shooting. We were given 40 shots and 40 targets to shoot. We were required to hit 23 of them to qualify. I hit 26, 27 and 27 (the 26 and first 27 were without IBA, the last 27 was with IBA).

Here I am in the kneeling position. Our last round of 10 was kneeling. At first I did better kneeling than prone, but as the day drug on and I got tired, I did better prone.

Another pic of me shooting from the kneeling position. The range guard is beside me (see his red paddle?). We were supposed to get 2 - 20 round magazines and 4 - 10 round magazines. Instead, I got 5 - 10 round and 1 - 20 round. It threw me off for shooting, yet I recovered and still did well enough to pass.
And here I am shooting in IBA in the prone unsupported poition. This was hard to shoot, my helmet kept bouncing down in my eyes; I lost the butt of the weapon off my shoulder once and it smacked my bicep. I have a nice buise there now, giant, purple and red.

IA Training - Day 5

2008-08-01T22:23:00.008-04:00

Today was another long and exciting day of training. We started out supposed to be going to the humvee rollover training, but the trainer was broken so we couldn’t go. Instead, we did training on real humvees and driving them. I managed to drive a little faster than I should and had to slow down when the humvee started skidding around the track. You gotta have some fun! Afterwards, we went to the range for more shooting, but ended up having lunch first. Today’s lunch was an MRE (Meal Ready to Eat). I managed to get chili mac and pears. They were actually pretty good. I guess when you’re hungry you eat a lot. I scarfed down my lunch and then we went to the range to shoot. This range was a pop-up, computer controlled range. Targets were at 75-meters, 175-meters and 300 meters (246 ft, 574 ft and 984 ft). We fired prone supported, kneeling and prone unsupported 3 separate times. The first time we were in full battle rattle, which made it damn near impossible for me to see the targets because my Kevlar helmet kept getting pushed down over my eyes by the neck collar of the battle armor. My safety glasses were useless and were in my way so I just took them off and set them aside. I finally managed to get somewhat able to see and shot my rounds with the battle armor. I won’t say it was pretty, though. I don’t know exactly what my score was, but hopefully I’ll find out tomorrow. The second and third times through in no battle gear it was much easier to shoot. I shot better at the 75 and 175 meter targets than I did the 300 meter target, but that’s okay. We will be shooting a qualification range similar to this one sometime next week where the targets will pop up and we’ll have to be looking for them. We’ll be given 40 rounds, and we have to hit 23 targets to qualify. Wish me luck!

I thought I’d post some more pictures for you, they are:

Me in 'battle rattle'. Notice, and M16 and a 9mm. I weighed myself in full gear and in PT gear today. With gear, I weigh 230 lbs, without I weigh 165...that's 65 lbs of gear humping around every day in 98 degree heat with high humidity. The sign is the range we were shooting on today.

This is me with one of the CDR's here. He's an IP (information professional) type. He's very laid back and has a good sense of humor. The sunglasses we are wearing are our UVEX ballistic glasses. They may look good, but they suck! Mine are already scratched up, they fog up when you're trying to shoot and they get in the way when your helmet is pushed down on your head by your IBA.
This is my battle buddy on the range getting ready to shoot the prone supported position in his IBA.

Here's the range. If you look beside the number 18, you can see the pop up target...this one is at 75meters. It was fun, to say the least!

Here's a longer range view of the range, you can see the people laying down shooting. Beside them is someone sitting down in front of a computer monitor that is recording your hits for your score. In front are 3 M16's tripoded...those would be my battle buddy, Andy's; Sean, who will be going to Iraq with me, and mine.

Gotta get to bed now, gotta be up EARLY in the morning for more shooting. Tomorrow morning is 9mm morning. Again. yeah.

"Be Not Afraid!"

IA Training - Day 4

2008-07-31T20:06:00.000-04:00

Today was a very long and tiring day. We spent the day on the range grouping and zeroing our M16’s, and shooting the 9mm qualification course. It took me several tries to get my zeroing done on my target. I grouped pretty well, I jerked a couple of times and knew that I had done it, which caused a couple of bullets to be way off mark. The idea was to aim center mass each time you shot, shoot in groups of three and adjust the sights of the weapon to match where you shoot. The adjustment after my first shoot was 10 down and 10 rights. After the second shoot it was 10 down and four to the right. On the third shoot, it was up one, then on the fourth back down one (yeah, I shouldn’t have adjusted it there, but I did). On the fifth shoot I got 2 of three dead center and had one outside of center. All I needed was 3 more in the center. On the next shoot, I got the three in the center. I’m posting pictures of the grouping and zeroing for you to see. The first one is the initial rounds I shot, three shots per round, and the second sheet is where I finally zeroed. I grouped well, which meant I was hitting in the same spot. All I had to do was get the sights of the gun in line with the barrel. For me, it was as stated above on adjustments for the front and rear sights. Keep in mind this was a 25-meter shoot with a silhouette for 300-meters. Once finished there, we had lunch (a boxed lunch that consisted of a sandwich, chips, skittles, “victory punch”, and a banana. After lunch, those of us who are mandatory 9mm (depends on where you’re going and what job you’re doing) had to shoot the Navy 9mm qualification in full battle gear (remember, 70lbs of stuff). There’s a sequence to it that I don’t remember completely off the top of my head, but we had 6 magazines, 4 with 6 rounds, 2 with 12 (48 rounds total). We had to stand through the shoot, in the sun in the full battle armor. The Navy course was from 3 meters, 7 meters and 15 meters (9.8 ft, 23 ft and 49.2 ft). We shot twice. The max score you can get is 240, and it takes a 184 to qualify. I shot 235 the first time and 237 the second time (I believe that’s expert level). By the time I finished, I was sweating profusely. I drank LOTS of water and LOTS of the victory punch (best stuff I had up until dinner when we had ice cream). Once we finished the range, we went back to the barracks (and since I feel asleep originally while typing this), I slept all night through and didn’t even do my readings. It proved to be a long day. I ended up with a bruise on my arm and sore ribs.

“Be Not Afraid!”

IA Training - Day 3

2008-07-30T22:24:00.000-04:00

Today was our third day of training here at Camp McCrady. It’s rather warm here, too. We started out in full body armor on the grinder, then adjourned to a classroom to receive training on Humvee rollover. Next we received training on 9mm, then we went to the simulator for grouping and zeroing on the M16A2. We marched there in full body armor, in the hot sun. It was not a pleasant feeling. I was sweating like some sort of farm animal about halfway there. We grouped and zeroed our shooting on the simulator, and then we marched back to the main building where we were supposed to have lunch. This was the point where I got really frustrated and annoyed. They tried to cram 100 people into a room that is designed for about 30-40 people. We were told to grab and MRE and eat it, but there was nowhere in the room to sit down and eat. So, we’re in full body armor, just marched in temperatures over 95 degrees with sweat pouring off of us, especially down and around the helmets, through our UVEX ballistic eyewear, and our uniforms are soaked. After all of this, it’s lunch time, we’re supposed to get lunch (an MRE – Meal Ready to Eat) but we have no where to sit, can’t take off our body armor, and we have to be finished eating in 10 minutes so we can go to another building to another class. It was difficult, but we somehow managed to succeed. We next went to a communications class where we learned something about army radios and communicating the army way. It’s not too different from the navy way, but there are definitely some differences. Once we finished that, we went over some additional training on basic rifle marksmanship. We covered our stances and attempted to adjust our IBA to make it easier to shoot at the range tomorrow because tomorrow we are doing the same thing we did in the simulator, only on a live range with live ammo. We’ll have to see where we go from there.

Today’s reading continued the theme from the readings previously. Jeremiah is continuing to lament about what is happening to Judah. Which runs right along with moral theory. The question is, God is punishing Judah for the sins it has committed, one of the big ones being pride. He punishes them and Jeremiah and Judah lamenting and wishing that it never happened. But, God metes out the punishment for disobedience. Objective moral truth is laced in this, only there are consequences here—those consequences are that God punishes you for not following his commands. Very tangibly in the old testament. In the new testament, it’s not really something that happens instantaneously, it is more about what happens to your soul after you are dead. Of course, reading the ten commandments, we have to recognize that some of the things that we might consider to be wrong, aren’t necessarily wrong, especially if the ten commandments are the pinnacle and definition of what God expects. Jesus even narrowed it down further to two commandments: “love the Lord your God” and “love your neighbor as yourself.” How does that stand up to all of the moral dilemmas we have in society now? Interesting question, but I don’t think I want to pursue it here.

I need to get off of here and try to find a way to stay awake. I have watch until midnight, and I need to make sure that I don’t fall asleep during this watch. I might need to wander around a little or something just to make sure I stay awake.

“Be Not Afraid!”

IA Training Day 2

2008-07-29T20:42:00.004-04:00

Today was another long day. We started at PT this morning. We did some army exercises that were a warmup and then we ran 1 mile to let us know where we stood for running. Yeah, I ran a very slow mile today: 7:04. No worries, though, I’ll improve that over the upcoming months. Afterwards, we had breakfast, then classroom training all day. First aid followed by basic rifle marksmanship. Both were quite boring. Being tired didn’t help there, either. Tomorrow is going to be a type of simulator, getting out of a flipped humvee in full battle gear. Doesn’t sound too hard, until you realize that when you’re in full battle gear, you have about 70lbs of equipment strapped to you. I’m definitely going to burn off all of the beer I drank in Germany! It’s in the upper 90’s around here with a high humidity. Today we had thunderstorms. And 70lbs of battle gear. Plus an M16 and a 9mm. Not much fun. But, to help you out, I’m posting a couple of pictures for you. The first one is of me in my battle gear, that way you can get somewhat of an idea of what we are wearing. The second on is of my and my “battle buddy”, as the army calls them. We all had to pair up with someone to be our “battle buddy” and it’s our responsibility to watch each other’s backs while in training, etc. My battle buddy’s name is Andy. On to other things though, before I fall asleep sitting here.

The readings for today are interesting. Remember yesterday’s reading with Jeremiah and the loincloth and how God said he would rot Judah’s pride just like the loincloth. Today we see the effects of it. Jeremiah is essentially lamenting the situation for Judah. I’ll quote it here for you just so you can get the essence of what it happening in Judah:

“Let my eyes stream with tears day and night, without rest, over the great destruction which overwhelms the virgin daughter of my people, over her incurable wound. If I walk out into the field, look! Those slain by sword; If I enter the city, look! Those consumed by hunger. Even the prophet and the priest forage in a land they know not.
Have you cast Judah off completely? Is Zion loathsome to you? Why have you struck us a blow that cannot be healed? We wait for peace, to no avail; for a time of healing, but terror comes instead. We recognize, O Lord, our wickedness, the guilt of our fathers; that we have sinned against you. For your name’s sake spurn us not, disgrace not the throne of your glory; remember your covenant with us, and break it not. Among the nations’ idols is there any that gives rain? Or can the mere heavens send showers? Is it not you alone, O Lord, our God, to whom we look? You alone have done all these things.” (Jer 14:17-22)

Judah is being punished for its disobedience to God. Jeremiah laments what has happened to Judah, but God see’s it as necessary to teach them about his love and their obligation to Him. Is it objective moral truth, though? I mean they had the ten commandments, but weren’t quite able to keep all of them. But what did they do wrong that was listed in the ten commandments? I haven’t read all of it, so I can’t really say.

The second reading is from Matthew 13:36-43. In it Jesus explains yesterday’s parable about the seeds and the weeds being sewn in the same field. I’ll let you read it, though.

I would like to talk more, but I’m about to fall asleep, so I should probably cut this short for now. I’ll post more pictures, etc as I get them.

“Be Not Afraid!”

Catching Up

2008-07-29T19:31:00.003-04:00

This is a quick post to let everyone know that what this evening I added multiple posts to my blog. I had been keeping them in Word until we finally got connectivity tonight. Now that we have connectivity, I posted them, but I posted them with the same date and time that I had written them. So, if you've been reading, go back and take a look because I have added multiple posts. I also plan to post some pictures and probably another post for tonight, once I sit down, do some reading and then actually post.
"Be not afraid!"

IA Training Day 1

2008-07-28T17:35:00.000-04:00

Long day so far today. Gear issue—3 seabags, 2 of which are stowed for use in theatre. The other one has body armor and other stuff we will be using here. The 2 bags not being used are being stored in a conex box until we leave. The other one is here in the barracks in my locker. Looking forward to this—Not!

I find that I’m a creature that does not like change. This whole experience, thus far, has been one that I’ve not only not looked forward to, but to some degree despise. I’m not a gun person, now I’m carrying 2. The navy is not a gun culture, yet 18 days of training is supposed to prep us. Granted they informed us that we are in support billets, I just wonder how effective the training is for making us ready should something happen. I’ll admit that my thoughts and feelings on this are somewhat flawed, but they are, nonetheless, mine, and changing them isn’t instantaneous, assuming they even change.

I do question my decision to go into theatre—I’m not a grunt, not a warrior, not part of a gun culture, yet there I go. Why, I don’t know if I have an answer, or at least an answer I’m willing to elaborate on right now. Well, maybe just a little—guilt—friends have gone over there many times and I haven’t been once. Wanting to do something more than just being on a ship. My perceptions of the ship are probably not as good as they should be. We all have a role to play, but it’s sometimes hard to see it when all you see is this sexy warfare on the screen all the time. It makes you feel as though your job is meaningless. That thought only gets reinforced when people are pulled out of jobs like yours and sent into theatre (that’s a hint for senior leadership). What message are we sending to our junior sailors if we tell them how important their job is only to take them out of it and send them downrange? This has been minimally addressed by changing from the IA process to the GSA process. However, it is taking personnel out of their normal jobs that they should be learning and building on and sending them somewhere else. It’s like Monty Python meets the Navy…”We just trained you how to be a CICWO, but now for something completely different!” But enough on that.

Today’s readings are similar to yesterday’s readings insofar as obedience to God, which is the basic essence of objective moral truth (following the commands of God). The first reading is God speaking to Jeremiah and having him buy a loincloth, told him to wear it then hide it in a rock. Then God commanded him to dig it up sometime later, but it was rotted and good for nothing. God told Jeremiah that just as the loincloth rotted, he would see the pride of Judah rot. Essentially the Israelites were not obeying God’s commands, therefore God was going to punish them.

Switching track here, going back to yesterday’s tack on the ten commandments, I thought I would add them here:
1) I am the Lord your God, you shall not have strange gods before me
2) You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain
3) Remember to keep holy the Lord’s Day
4) Honor your father and mother
5) You shall not kill
6) You shall not commit adultery
7) You shall not steal
8) You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor
9) You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife
10) You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods

Interesting, the things I mentioned yesterday aren’t mentioned—I know, I know, it’s all open to interpretation. Anyway, I’m tired, so this will have to wait.

IA Training Day -1 Post 2

2008-07-27T21:17:00.000-04:00

Okay, today wasn’t a totally wasted day, but it was pretty close to it. We mustered or, as the army calls it, got in formation, at 1250 to divide ourselves up into our platoons. Following the army example, we are divided into two companies, 4 platoons per company and 4 squads per platoon. I am in Alpha Company, Second Squad, Fourth Platoon. My “battle buddy” is in the same platoon with me, his name is Andy. There is a group of five of us that have become good friends in our short stint here: Andy, Tatiana (the two I drove down with), Sean and Casey. After dividing us up into the platoons and squads that we went into, we went in for a brief from the 1ST Sergeant and the Company Commander. There were two memorable quotes that I will put in here from that brief. The first was from the Company Commander, “Our job is to get it done, not make it look pretty.” The other was from the First Sergeant, “I’ve used the word trainee as an insult in the past, you are not trainees, you are students.”

According to the brief we were given, our training will consist of the following things:
-Basic Rifle Marksmanship (BRM) {every time I see that acronym, all I can think of is BMR-Basic Military Requirements}
-Advanced Rifle Marksmanship (ARM)
-First Aid
-NBC (Nuclear, Biological and Chemical)
-Urban Operations
-Convoy Operations
-Land Navigation (since I suck at this one, I’m looking forward to learning about it – I’m sure I could figure it out on my own if I just had the time to sit down and figure it out on my own; them training me solves that dilemma)
-Physical fitness
The lecture we were given is that we will shoot around 1000 rounds during the course of this training. That means that in our 18 days, a large portion of it will consist of shooting and marksmanship. Given the fact that I’ve never shot an M16 and that the last time I shot a pistol was just about 4 years ago, they are going to have fun training me. They stressed that the convoy operations and urban operations will mostly just be familiarization. Personnel who do these in theatre train with their teams and work with their teams so they can actually do it more fluidly. Land navigation will be a familiarization, and physical fitness will be done, but it won’t be that great (we have a lot of other stuff to do – like wear 70lbs of gear that should help us get physically fit). NBC will also just be a familiarization. First aid, however, becomes very important on the battlefield and in theatre, therefore we will be trained on it. I believe during the brief they told us that if people learned how to and actually stopped the bleeding of troops, we would cut our deaths dramatically. I can’t prove the veracity of that anecdote, but I can say that it sounds plausible. We’ll have to see how things go.

I read the readings this morning from the Missal and didn’t think much about going to church. The stuff I had read said that church was on the main base (about 15 miles from here) and that it was scheduled on Thursday night. Today I found out that it is actually held here in the training center in the chapel at 2000 Sunday. I still hadn’t planned on going because we had just finished chow and taking care of some paperwork and were walking around the track to help settle our dinner. We got finished with our walk at just about 2000, so I decided that I should go to church. In my writing on the readings today, I focused in on Solomon asking God for wisdom to know right from wrong. The Priest tonight did, too, although he took a different tack than I did. The responsorial psalm was “Lord, I love your commands.” He began with that and asked if we really did, or if we saw them as a hindrance to actually getting things done. He went on to say that the New Testament gave us only two commands, Love the Lord your God with all of your heart, with all of your soul and with all of your mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. The Father noted that they were vague, but that we had the Old Testament to fall back on to give us further guidelines…i.e. the ten commandments. I pondered that while he was talking about it, only because I was remembering something that I had talked about with Kim. We had discussed the Old Testament and the Ten Commandments (I won’t link to the posts and comments here—mainly because I’m typing this in word to upload once we get connectivity—but you can search the blog for ten commandments or just click on the label off to the right on ten commandments) and she said something I found very profound: the Israelites had a hard enough time with the ten commandments that when Christ came, he narrowed it down to two to make it easier for them. Interestingly enough, this fits into the notion that Christ had to present himself to the Jews first, and then when they refused him (by crucifying him), then he sent the apostles to the Gentiles to deliver God’s salvation to the whole world. He narrowed down the Ten Commandments to make it even easier for people to understand thus making it easier to spread the gospel. After listening to the homily tonight, I have to note that I wasn’t the only one who read the readings and went on the foray into objective moral truth, the Father did, too. He related it more to how we should not see these rules as a burden, but should see them as “opportunity”. I somewhat have to agree with that, but I’m still not fully convinced that we can say that some of these laws are objective moral truths. I would say that perhaps the Ten Commandments and the two commands of Christ could be objective moral truths, but there seems to be a lot of extrapolating on these ideas as to what is and what isn’t morally right, even though the initial divine revelation of morality doesn’t cover a lot of the topics. So, I have to ask a few things. Do the Ten Commandments forbid homosexuality? Do the Ten Commandments forbid masturbation? Do the Ten Commandments forbid a lot of things that we have been told are morally wrong? I don’t know. I don’t believe so. You could practically interpret these things to suit just about anything you wanted so long as you justify your argument somehow. It only takes a few people to buy into your thoughts for it to all of a sudden become an objective moral truth – even though it was only ever the ramblings of some intolerant madman. I guess one of the issues I’ll have to tackle in here is the Ten Commandments—again—and relate them to some of my views on moral theory. I have to agree with Kim, though, Christ had to simplify them for the Jews, what makes us think we know more than they did about them? More later, I need sleep!
“Be Not Afraid!”

IA Training Day -1

2008-07-27T08:30:00.000-04:00

Thoughts after reading the readings today from 1 Kings 3:5, 7-12.

God told Solomon to ask for anything and he would give it to him. Solomon said, “[g]ive your servant, therefore, an understanding heart to judge your people and to distinguish right from wrong.

I was thinking about this on my drive down yesterday—objective moral truths. How do we discern totally what is right and what is wrong? Where do our moral truths come from? Are there objective moral truths? Or is it just relativism and positivism? I am conflicted about this. The Church teaches objective moral truths handed down to us by God, yet I have a hard time believing that only because as societies and cultures mature, some of those ‘objective truths’ can be ignored and society will still function well, and, in some cases, better (this is all anecdotal, by the way). If they are objective, then they would have to transcend society and the effects of its maturation over time. Or, I lean more towards this, those objective moral truths aren’t objective, but rather guidelines for proper actions that were passed down when societies were young to guide them through to the future. Once society conquered its problems, they would no longer need those guidelines. Another option, which does intrigue me, too, is that these moral truths aren’t truths at all. Instead they are someone’s idea of right action from way back when, who had his/her own ideas on how people should act and it was assumed to be a moral truth because the person was speaking as a priest/ess, prophet, etc.

This is a question that has haunted us for a long time. It is especially prevalent in the US because of the secular nature of our government. Separation of church and state was a necessity in the eyes of our founders to ensure that religion could flourish without being stifled by the government, nor forced to conform to the government’s view of how religions should be structured and behave. But, that allows for atheism in society as well. That’s not a bad thing, but the problems we have here, in my mind, stem from intolerance. Our founding fathers fought so hard to provide freedom of religion and tolerance for differing forms of religion, and now we’ve become so consumed with ourselves that we want everything our way, right now. That is the influence of relativism and positivism on our society. Without some moral truths, we can’t function. Everyone fights everyone else who is not like him and then begins to use the legislative system as a means to force them into compliance. In my mind that is a form of genocide. While we’re not necessarily killing them, we’re taking away their abilities to act in ways they believe to be morally correct and thus are killing them mentally and spiritually.

How do we solve this dilemma? I don’t have a good answer right off the top of my head, but I believe we need something such as a grand unified theory of ethics. It needs a place to start and I believe, just as Pope Benedict XVI, that it should begin with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights essentially defines the basis of Human Dignity. This leads me to how to apply this to our society. Federal government is the keeper of human rights. Federal government lays out the basic framework of human rights and they are its protector. States can then make their laws, but nothing they do can violate or subvert the human rights that the federal government has laid out. Under state, the local governments can do much the same. Within the local area, institutions, such as churches, codify their laws differently, so long as they don’t violate human rights/dignity. The idea being if someone doesn’t like the particular laws of a church, they can go to another one. I know this is grossly oversimplified, but I really haven’t had time to expound upon it (or even put too much thought into it, for that matter).

McCrady Training Center

2008-07-27T03:29:00.001-04:00

This is McCrady training center where I will be doing my training for Iraq. The picture doesn't really do it justice. There are 2 rows of buildings, about 26 of them in all. In the middle is a POV lot for personally owned vehicles-you can see my jeep. I am in BLDG 3916 with all the other O4 and O5's. It's going to be fun here! (Did you catch the sarcasm?) I just wanted to give you what I could for now. I have other posts I typed but no connectivity to post them yet. This is coming from my blackberry, my only connectivity presently. Wish me luck!
"Be not afraid!"
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T

Getting Ready for Training

2008-07-26T06:46:00.000-04:00

When I’ll be able to post this remains to be seen, however, it is currently July 26, 2008 and it is 0646. I am sitting at a Starbucks off of Battlefield Blvd in Chesapeake waiting for the people that I am following down to Ft. Jackson to show up. We are supposed to meet up at 0700, but I got here a little early (I always seem to do that). So, here I sit, waiting on them to arrive.

To say that my anxiety is palpable is probably something of an understatement. I had a hard time sleeping last night and I woke up with a rash (caused by the anxiety) on my chest. I don’t know why this is making me so anxious, but what do you do? I press on, that’s what.

I think this tour is important for me on many different levels. First and foremost it will make me feel as though I am contributing something worthwhile to the efforts of our country. Lots of people may not agree with the Iraq war, and that is their prerogative, but I believe that it was a necessary thing poorly executed. I won’t go into that right now, though. Suffice it to say that I feel as though I will be contributing something worthwhile to our country, to the war effort and to the cause of freedom around the world. The second reason this is important to me is because it will be a self appointed “hermitage”, as my spiritual director calls it. I need it for myself, to get back in touch with me and who I am, what I feel, what I believe and what I think. It sounds weird, I know, but after 17 years in the Navy, I’ve become somewhat institutionalized. I will still remain somewhat institutionalized while in Iraq, but I will have some down time with no trips or beautiful countryside to see to distract me from my true goal—inner peace.

To all of my friends that I really wanted to contact and spend time with in between my trips to Germany and Iraq, I apologize for not getting to spend time with you. I was ‘up to my eyeballs in alligators’ while home, making it difficult to get everything done that I wanted to. As is, I left several things incomplete because I just didn’t have time to get to them. I think I took care of most of the things that I needed to take care of for my training and my deployment, but I won’t really know until I get there if I was truly successful. Star Trek said it best, “time is the fire in which we burn.” I feel as though I’m burning in it, but not being consumed. Does that, then, make time Hell? I’ll save that for a theological argument later.

Okay, I’m going to get off of here for now. Too much stuff to get ready for, need to get myself ready to make the 6 or so hour drive down to Fort Jackson, South Carolina for my first phase of training. My personal quote fits here, “Fortis in Fides” – “Courageous in Faith”.

I leave you with the words of Christ, which sum it up the best:

“Be not afraid.”

Home at Mom and Dad's

2008-07-16T09:57:00.002-04:00

Here are the much awaited pictures from my trip home to see my mom and dad. There were more that I would like to have taken, however time wasn't on my side (never is). If you have any questions or comments, feel free to leave them!

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French Drain

2008-07-16T09:19:00.004-04:00

This slideshow is from the french drain we put in this past weekend. It was long, hard, back-breaking work, but it was a necessity. It took us 2 days to finish it, we moved around 2-3 cubic yards of dirt out of the trenches, laid in about 50 feet of corrugated pipe and just over 2 tons of gravel. It's already starting to dry out the swamp we used to have by the house and it's allowing water sitting under the house to finally drain out. Enjoy the slideshow!

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CNN Money - Fed's war against shady home loans

2008-07-14T13:12:00.002-04:00

Okay, I posted the article below because I think that we are somehow missing the point. Granted part of the problem is with shady home loans, but another part of the problem is with personal responsibility. People should only buy a home that they can afford. If they can't afford it, then don't buy it. People who are defaulting on their mortgages aren't defaulting because the bottom fell out of the mortgage industry, they're defaulting because they couldn't afford the house they bought. So, if you're going to buy a house, buy a house you can afford. If you can't afford $300k, then don't buy a $300k home, buy something in your price range.

This is endemic of a bigger problem in America. Americans have no personal responsibility. Whenever something goes wrong, it's always someone else's fault. The sub-prime collapse of the mortgage industry--not the industry's fault. Spilling hot coffee on yourself--not your fault. Just two small examples. If anything happens, we deflect the blame and then sue for it. We're too litigious of a society and we need to recognize that we are responsible for a lot of our own problems, not the government, not industry, and definitely not McDonalds because they didn't put a caution statement on a hot cup of coffee (BTW, the judge who ruled on that one should be de-barred). Enough said, though, I could go on this rant for hours. The article is below.

Sent from mobile device from http://money.cnn.com.

Fed's war against shady home loans

The Federal Reserve unanimously approved new mortgage lending rules Monday in a crackdown on shady practices - particularly subprime loans made to borrowers with weak credit.

The agency made several substantial revisions to the proposed regulations it unveiled in December. Many of the changes acknowledged consumer advocates' concerns that the rules still contained too many loopholes that would allow shady lending practices to continue.

But the Fed also made some concessions to industry executives, who feared increasing oversight would lead to less lending.

The new rules will apply to all mortgage lenders, not just those supervised and examined by the Fed. All but one requirement will take effect Oct. 1, 2009. However, board members said they will continue to work on further oversight of the mortgage industry.

"The proposed final rules are intended to protect consumers from unfair or deceptive acts and practices in mortgage lending, while keeping credit available to qualified borrowers and supporting sustainable homeownership," said Fed Chairman Ben S. Bernanke. "Besides offering broader protection for consumers, a uniform set of rules will level the playing field for lenders and increase competition in the mortgage market, to the ultimate benefit of borrowers."

The proposals won't help the millions of homeowners who've already fallen behind in their mortgages, but the Fed is aiming to prevent another such crisis by tightening lending standards, particularly for subprime mortgages.

Many critics have charged that under former Fed Chairman Alan Greenspan, there were few restraints during the real estate boom. They say the agency should have flexed its muscles several years ago, clamping down on unscrupulous lenders and protecting borrowers.

The new rules governing "higher-priced," or subprime, loans will:

--Prohibit creditors from extending credit without regard to a consumer's ability to repay the loan from income and assets other than the home's value. The lender complies, in part, by assessing repayment ability based on the highest scheduled payment in the first seven years of the loan.

--Require creditors to verify income and assets they rely upon to determine repayment ability

--Ban any prepayment penalty if the payment can change in the initial four years. For other higher-priced loans, a prepayment penalty period cannot last for more than two years.

--Require creditors to establish escrow account for property taxes and homeowner's insurance. This rule will be phased in during 2010.

The Fed changed the definition of higher-priced loans to first mortgages with rates at least 1.5 percentage points above the "average prime offer rate" published by Freddie Mac. Also, second mortgages with rates at least 3.5 percentage points above the Freddie Mac rate will fall into this category.

With this change, the Fed is hoping to address industry complaints that the previous definition would capture non-subprime loans as well.

Additional rules will apply to all mortgages, regardless of rate.

-- Creditors and mortgage brokers cannot coerce a real estate appraiser to misstate a home's value.

--Companies that service mortgage loans are prohibited from engaging in certain practices, such as pyramiding late fees. Also, they must credit consumers' loan payments as of the date of receipt and provide a payoff statement within a reasonable time of request.

--Creditors must provide a good faith estimate of the loan costs, including a schedule of payments, within three days after a consumer applies for any mortgage loan, including home improvement loans or refinancings. Currently, these estimates are only required for home-purchase loans. Consumers cannot be charged any fee until after they receive the early disclosures, except a reasonable fee for obtaining the consumer's credit history.

--In advertisements, companies must include additional information about rates, monthly payments and loan features. The rule also bans seven deceptive practices, such as saying a rate is fixed when it can change.

In a nod to the brokerage industry, the Fed withdrew a proposal requiring additional disclosure of the "yield-spread premium," which allows banks to pay brokers for steering homeowners into higher-priced loans. After testing consumers, the agency found that the rule would likely not be effective.

Both consumer advocates and industry executives put a full-court press on the Fed in recent months, trying to get the agency to revise its proposed rules. More than 4,500 comments were filed since the agency announced its plan in late December.

Firepit

2008-07-12T22:27:00.000-04:00

What is it about fire that attracts us so much? We're sitting out at the firepit burning an old pallet, and I'm having a bourbon sour. Ah! Sometimes life can be peaceful.

Vision + Hope = The Future

2008-07-11T13:40:00.003-04:00

Image from USGS Astrogeology

I read an interesting article in First Things today entitled, "The Red Planet" by Joseph Bottum. I found it most interesting because of what it suggested: that mankind needs something to look forward to, some great leap into the future to give us something to inspire us and move us forward. He argues that what we need is something like an adventure to Mars. He proposes a hypothetical scenario that, while not feasible, was at least interesting! I suggest you read the article. You can get to it here, or you can click on the title of the article above. You'll also find that the article on repairing infrastructure that I commented on in a blog post also somewhat parallels this.

Anyway, I recommend taking the time to read the article linked above. It may not be exactly what we need, but it is a starting point.

Me, sitting here...waiting

2008-07-07T19:02:00.003-04:00

It's a bad picture, I know. But it's how I look sitting in the terminal after a 3 hour layover.

Atlanta Airport

2008-07-07T17:54:00.003-04:00

Okay, I'm sitting in the Atlanta airport right now. I typed up some thoughts (mostly ramblings/babblings) and thought that I would share them here. So, here they are:

Read an article on the plane on my way here about the aging infrastructure in the united states i.e. roads, bridges and such (The Economist, June 28, 2008; “The cracks are showing: America’s tradition of bold national projects has dwindled. With the country’s infrastructure crumbling, it’s time to revive it”, page 36. I found it particularly interesting because I had said the same thing in my blog post from the flight to my parents. How ironic that I’m not the only one who says it. This article tackled how to fix the problem (don’t think it ever really gave an answer, though). My tackled the reasoning behind it. I don’t think I articulated my answer as well as I would’ve liked, but I think that I at least articulated an answer. We really do need to do something about it, though, other than point fingers and make excuses. People are deluding themselves if they don’t believe that. Take a look around at the infrastructure around your town or city. What state of repair are the roads in? What about the bridges? When was the last time you saw a team of people out working on the bridges to make sure they were still structurally sound? I bet Minnesota wishes that they had done that now. I’m sure there will be more problems in the future as we let our infrastructure age without doing the necessary preventative maintenance on it. Maybe I’m reverting back to the 50’s or something, even though it has been a period, in my mind, wrought with problems and conspiracies. Nevertheless, community and people pulling and working together, I hate to say it, have become a hallmark of that period. Go figure. I have to say something good about something I’ve never said anything good about it. There you go, you can give me the “I told you so” that I know you so desperately want to. Feel free to do so in the comments, it won’t hurt my feelings. And yes, I will publish them. If I can’t accept criticism, then I can’t grow. The quote I particularly liked came from the end of the article, “’Make no little plans,’ said Daniel Burnham, one of America’s great urban architects. ‘They have no magic to stir men’s blood.’” And big plans, according to this article (and to my own thoughts) are what we need to truly solve this problem. For some reason people like numbers, so I’ll throw some your way from the article:

“In 2005 the American Society of Civil Engineers estimated that $1.6 trillion was needed over five years to bring just the existing infrastructure into good repair.”

“If America does not act, says Robert Yaro of the Regional Plan Association (RPA), a body that plans for the New York-New Jersey-Connecticut region, it will have the infrastructure of a third-world country within a few decades.”

“America invests a mere 2.4% of GDP in infrastructure, compared with 5% in Europe and 9% in China. …America’s ageing water infrastructure is sorely underfunded: the Environmental Protction Agency forecasts an $11 billion annual gap in meeting costs over the next 20 years.”

But enough on that for now. Two posts on it should tell you that I think something important about it.

And for something completely different – in the same issue of The Economist, an article entitled, “Stars in their eyes: An armchair astronomer discovers something very odd.” This article was interesting, and I would love to quote it in its entirety, however I won’t do that. I will give you the basic intent of it. There is a project in astronomy called the Galaxy Zoo project. It’s an effort that has brought the public into helping look at digital astronomical recordings of the northern sky. To quote the article, “[i]t was so popular, says Alex Szalay…that the computer servers on which the project ran ‘literally overheated and blew a fuse’.” A physics teacher from the Netherlands ended up discovering something. I won’t quote the article on this, but I would recommend that you at least go check out the Galaxy Zoo project. And if you get a chance, maybe you could go to The Economist online and check out the article. On the next flight, I intend to read The Atlantic and their article on whether or not Google is making us stupid. More on that later ;) I have opinions on that, but I’ll reserve them until after I read the article.

Independence Day

2008-07-04T10:42:00.010-04:00

Happy Fourth of July! Here's a good song for you to listen to while you read this post:

Since it's the Fourth of July, I'll keep this post patriotic.

Here is an image of the Declaration of Independence - it is, after all, what we are celebrating on this date. Look at the date on it: July 4, 1776. Here is the text of the Declaration of Independence:

Declaration of Independence
[Adopted in Congress 4 July 1776]
The Unanimous Declaration of the Thirteen United States of America

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.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. That whenever any form of government becomes destructive to these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shown that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such government, and to provide new guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former systems of government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over these states. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his assent to laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his governors to pass laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of representation in the legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their public records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved representative houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected; whereby the legislative powers, incapable of annihilation, have returned to the people at large for their exercise; the state remaining in the meantime exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavored to prevent the population of these states; for that purpose obstructing the laws for naturalization of foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migration hither, and raising the conditions of new appropriations of lands.

He has obstructed the administration of justice, by refusing his assent to laws for establishing judiciary powers.

He has made judges dependent on his will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of new offices, and sent hither swarms of officers to harass our people, and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, standing armies without the consent of our legislature.

He has affected to render the military independent of and superior to civil power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his assent to their acts of pretended legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by mock trial, from punishment for any murders which they should commit on the inhabitants of these states:

For cutting off our trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing taxes on us without our consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefits of trial by jury:

For transporting us beyond seas to be tried for pretended offenses:

For abolishing the free system of English laws in a neighboring province, establishing therein an arbitrary government, and enlarging its boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule in these colonies:

For taking away our charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the forms of our governments:

For suspending our own legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated government here, by declaring us out of his protection and waging war against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burned our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large armies of foreign mercenaries to complete the works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy of the head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow citizens taken captive on the high seas to bear arms against their country, to become the executioners of their friends and brethren, or to fall themselves by their hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian savages, whose known rule of warfare, is undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these oppressions we have petitioned for redress in the most humble terms: our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have we been wanting in attention to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these usurpations, which, would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, enemies in war, in peace friends.

We, therefore, the representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the name, and by the authority of the good people of these colonies, solemnly publish and declare, that these united colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent states; that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as free and independent states, they have full power to levey war, conclude peace, contract alliances, establish commerce, and to do all other acts and things which independent states may of right do. And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.

Today we celebrate the primary event upon which our independence was founded. Take time today to celebrate the fact that our country was founded on an idea of freedom. Look at the course the country is taking, where we are going, and see if we are upholding those ideals. If you think we are, celebrate; if you think we aren't, then you have the responsibility to help make the change.

To celebrate today, while you're going to your picnics and parties and having an all around good time, take the time to read the Declaration of Independence, or take the time to read the Federalist Papers. Do something to remind yourself about the principles on which our country was founded.

Okay, now to take this to religious side, here is the prayer for our country written by Bishop John Carroll of Baltimore:

We pray, Thee O Almighty and Eternal God! Who through Jesus Christ hast revealed Thy glory to all nations, to preserve the works of Thy mercy, that Thy Church, being spread through the whole world, may continue with unchanging faith in the confession of Thy Name.

We pray Thee, who alone art good and holy, to endow with heavenly knowledge, sincere zeal, and sanctity of life, our chief bishop, Pope Benedict, the Vicar of Our Lord Jesus Christ, in the government of his Church; our own bishop, n., all other bishops, prelates, and pastors of the Church; and especially those who are appointed to exercise amongst us the functions of the holy ministry, and conduct Thy people into the ways of salvation.

We pray Thee O God of might, wisdom, and justice! Through whom authority is rightly administered, laws are enacted, and judgment decreed, assist with Thy Holy Spirit of counsel and fortitude the President of these United States, that his administration may be conducted in righteousness, and be eminently useful to Thy people over whom he presides; by encouraging due respect for virtue and religion; by a faithful execution of the laws in justice and mercy; and by restraining vice and immorality. Let the light of Thy divine wisdom direct the deliberations of Congress, and shine forth in all the proceedings and laws framed for our rule and government, so that they may tend to the preservation of peace, the promotion of national happiness, the increase of industry, sobriety, and useful knowledge; and may perpetuate to us the blessing of equal liberty.

We pray for his excellency, the governor of this state , for the members of the assembly, for all judges, magistrates, and other officers who are appointed to guard our political welfare, that they may be enabled, by Thy powerful protection, to discharge the duties of their respective stations with honesty and ability.

We recommend likewise, to Thy unbounded mercy, all our brethren and fellow citizens throughout the United States, that they may be blessed in the knowledge and sanctified in the observance of Thy most holy law; that they may be preserved in union, and in that peace which the world cannot give; and after enjoying the blessings of this life, be admitted to those which are eternal.

Finally, we pray to Thee, O Lord of mercy, to remember the souls of Thy servants departed who are gone before us with the sign of faith and repose in the sleep of peace; the souls of our parents, relatives, and friends; of those who, when living, were members of this congregation, and particularly of such as are lately deceased; of all benefactors who, by their donations or legacies to this Church, witnessed their zeal for the decency of divine worship and proved their claim to our grateful and charitable remembrance. To these, O Lord, and to all that rest in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and everlasting peace, through the same Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen.

Tattoo

2008-07-01T16:20:00.003-04:00

Now that I've shown my parents my tattoo, I thought I'd share it with everyone. I've been wanting to get one for about 3 years now, so I finally broke down and got it. This is the Agnus Dei, the Lamb of God. Ignore the tape mark, I typically have a reaction to tape for some reason. This was right after I pulled the patch off.

Any comments - feel free to leave them.
Tell me what you think.

Random Babbling from the Jetplane

2008-06-30T21:40:00.004-04:00

I took the above picture on the plane from Newport News to Atlanta. Thought you'd enjoy it. The below is from stuff I typed while I was in the air today. I read the Wall Street Journal and USA Today on my flights, so I commented on them. Below, you will find my comments and, pretty much, random babbling. Enjoy!

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The Wall Street Journal Monday, June 30, 2008, Vol CCLI No. 152

Page A1:
China’s Export Machine Threatened by Rising Costs by James T. Areddy
The most interesting quote from this article, to me, anyway, is this, “Beijing, too, has contributed to the squeeze: Companies say the government’s tougher protection for workers and the environment has made it more expensive to do business.” It’s interesting to me because I’ve been saying this for a long time. The more we globalize the world and the more we bring other countries into line with our way of doing business, our concern for the environment and our concern for people, the government’s there will be forced to start making regulations on business much as we have done. This, in turn, will drive up the cost of doing business. An unfortunate side effect, but, eventually, it brings parity across a globalized world. We are all about cheap products; those days will eventually go away. My opinion on that is that the world will eventually reach full capacity in globalization and we will see niche markets arise in various places throughout the world. Each region of the world will be good at making certain products, so they will become the ones who make them. It only benefits everyone in the world. We’re so concerned about people who live in poverty, yet our desire for cheap products is one of the things that is helping to keep them in poverty (go figure, we’re the source of our own moral demise ;) But, as the markets across the globalized world begin to balance out (environmental laws, protection of workers laws, etc) we will become the undoers of our moral demise based because the source of our moral demise was also the catalyst that brought about equality for workers and laws around the world. It’s an oversimplification, I know, but there is truth in it.

Page A2:
Oil Prices Spread Pain as Transporting Goods Gets Costlier by Just Lahart
This article fascinates me, but probably not for the reason you are expecting. I’m fascinated by it because it points out the material and consumptive nature of Americans and how that is now being threatened by something as seemingly innocuous as oil prices (I don’t think people realize how many products and services in our society relies on oil). Not that threatening our materialism and overt consumption is a bad thing, mind you. But just listen to this:

Every day, planes filled with fresh flowers from Ecuador and Colombia land at Miami International Airport, where the flowers are transferred to refrigerated trucks…. Two-person teams of drivers race through the U.S., stopping only to drop off flowers at wholesalers.

That’s right, flowers are what are at issue here. We’ve become so accustomed to getting the flowers we want, when we want them, that we import them from everywhere in the world, and had been doing so at cheap prices. Now, rising oil costs have begun to eat away at the profits of the flower industry. The costs have to be offset somehow, typically by raising prices and transferring that cost to the end consumer. The drawback to that is that the consumers then buy fewer flowers. So, the stopgap is to raise the cost some and then the business take a cut in profit on each flower. It’s the best answer to offsetting the rise in cost while still keeping the customers who buy the flowers. All of this over our obsession with material greed. I’m sure the philosophers of old would have something to say about this; the theologians have already spoken on it.

Section R: all pages The Journal Report:
This is the section in which I have the most interest. The topic for today is Nuclear Power. Being trained by the Navy in nuclear power, this one hits me close to home. Do we build more nuclear reactors in this country to provide energy? I think that we do. There are many arguments for it and there are many arguments against it. In my mind, however, there is only one true answer we can have-and that is that we need nuclear power. Not because we are hurting for energy or any reason like that, but because we need to find some source of energy that can be a measure to start weaning us off of our dependence on oil and coal. My opinion on how to build these new plants to make them safer and to cover any concern people may have is to build them underground. When the plant is expired, so long as it is buried deep enough, under enough concrete, we just fill in the hole and abandon it for the ages. Some archaeologist will have a great time digging it up in the future. Any accident would not release radioactive material (not that it would anyway with the safeties we have in place—but it’s more about the PR and appeasing the masses than anything else) and could be conveniently contained. This would also solve some of the problems of storage at the Yucca mountain facility. Would people want buried nuclear waste in their backyards? I don’t know. If you could convince them it was safe, maybe they would go for it. How do you do that, though? There are always going to be naysayers, and there’s nothing we can do about them. But remember, the world’s supposedly been going to end next year for the last couple of millennia, yet we’re still here. The Navy has a very solid record on maintaining and operating nuclear reactors, it only seems logical to me that industry and the Nuclear Navy team up to generate some type of standard for civilian operators to impart that safety and knowledge to them, and to create a climate of safety that the US Navy enjoys. ADM Rickover may have been a bastard, but he was one helluva smart bastard who created a nuclear power program beyond reproach. I think the civilian nuclear industry could learn a lot from him.

And Now For Something Completely Different
Now that I’ve stopped commenting on what I read in the Wall Street Journal today, I can move on to other topics of my own musing.

This is the year of St. Paul. Protestants may complain about the fact that we Catholics revere the saints, but I think they miss the point. We reverse St. Paul and for them to criticize us for it is, IMO, just wrong. Paul was one of the greatest theologians of the New Testament and his writings and thoughts practically define Christianity for everyone, Protestants, Catholics and Orthodox alike. They may not revere him as a saint, but they cannot deny his influence on theology and on Christianity as a whole. He was, for all intents and purposes, responsible for spreading the Word to the Gentiles—that would be you and me, folks. We received the Word from the teachings of Paul. I won’t continue on this vein of discussion, but I implore all of you to pick up your Bibles and look at what contributions Paul made to Christianity—even further, look at what contributions he made to Western Civilization as a whole.

I’m flying home right now (actually sitting on the plane as I type this, though the time stamp will be different when I post it) to see my parents. I haven’t seen them since before I flew to Germany back in December. I’m going home to see them because I will be on my way to Iraq shortly after I return from their house. I’m a little mixed about the whole trip to Iraq. I want to go, I need to go, yet something inside of me remains ambivalent about it. I don’t really think it is the trip to Iraq that is making me ambivalent so much as the training I will be going through prior to going to Iraq. I think I’m ambivalent about it because, in my mind, it breaks down the relationship and the respect of rank. But that is neither here nor there. It’s only three weeks and, as I’ve said before, I can stand on my head for three weeks. I’ll just make sure that I write something about it for Proceedings or something. That will be one of the benefits of having gone through it: I will have firsthand knowledge that can’t be disputed as an outsider looking in.

I had a dream last night about being some form of counter-terrorism person in some type of meeting. I don’t remember the specifics about it, though I truly wish I did. In the dream I was in rare form commenting on terrorism and what it takes to fight it. Whether or not I was right, I can’t remember. But damn it was a good dream! (At least that’s about all I remember from it.)

Okay, we’re going to be getting ready to land in Atlanta soon, so I’d better wrap this up for now. Once in Atlanta I won’t have time to post this, I have 50 minutes between flights (barely enough time to get from one terminal to the other). I’m going to see if I can buy another newspaper while there and I’ll read and comment on it on the flight to Memphis (assuming I have enough time to get one). If I can’t get another newspaper, well, you’ll have to suffer through more of my rambling :)

USA Today Monday June 30, 2008

Management Problems Cited in Botulism Case by Julie Schmit. A very interesting article. It talked about problems in the canning industry in the US that lead to some problems with botulinum toxin making its way into some canned food. The source, according to the FDA was “Failure in Management”. I find this interesting, because part of what they talked about was defective equipment that hadn’t been maintained properly. This is interesting to me, especially from my background as a Chief Engineer on a ship and noting the maintenance practices that we had there. I’ve seen bad maintenance practices throughout the Navy, throughout he federal government and throughout state government. It was only a matter of time before they crept into business practices. Why do I say this? Because I believe it is a product of our “fast food” society. We want everything and we want it now, and we want it to work now. We forget how things work and why they work, only that they work—and that’s all that matters to us. The problem with that is that we tend to forget that there are certain maintenance practices that have to go along with anything we create and build to keep it operational. Bridges, roads, canning equipment, electric generation equipment, and warships – they all have specific maintenance that is required to keep them operations. But I don’t think the problem is solely from our “fast food” culture. I think part of it is also from the oversight and inspections that we force on these industries and governments to maintain these items. Sounds unusual, I know, since it is the oversight and inspections that are making sure that these things are maintained. My argument here is that our inspections and oversight are leading to a culture of preparing for the inspection. I’ve seen it before in the Navy. We don’t prepare to fight wars or to keep our ships fully combat ready. Instead, we are preparing for the next inspection. We want to pass the inspection, need to pass the inspection, and, honestly, are required to pass the inspection. The problem is that we start preparing our people and our equipment to pass the inspection instead of preparing them to pass real life. “Trainerisms” is a word you will hear a lot while we are doing our inspections. “This is a ‘trainerism’ it won’t be like this in real life,” is something I’ve heard over and over. If it isn’t like it is going to be in real life, then why do we do it? We’re supposed to be preparing our people and our equipment for real life e.g. to fight the nation’s wars. Instead, we’re preparing our people to pass the inspection by ensuring they know the trainerisms. I would prefer they know the real life and the trainerisms be damned. Could this be part of the problems that are being seen in the canning industry? Preparing equipment to pass the inspection instead of preparing the equipment to operate all the time as it is supposed to? I wonder. It also leads me to ask what other underlying issues are affecting this? I don’t fully agree with the FDA that it is a managerial problem etc, I tend to believe that in things like this there is some problem in society that we can attribute to helping to cause these problems. As touted in the article, the canning industry has not had an incident in decades. Why now? What has changed now that has allowed the industry to start having problems? Could it be something other than just the company, but some sort of shift in our culture? My brain, for some reason, is attributing it more and more to something that is happening in our culture and in our society. We have started shying away from checklists and established methodology for doing things. We all want to create our own way of doing things, want to leave our mark. That and we want to get away from the “establishment”. What better way to get away from the establishment than to do something differently than the established way of doing it? Anyway, I think I’m babbling on this.

Year of Paul

2008-06-28T22:18:00.002-04:00

Today marks the beginning of the Year of Paul. Paul is one of the most prolific and important theologians of the New Testament. I won't write a lot about it, but I will give you a link to a website where you can read more. You can go here, or click on the picture.

Unity

2008-06-27T09:21:00.003-04:00

This should prove to be an interesting post today, although short. I had some thoughts while I was listening to a song this morning. I'll post the song here and ask you to listen to it before delving into my thoughts.

Here's what I was thinking. It seems that we're always looking for something to unify the world, or at least to unify the people of the world. I know we're not all Christian, but, in my mind, that is irrelevant. The Catholic Church has a very good idea about these sorts of things, and has already come to something of an agreement on it: we're all unified through the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ. He sacrificed everything for us, so we should be willing to find some sort of unity in that sacrifice. That's partially where the universal nature of the Catholic Church comes from--we're all unified through Christ.

Anyway, someone out there reading this is probably thinking I'm a whacko, but that's okay. To me, even though I've known this my whole life, I had an epiphany while listening to this song this morning. Think about it.

Lazy Sunday

2008-06-22T18:48:00.002-04:00

Okay, I know it's a cheesy picture, but I'm laying in the hammock with my new MacBook to write this post and thought that I would take a picture of myself from the view of the laptop. So, what you are seeing is what you would be seeing if you were the laptop sitting in my lap. I'm lazing around today after a pretty busy day yesterday. Went shopping today for some stuff for the house (toilet paper, laundry detergent, dishwasher detergent, etc) and now am sitting here trying to enjoy the evening some. The sun is behind some clouds and there is a chance of thunderstorms tonight. I'm looking forward to that! If the weather is correct, we shouldn't see any around here (i.e. the house) until around 10pm...IF the weather is correct (we call them "weather guessers" for a reason).

I was talking to one of my friends earlier while he was on his way to Bible study tonight. They are studying Matthew chapter 10. So, if you want to read it, here is a link to Matthew 10. This is on the United States Conference of Catholic Bishop's (USCCB) website - it tends to be the website I refer to for bible and doctrinal readings. They also have the liturgy posted there, so if you want to look at that, you can, too. Matthew 10 speaks of the appointing of the 12 Apostles, and Jesus giving them their, if you will, instructions on what they are to do. Let me give you what the Catholic Church says about this particular chapter of Matthew:

[10:1-11:1] After an introductory narrative (Matthew 10:1-4), the second of the discourses of the gospel. It deals with the mission now to be undertaken by the disciples (Matthew 10:5-15), but the perspective broadens and includes the missionary activity of the church between the time of the resurrection and the parousia. 2 His twelve disciples: although, unlike Mark (Mark 3:13-14) and Luke (Luke 6:12-16), Matthew has no story of Jesus' choosing the Twelve, he assumes that the group is known to the reader. The earliest New Testament text to speak of it is 1 Cor 15:5. The number probably is meant to recall the twelve tribes of Israel and implies Jesus' authority to call all Israel into the kingdom. While Luke (Luke 6:13) and probably Mark (Mark 4:10, 34) distinguish between the Twelve and a larger group also termed disciples, Matthew tends to identify the disciples and the Twelve. Authority . . . every illness: activities the same as those of Jesus; see Matthew 4:23; Matthew 9:35; 10:8. The Twelve also share in his proclamation of the kingdom (Matthew 10:7). But although he teaches (Matthew 4:23; 7:28; 9:35), they do not. Their commission to teach comes only after Jesus' resurrection, after they have been fully instructed by him (Matthew 28:20).

It's interesting in this chapter that Jesus instructs the Apostles NOT to go to the Gentiles or the Samaritans. It's interesting, because after the resurrection (as said above, once they have been fully instructed by Jesus) they are instructed to do so. In my opinion this has to do with Jesus having to make the Word (John 1:1)known to the Jews before it can be opened to the Gentiles. We all know that the Jews didn't accept the Word, in fact, they had the Word crucified. It had to come to pass, though, for the fulfillment of the salvation of man. I just read a book that briefly touched on this called The Lamb's Supper, The Mass as Heaven on Earth:

So, I don't want to go into theology or anything right now, even though I'm thinking that this is the direction that I'm mostly going to take this blog; but if you get the chance, take a look at Matthew 10 tonight. It's a good chapter of the Bible, and gives us some insight into the commission of Jesus to his Apostles. Granted, it's only a small portion, but it is often in the small things that we find the greatest truth.

I hope everyone is doing something relaxing this lazy Sunday. I'm no longer in the hammock because it is now raining outside--remember: weather guessers. I hope everyone finds some peace and joy in life this Sunday. Peace, my friends.

Fortis in Fides...