House Guests

Well, this is waaay overdue. I've spent all of this last week on duty, including extra shifts for labor day, and Monday night filling in for my opposite number. And since then, I spent an entire day trying to get home from New Orleans, mixed in with the evacuees. Since I got home, we've been preparing for house guests.

A friend was supposed to come stay with her dogs. My folks evacuated here and brought their cats. But the main guest we were preparing for is named Ivan. Fortunately, he's apparently decided to go east into Mobile. Should he change his mind, I'm pleased to report we are secured and in all respects ready for hurricane.

Anyway, I know you might want to read something. Since I've been so short of time, I haven't had any chance to come up with coherent thoughts for you. "What?", I hear you cry. "Your rantings have never been coherent". That's why I decided to give you a change. A guest ranter. Please welcome J C Grout IV, AIA, Etc. Without further ado,

9/11/04

Why I am voting for Bush

I really don’t care who went to Cambodia when. I don’t care who didn’t take
a physical where. This election is about the next half of the first decade
of the 21st Century, not about behavior in the Hippie Era. The world has
changed. Such issues deflect from the Question of the Day.

I don’t care what CBS says about this election, or the New York Times, or
Fox, or ABC, or CNN. They are (quite literally) old news, the last
un-busted Trust, willing to do anything (including lie) to hold onto their
monopoly on the dissemination of Information. Their arrogance and bias
insult my intelligence; I no longer believe a word they say. They are
utterly clueless as to the Question of the Day.

Do I care about prescription drugs, or affordable housing, or tax reform, or
gay marriage, or the environment? Sure. But they pale in comparison with
respect to the Question of the Day.

And what is the Question of the Day?

Simple - How do we WIN the Fourth World War?

Yes. Fourth. The First World War vanquished Imperialism. The Second World
War put paid to National Socialism, while the Third slam-dunked Scientific
Socialism into the dustbin of history. This war is to eliminate the threat
of Islamic Fascism. This is not a “War on Terror”. That sounds so…..
clinical. So banal. So limited. And so utterly wrong in what’s at stake
here.

The major Candidates stand on the Question of the Day can be distilled down
to this:

BUSH: We are at war. We gotta kill the bastards!

KERRY: I was in Viet Nam. We need to ask the French.

NADER: Bush is the terrorist!

Three years ago today, our enemy announced his intent with the deaths of
thousands of our countrymen. You see, our enemy isn’t mad at us. He hates
us. We are “infidels”. We are not even human in his eyes. Our enemy wants
to see our country - it’s people, it’s freedoms, and it’s way of life -
crushed and destroyed. Not humiliated, or forced to change some foreign
policy. Destroyed. Wiped from the face of the Earth. This conflict cannot
be resolved at a negotiating table. IT MUST BE WON.

In the past three years, the UN has ignored the threat posed by Islamic
Fascism, as have some of our “traditional” allies. (see Sudan, genocide in)
They have therefore have abrogated their moral right to lead. Turning to
them will accomplish nothing. Nor can we ignore the threat or run away.

And that is why I am supporting Bush. He has the right answer to the
Question of the Day. We can argue about how our country will address gay
marriage, or tax rates, or health care benefits once our first priority -
making sure that our country will continue to safely exist - is resolved.
Think about it in terms of the movies. ‘Monty Python and the Holy Grail’,
to be exact. Nader is the ‘Brave Sir Robin’ of this race, standing in front
of the Bridgekeeper from Scene 23 debating whether his favorite color is
green, or blue. John Kerry wants us to trust him because he has a different
plan. To continue the ‘metaphor, he is 'Sir Bedevere', trying to interest
us in a “large wooden badger” after the large wooden rabbit of big
government had failed. And Bush? He is 'King Arthur' - simplistic, but
clear of vision and driven to achieve his goal. Plus, he is willing to
truncate the Black Night and use the Holy Hand Grenade of Antioch in order
to do so. (No, Bush is not Lancelot. RUMSFELD is Lancelot - ed.)

…..GROUT

Military Blunders

6 September 2004

A great deal has been made about the Vietnam war lately. Especially by the democratic candidate for president. Now without trying to re-fight a thirty year old war, this whole episode is rather troubling.

Many claim Lt. Bush was AWOL from the Alabama Air Guard from December 1972 to March 1973, or his entire service there, depending upon the sources. Was he? I don't know. And don't care. But why?

It happened thirty years ago, that's why. It has not shown any bearing on his conduct as governor or president. Other than the "seven minutes" on 9/11, has he been missing from either position? No.

Lt (jg) Kerry's record in the service is also questionable. Did he lie? Maybe. Possibly. Did he inflate his own importance? Almost certainly. Is it important? Yes. Is it a double standard? No. But why?

Lt. Bush did not make his National Guard record the centerpiece of his campaign. Lt (jg) Kerry did. And that reflects on his judgment, not thirty years ago, but right now.

Lt (jg) Kerry, upon his release from active duty, said many things about his fellow veterans. He accused them of not serving honorably, of being murderers and war criminals. Lt (jg) Kerry gets very upset when someone questions his military service. The millions of veterans who served in Vietnam likewise are upset when accused of dishonorable service and atrocities. Yet he has not apologized for his youthful charges, and maintains his position. So he makes the centerpiece of his campaign something guaranteed to raise strong negative emotions in millions of voters. That is not good judgment.

When Kerry's positions or service are challenged, his staff members have pointed out that Kerry served in combat, but Lt. Bush only served in the National Guard. Millions more veterans have served in Guard and Reserve with honor and distinction. They have taken care of us at home (see the Guardsmen who are now on duty in the hurricane's wake), and have fought and died in every major war for the last century. Now Kerry's people question the validity of their service. Again, this is bound to piss off lots of voters. Poor judgment.

According to the polls, the RNC convention was relatively successful. Immediately afterwards, Senator Kerry went on the attack. He accused Vice President Cheney of attacking his patriotism. I watched Cheney's speech, he didn't. Then the Senator talked about Cheney getting five deferments during Vietnam.

Many people wished to avoid going to war during that time for many reasons. Now the Senator implies that they are unfit for office. That's million's more voters potentially pissed off. Bad judgment.

So to sum up, if you served during Vietnam, you're a murderer. If you've ever been in the reserves, that doesn't count, your service is meaningless. And if you sought not to go, you're a coward. One hell of a way to gather support for your candidacy. This is definitely the way to build strong alliances, but only to oppose you.

Senator Kerry chose to focus on Vietnam. Did he not know that his maligning of his "Band of Brothers" would raise strong emotion? Is he that out of touch? And when that comes to light, he chose to annoy not only those who didn't serve in Vietnam, but all the reservists and reservist veterans too boot? What does that say about your abilities?

This can of worms was opened when the Senator and his running mate told us to ask those who served with him. While most of his subordinates support him, his peers and superiors almost totally do not. Kerry's negatives started rising. His polls started falling. Is this the work of the "vast right wing conspiracy"? No, only Kerry's message. As the fall continued, he has grown increasingly more desperate, maligning all reservists, and now those who chose not to serve,

If the Senator is elected, would he run the country the same way? Would he seek to castigate ever increasing numbers of decent Americans when his own mouth is the cause of the trouble? And is this the kind of judgment we want our chief executive to have?

As a moderate conservative, I believe in a healthy multi-party system for our republic. In that spirit, I offer Senator Kerry some sage redneck advice. When you're in a hole, the first thing to do is STOP DIGGING.

Until Later,

The Naked Emperor

Big Changes

Well everybody, it's been up a day, and I haven't blown anything up. This is a major accomplishment for me.

To remind all of you, I'm middle age and decidedly computer illeterate. I remember back in high school, back in my street racer days, we used to make fun of people, especially guys, who knew nothing about cars. Knowing a camshaft from a crankshaft from a Johnson rod were an acid test of virility.

Now the world has gone computer and I'm ashamed. I used to be interested in computers, back in the early days. I even owned a TI 99/4a, and had spent $800 to upgrade the memory from 4K to 16K and get a 8.5in. floppy drive to replace the cassette recorder. State of the art.

But school intervened, and I lost knowledge and interest. I did take a Computer Science class, one that taught (remember this?) Cobol. I did have a used Commodore 64 I did papers on.

When I graduated Vet school, a good friend gave me a rebuilt Mac. And I've been hooked on them ever since. They enable ever the computer stupid to function.

I don't know languages or subroutines. I just put the keys in and drive the bloody thing. In the last dozen or more years, the macs have been extremely reliable, so I haven't needed to learn much. (Unlike HP printers!)

So today I decided to add a few links to sites I find interesting, especialy the political ones in this election season. Now I don't know html or whatever the template for the blog is written in. I just copied a links thing from Blogger. Finding where to put it was a bit of a challenge. But I fumbled aroung until it looks like it does now. It took maybe an hour. For four links.

But it's done and nothing fried. I'm very proud.

All you computer literate folks are heartily entitled to chuckle at me for at least an hour.

Uh Oh, I gone and done it

Well, this is it.

After months of abusing friends and family with occasional rantings, I've decided to go live with a blog.

Will I have enough to say? Will it be worth saying? Or reading? Will I be swamped with hate mail? Beats me.

I figure that this may not last, so I might as well have fun while it does.

As you get to know me through my writing, you may learn a few things about me.

I like it when the world makes sense. And it usually doesn't. A few examples:

Scott Petersen is currently on trial for murdering his wife and unborn child. But if the wife had terminated her pregnancy, it's her constitutional right. Now that I've pissed off every one in the Anti Choice/Pro Death debate, just calm down. I don't care what side of the debate you're on, it doen't make sense.

At eighteen, you can be tried as an adult and sentenced to death, or serve in law enforcement or the military and take a life legally. And you can wield the greatest power in a democracy, the vote. But you're not responsible enough to have a beer. Again, it doesn't add up.

Celebrity adoration in general, and Britney Spears specifically. Now THAT'S nonsense.

Anyway, when the world goes stupid, it prompts me to write. I don't claim to be any sort of great authority, but I hope I have some common sense.

If you think I'm way off base, or maybe right, please comment. If you find good examples of nonsense, please let me know.

And sometimes the nonsense comes from me. Sometimes there's not a lot to say or an idea may not be fully developed. Then I may spew some drivel, but I'll try to keep it entertaining.

To start, I've archived my prior rants, so feel free to browse.

I'm going to go now and watch the hurrican coverage. Back in a day or two, so check back often.

No Rant Needed

3 September 2004

This one is too easy.

From Chicago Sun-Times:

August 27, 2004
BY THOMAS LIPSCOMB
In the midst of the controversy between the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth and Kerry campaign representatives about Kerry's service in Vietnam, new questions have arisen.
The Kerry campaign has repeatedly stated that the official naval records prove the truth of Kerry's assertions about his service.
But the official records on Kerry's Web site only add to the confusion. The DD214 form, an official Defense Department document summarizing Kerry's military career posted on johnkerry.com, includes a "Silver Star with combat V."
But according to a U.S. Navy spokesman, "Kerry's record is incorrect. The Navy has never issued a 'combat V' to anyone for a Silver Star."
Naval regulations do not allow for the use of a "combat V" for the Silver Star, the third-highest decoration the Navy awards. None of the other services has ever granted a Silver Star "combat V," either.
B.G. Burkett, a Vietnam veteran himself, received the highest award the Army gives to a civilian, the Distinguished Civilian Service Award, for his book Stolen Valor. Burkett pored through thousands of military service records, uncovering phony claims of awards and fake claims of military service. "I've run across several claims for Silver Stars with combat V's, but they were all in fake records," he said.
Burkett recently filed a complaint that led last month to the sentencing of Navy Capt. Roger D. Edwards to 115 days in the brig for falsification of his records.
Kerry's Web site also lists two different citations for the Silver Star. One was issued by the commander in chief of the Pacific Command (CINCPAC), Adm. John Hyland. The other, issued by Secretary of the Navy John Lehman during the Reagan administration, contained some revisions and additional language. "By his brave actions, bold initiative, and unwavering devotion to duty, Lieutenant (j.g.) Kerry reflected great credit upon himself... ."
Burkett, who has spent years working with the FBI, Department of Justice and all of the military services uncovering fraudulent files in the official records, is less charitable: "The multiple citations and variations in the official record are reason for suspicion in itself, even disregarding the current swift boat veterans' controversy."

And now for the petards.

1996: Kerry judged false decorations 'very wrong'
WorldNetDaily ^ | 8/28/04 |

Amid questions about one of John Kerry's combat "V" decorations, unearthed remarks by the senator eight years ago reveal he judged an admiral's allegedly false awards as a serious offense that disqualified him from leadership.
After the suicide of Adm. Mike Boorda in 1996, National Review columnist Kate O'Beirne notes Kerry gave his response to two Boston papers.
"In a sense, there's nothing that says more about your career than when you fought, where you fought and how you fought," Kerry told the Boston Herald.
"If you wind up being less than what you're pretending to be, there is a major confrontation with value and self-esteem and your sense of how others view you."
At that time, a left-leaning news service had raised questions about Boorda's combat "V" clip, which is awarded for valor under fire. The doubt was over whether Boorda's two tours in Vietnam aboard combat ships qualified him for the awards. The Washington Post reported Boorda's right to wear the clips apparently was supported by a Navy manual, but hours before he was scheduled to address the issue with Newsweek reporters, he shot himself.
The Herald described Kerry as among the veterans who said although they would take offense at someone falsely wearing the "V" pin, they couldn't see how it would drive Boorda to suicide.
"Is it wrong? Yes, it is very wrong. Sufficient to question his leadership position? The answer is yes, which he clearly understood," Kerry told the Herald. (highlight mine - pmg)
Kerry also spoke with the Boston Globe.
"The military is a rigorous culture that places a high premium on battlefield accomplishment," he told the paper.
Of Boorda and his apparent violation, Kerry said: "When you are the chief of them all, it has to weigh even more heavily."

Let the hoisting begin.

See Attachment for Navy Awards Regulations and Kerry's DD 214

So let's see.

His campaign now admits his first purple heart might have been for an unintentional self-inflicted wound. No enemy fire, no award.

His "seared in" memory of Christmas 68 in Cambodia is rapidly fading, along with his secret mission to deliver the CIA agent with the "magic" hat.

And when several people wound up in the water, Kerry rescued Rasmussen "under intense enemy fire". This fire was so intense that not one of the five boats, each fifty feet long, had small arms damage? In a 75 yard wide river? In 90 minutes of fire? I may not be the best shot in the world, but I can hit the literal broad side of a barn once in a while.

This is just like playing CSI.

And maybe the Swifties weren't so crazy after all.

Peter Grout