Friday, February 29, 2008
"Out of touch" can mean different things.....
Seth and Eli will be out of touch for a little while. I haven't posted much to the blog recently because, quite frankly, there hasn't been much to say. It's been kind of a slow time in the sandbox, which is usually a good thing. Seth's been fighting boredom by becoming a political activist. I've written before about the problems with State Tuition assistance for Guard members. Seth's been contacting all kind of people about that issue and has received some promising replys. I'll try to post some of his letters and replys soon. The boys will be leaving Al Asad soon on an extended mission. While gone, they will be out of touch and we'll have to wait patiently for their return and word that they're okay. For Seth and Eli they will be "out of touch" for a while. George Bush seems to be permanently out of touch. Oil experts are forecasting $4 a gallon gas by this summer. When Little George was asked about this yesterday at a press conference his reply was shockingly ignorant: he hadn't heard about that! There's "out of touch" and there's "OUT OF TOUCH."
Friday, February 22, 2008
Al Daher and Seth
Al Dahler writes an opinion column. His recent column is provided below as is a response Seth sent to Mr. Dahler.....Interesting reading:
McCain more like Bush daily
Al Dahler
From a progressive point of view, observing the culling of the Republican presidential primary herd has been quite entertaining.
Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter, the two anti-immigrant bashers, were non-starters. Fred Thompson, whose anticipatory candidacy was highly touted, went nowhere once he entered the race. Rudy Giuliani, whose utterances always converged on 9/11 and theReagan legacy, turned out to be an empty suit. Mitt Romney, the businessman, learned the bitter lesson that money does not buy love and affection from the voting public.
Three candidates are left. Ron Paul was never a contender. Tenacious Mike Huckabee continues to hope for a miracle. That leaves us with the self-declared choice of the Republican party — John McCain.
Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts are in a state of funk while President Bush has embraced McCain as the conservatives' conservative. Will the Bush endorsement prove to be visionary or vacuous? Only time will tell.
In his courtship to endear himself with the Republican party establishment, McCain is morphing into a Bush clone. He will nominate only "strict constructionist" Supreme Court justices, e.g., Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalia. The economically disastrous tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will be made permanent. Health care will be left to the bureaucratic, multi-billion-dollar health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Civil rights and civil liberties will continue to be shredded.
Hypocrisy best describes McCain's stand on health care. His and his family's health care is assured by four outstanding government-sponsored health care programs. As a military retiree, he and his family qualify for Tricare-for-Life. As a senator, he and his family are eligible for congressional health care. As a veteran, he is entitled to Veteran Administration services. And, his age makes him eligible for Medicare. While McCain and his family enjoy the largess of government-sponsored health care, he is willing to deny this privilege to ordinary Americans.
Victory in Iraq is emerging as the hallmark of the McCain campaign, yet he has never defined the substance of victory. Certainly, Secretary Gates' and General Petraeus' policies have been more successful than those of their predecessors. However, the Bush administration claimed progress in Afghanistan only to have the Taliban reemerge. Al Qaeda keeps growing stronger.
Irregular or guerrilla forces and non-government-sponsored insurgents or terrorists, when confronted with well-organized armed might, simply withdraw from the battlefield to preserve their strength and await more opportune times. Time is on their side. They have nowhere else to go, nothing else to do but wait for more favorable times to continue their struggles. Politically, there has been no cooperation or reconciliation among Iraq's factions. The age-old and well-honed hatreds persist and will continue to nullify and sabotage any peace initiatives.
Financially, the Iraq debacle defies any conception of victory. The American people have been, and continue to be, the losers. The war is costing approximately $343 million each day or two to three billion dollars each week. With an estimated expenditure of $150 billion per year, the cost is fast approaching a trillion dollars. This does not account for repairing and replacing unserviceable and destroyed equipment, or the care of the wounded and traumatized veterans, or the money wasted on homeland security to provide an illusion of safety from terrorism and mass killings. It may be well to remember that recent killing atrocities, e.g., Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, have been perpetrated by Americans and not Islamic terrorists.
The magnitude of this financial hemorrhage becomes staggering when considering the opportunity cost, i.e., the domestic program enhancement and initiatives that are being sacrificed, the enormous debt accumulation that will place our children and grandchildren in bondage to foreign lenders, and the lack of foreign assistance to developing nations to improve the quality of life in the global village.
Al Dahler is a retired Air Force officer and a former college prep school administrator and lay hospital chaplain
Seth's email to Mr. Dahler:
Mr. Dahler,
My name is Seth Lovell, and I am a SPC in the Virginia Army National Guard, and am currently deployed to Iraq. I read the Newsleader online daily, and always enjoy your articles. I especially enjoyed your article today concerning McCain and how his policies compare to Bush. I agree with your article, and the prospects of a McCain presidency worry me. Your point concerning the cost of the war for America is very important. The biggest issue I have though as a service member serving in Iraq is not the monetary cost, but the cost in personnel. Not only are we losing good soldiers through casualties, but also we are losing them through retention. I have been in the National Guard for four years, and this is my second deployment. I was deployed in 2004-2005 to Afghanistan with the same unit. We are working with an active duty company from the 101st, and are serving with guys who are now on their fourth tour of duty. It is America who is carrying this burden, but more specifically it is the military that is carrying the brunt of this. Military leaders claim that recruitment is up, but at what cost? We have raised the maximum age to enlist, and have continually lowered the standards. I worked in Staunton for a year as a cadre member in the regional Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP). Our job was to have enlistees who were waiting to go to basic training come to drill with us for their monthly training. We trained them in rank structure, drill and ceremony, general orders, and other basic information that would help their transition into basic training go smoother. We worked with close to one hundred kids each month. While doing this training I was able to get a first hand look at the type of recruits that were entering into the military. There were numerous kids who had very little chance at being successful in basic training, and even less of a chance at being an asset once they reached their unit. While it is disheartening to see the caliber of soldiers entering the military, it is even worse to see the soldiers that are leaving the military after just one enlistment. We are losing a number of very qualified guys, with a lot of experience. The main reason that many of these outstanding soldiers state, is the fact that they can’t keep putting their civilian lives on hold to go overseas. If we continue to maintain current troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan as McCain claims is necessary, we will be doing a lot more than jeopardizing our nation’s economic interests. Our military can’t continue to sustain these frequent deployments. I believe that it is time to start thinking about what is in the best interest of our country, and in the best interest of its military. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
McCain more like Bush daily
Al Dahler
From a progressive point of view, observing the culling of the Republican presidential primary herd has been quite entertaining.
Tom Tancredo and Duncan Hunter, the two anti-immigrant bashers, were non-starters. Fred Thompson, whose anticipatory candidacy was highly touted, went nowhere once he entered the race. Rudy Giuliani, whose utterances always converged on 9/11 and theReagan legacy, turned out to be an empty suit. Mitt Romney, the businessman, learned the bitter lesson that money does not buy love and affection from the voting public.
Three candidates are left. Ron Paul was never a contender. Tenacious Mike Huckabee continues to hope for a miracle. That leaves us with the self-declared choice of the Republican party — John McCain.
Rush Limbaugh and his cohorts are in a state of funk while President Bush has embraced McCain as the conservatives' conservative. Will the Bush endorsement prove to be visionary or vacuous? Only time will tell.
In his courtship to endear himself with the Republican party establishment, McCain is morphing into a Bush clone. He will nominate only "strict constructionist" Supreme Court justices, e.g., Roberts, Alito, Thomas and Scalia. The economically disastrous tax cuts for the wealthiest Americans will be made permanent. Health care will be left to the bureaucratic, multi-billion-dollar health insurance and pharmaceutical industries. Civil rights and civil liberties will continue to be shredded.
Hypocrisy best describes McCain's stand on health care. His and his family's health care is assured by four outstanding government-sponsored health care programs. As a military retiree, he and his family qualify for Tricare-for-Life. As a senator, he and his family are eligible for congressional health care. As a veteran, he is entitled to Veteran Administration services. And, his age makes him eligible for Medicare. While McCain and his family enjoy the largess of government-sponsored health care, he is willing to deny this privilege to ordinary Americans.
Victory in Iraq is emerging as the hallmark of the McCain campaign, yet he has never defined the substance of victory. Certainly, Secretary Gates' and General Petraeus' policies have been more successful than those of their predecessors. However, the Bush administration claimed progress in Afghanistan only to have the Taliban reemerge. Al Qaeda keeps growing stronger.
Irregular or guerrilla forces and non-government-sponsored insurgents or terrorists, when confronted with well-organized armed might, simply withdraw from the battlefield to preserve their strength and await more opportune times. Time is on their side. They have nowhere else to go, nothing else to do but wait for more favorable times to continue their struggles. Politically, there has been no cooperation or reconciliation among Iraq's factions. The age-old and well-honed hatreds persist and will continue to nullify and sabotage any peace initiatives.
Financially, the Iraq debacle defies any conception of victory. The American people have been, and continue to be, the losers. The war is costing approximately $343 million each day or two to three billion dollars each week. With an estimated expenditure of $150 billion per year, the cost is fast approaching a trillion dollars. This does not account for repairing and replacing unserviceable and destroyed equipment, or the care of the wounded and traumatized veterans, or the money wasted on homeland security to provide an illusion of safety from terrorism and mass killings. It may be well to remember that recent killing atrocities, e.g., Virginia Tech and Northern Illinois University, have been perpetrated by Americans and not Islamic terrorists.
The magnitude of this financial hemorrhage becomes staggering when considering the opportunity cost, i.e., the domestic program enhancement and initiatives that are being sacrificed, the enormous debt accumulation that will place our children and grandchildren in bondage to foreign lenders, and the lack of foreign assistance to developing nations to improve the quality of life in the global village.
Al Dahler is a retired Air Force officer and a former college prep school administrator and lay hospital chaplain
Seth's email to Mr. Dahler:
Mr. Dahler,
My name is Seth Lovell, and I am a SPC in the Virginia Army National Guard, and am currently deployed to Iraq. I read the Newsleader online daily, and always enjoy your articles. I especially enjoyed your article today concerning McCain and how his policies compare to Bush. I agree with your article, and the prospects of a McCain presidency worry me. Your point concerning the cost of the war for America is very important. The biggest issue I have though as a service member serving in Iraq is not the monetary cost, but the cost in personnel. Not only are we losing good soldiers through casualties, but also we are losing them through retention. I have been in the National Guard for four years, and this is my second deployment. I was deployed in 2004-2005 to Afghanistan with the same unit. We are working with an active duty company from the 101st, and are serving with guys who are now on their fourth tour of duty. It is America who is carrying this burden, but more specifically it is the military that is carrying the brunt of this. Military leaders claim that recruitment is up, but at what cost? We have raised the maximum age to enlist, and have continually lowered the standards. I worked in Staunton for a year as a cadre member in the regional Recruit Sustainment Program (RSP). Our job was to have enlistees who were waiting to go to basic training come to drill with us for their monthly training. We trained them in rank structure, drill and ceremony, general orders, and other basic information that would help their transition into basic training go smoother. We worked with close to one hundred kids each month. While doing this training I was able to get a first hand look at the type of recruits that were entering into the military. There were numerous kids who had very little chance at being successful in basic training, and even less of a chance at being an asset once they reached their unit. While it is disheartening to see the caliber of soldiers entering the military, it is even worse to see the soldiers that are leaving the military after just one enlistment. We are losing a number of very qualified guys, with a lot of experience. The main reason that many of these outstanding soldiers state, is the fact that they can’t keep putting their civilian lives on hold to go overseas. If we continue to maintain current troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan as McCain claims is necessary, we will be doing a lot more than jeopardizing our nation’s economic interests. Our military can’t continue to sustain these frequent deployments. I believe that it is time to start thinking about what is in the best interest of our country, and in the best interest of its military. Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Life is incredibly fragile. I read a quote once by Marcel Proust:
We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future. It never occurs to us that it has any connection with the day already begun or that death could arrive this same afternoon, this afternoon which is so certain and which has every hour filled in advance.
Death has a way of sneaking up on you and the death of someone we know reminds us that we're still alive. It forces us to examine our own lives and question the purpose of our existence. Life is tragic, precisely becasue it always results in death. An untimely death tends to magnify those feelings. A friend and colleague of mine returned home yesterday to find her husband dead. He chose the hour of his death. Life was apparently burdensome and painful for him and he made the choice to persue release. Life is fragile.
I'm constantly reminded of the many blessings in my life and the love that surrounds Seth and Eli and my entire family. To my Friend and Colleague....May the lamp of love burn brightly during the time of your need.
The 3-116th Infantry Headquarters Company out of Staunton returns today from Baghdad. Welcome home! Soon we will be celebrating the ruturn of your fellow soldiers - our sons and commrades!
We say that the hour of death cannot be forecast, but when we say this we imagine that hour as placed in an obscure and distant future. It never occurs to us that it has any connection with the day already begun or that death could arrive this same afternoon, this afternoon which is so certain and which has every hour filled in advance.
Death has a way of sneaking up on you and the death of someone we know reminds us that we're still alive. It forces us to examine our own lives and question the purpose of our existence. Life is tragic, precisely becasue it always results in death. An untimely death tends to magnify those feelings. A friend and colleague of mine returned home yesterday to find her husband dead. He chose the hour of his death. Life was apparently burdensome and painful for him and he made the choice to persue release. Life is fragile.
I'm constantly reminded of the many blessings in my life and the love that surrounds Seth and Eli and my entire family. To my Friend and Colleague....May the lamp of love burn brightly during the time of your need.
The 3-116th Infantry Headquarters Company out of Staunton returns today from Baghdad. Welcome home! Soon we will be celebrating the ruturn of your fellow soldiers - our sons and commrades!
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Red sky in morning....definitely a warning!
This is NOT a bad picture......this is in the middle of a sand storm when everything turns red and it appears more like mars than any place on earth. Eli said that Seth's eyes hurt from the sand and when Eli took his shower he felt like he had been at the beach.....sand in places it shouldn't be!
Now that's a Church....sorry Seth and Eli
A challenge Seth and Eli can't fulfill.....right now....
A Florida pastor has posed an unusual challenge to members of his church -- 30 days of sex for married couples and 30 days of abstaining for singles, local media reported Monday.
Head Pastor Paul Wirth of Relevant Church said Sunday the challenge is aimed at bringing couples closer together. He told his congregation that half of all marriages end in divorce.
"And that's no different for people who attend church," he said. "Sometimes life gets in the way. Our jobs get in the way."
The church has set up a blog, www.30daysexchallenge.com, for congregants to share their thoughts about the challenge.
A couple of corrections. I count on people to keep me straight on my blog. According to several people I've spoken to, the VaDF has existed for some time now. It goes through periods when it gets more attention and this appears to be one of those times. Another correction: Eli is scheduled for the mission that Seth talks about in the email below. I misunderstood and thought Eli was not scheduled for that particular mission. When they return from that trip, they will have about one week before they move into transitional housing on the base. They will vacate their housing to make way for the troops that are replacing them. The bad news: no internet or cable TV in their new quarters....the good news: they won't be in them long and they'll be headed home before we know it!
A Florida pastor has posed an unusual challenge to members of his church -- 30 days of sex for married couples and 30 days of abstaining for singles, local media reported Monday.
Head Pastor Paul Wirth of Relevant Church said Sunday the challenge is aimed at bringing couples closer together. He told his congregation that half of all marriages end in divorce.
"And that's no different for people who attend church," he said. "Sometimes life gets in the way. Our jobs get in the way."
The church has set up a blog, www.30daysexchallenge.com, for congregants to share their thoughts about the challenge.
A couple of corrections. I count on people to keep me straight on my blog. According to several people I've spoken to, the VaDF has existed for some time now. It goes through periods when it gets more attention and this appears to be one of those times. Another correction: Eli is scheduled for the mission that Seth talks about in the email below. I misunderstood and thought Eli was not scheduled for that particular mission. When they return from that trip, they will have about one week before they move into transitional housing on the base. They will vacate their housing to make way for the troops that are replacing them. The bad news: no internet or cable TV in their new quarters....the good news: they won't be in them long and they'll be headed home before we know it!
Boring is Good....an email from Seth
Dear Family and Friends,
It has been awhile since I last wrote, and the truth of the matter is, there really is not much to report. As soon as I returned to Al Asad in January from my two weeks leave our squad was very busy. We made three different trips to the Syrian border, and a couple of other small trips all within a short time frame. However, after returning from a trip down south on February 13th, we have yet to be back out. We are not scheduled to go back out until some time after the 27th. Our next convoy is scheduled to be the longest I have been on, as well as the largest. We are supposed to be gone for approximately ten days, and our convoy could consist of up to one hundred vehicles. Of course with the mission still over a week away, I’m sure everything will change multiple times. I celebrated my 23rd birthday on the 11th. It was a very quiet birthday, just some pizza and a movie with Eli, but it was a memorable one as well. This was my second birthday spent in a combat zone, and hopefully it will be my last. The weather here has slowly been warming up, and before to long I’m sure we will be complaining about how hot it is. Right now it is very windy outside, and we are experiencing a very bad dust storm. Our unit is still on track to be home hopefully some time at the end of April, beginning of May. I try not to think about the time I have left, but it is hard not to. We are so close to the end, so close to being home in Virginia, that it is impossible not to stop thinking about it. Coming home to Virginia in two months will be such an incredible feeling.
Sorry I do not have more exciting news to report, but the truth is it has been pretty boring here ever since I returned from leave. As my parents always remind me, “Boring is a good thing!” I hope this e-mail finds you all doing well and having a great month. Spring is right around the corner, and with the warm weather, flowers, and all the other wonderful things that Spring brings us, it will also bring mine and Eli’s return to the states. Thank you all for your continued love and support, it has truly made this time away from home easier. Take care and I look forward to talking to you all soon,
Love and Peace from the MiddleEast,
Seth
It has been awhile since I last wrote, and the truth of the matter is, there really is not much to report. As soon as I returned to Al Asad in January from my two weeks leave our squad was very busy. We made three different trips to the Syrian border, and a couple of other small trips all within a short time frame. However, after returning from a trip down south on February 13th, we have yet to be back out. We are not scheduled to go back out until some time after the 27th. Our next convoy is scheduled to be the longest I have been on, as well as the largest. We are supposed to be gone for approximately ten days, and our convoy could consist of up to one hundred vehicles. Of course with the mission still over a week away, I’m sure everything will change multiple times. I celebrated my 23rd birthday on the 11th. It was a very quiet birthday, just some pizza and a movie with Eli, but it was a memorable one as well. This was my second birthday spent in a combat zone, and hopefully it will be my last. The weather here has slowly been warming up, and before to long I’m sure we will be complaining about how hot it is. Right now it is very windy outside, and we are experiencing a very bad dust storm. Our unit is still on track to be home hopefully some time at the end of April, beginning of May. I try not to think about the time I have left, but it is hard not to. We are so close to the end, so close to being home in Virginia, that it is impossible not to stop thinking about it. Coming home to Virginia in two months will be such an incredible feeling.
Sorry I do not have more exciting news to report, but the truth is it has been pretty boring here ever since I returned from leave. As my parents always remind me, “Boring is a good thing!” I hope this e-mail finds you all doing well and having a great month. Spring is right around the corner, and with the warm weather, flowers, and all the other wonderful things that Spring brings us, it will also bring mine and Eli’s return to the states. Thank you all for your continued love and support, it has truly made this time away from home easier. Take care and I look forward to talking to you all soon,
Love and Peace from the MiddleEast,
Seth
Friday, February 15, 2008
The "New, Improved" National Guard
I guess as a reaction to decreasing membership in the Guard....and the fact that they may not be here when you actually need them....Virginia is starting the Virginia Defense Force. The VaDF is an all-volunteer force allows people with prior service, and those with no service, to volunteer to serve their community in a quasi-military setting. The VaDF accepts men and women age 16 - 65 and volunteers learn military skills and serve in a military setting without the possibility of being deployed or serving in a war. Sound like National Guard Lite!
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Obama wins big and we celebrate with a 2 hour delay!
I did my civic duty yesterday by voting in the Virginia primary. Seth is a huge Obama fan and my vote was cast as much for Seth as it was for Obama. I have to admit, I'm not a big fan of politicians in general - Democrat or Republican. The way I figure it, anyone who wants to be president is precisely the kind of person we don't need. To have the ambition, drive and ego to want that job has to corrupt your soul in some way. I kind of think the job should be foisted on some poor unsuspecting person when they've stepped out of the room to relieve themselves after drinking to much coffee. "Oh good, you're back. By the way we elected you President while you were in the bathroom!" I do like the change that Obama represents so I will definitely keep supporting him. I can't bring myself to support McCain, especially after he appeared in that Baghdad market wearing his flak jacket, surrounded by 100 marines with helocopters flying overhead claiming how safe Baghdad was. Safe is when you walk down to the corner 7-11 without your marine escort! And, John....don't tell me the surge is working when the Iraqi government continues to drag their feet on the benchmarks we've deemed necessary for progress. As long as we have 170,000 troops in Iraq we can keep the lid on things...unfortunately we can't sustain that level of troops. The surge can be claimed successful when we draw down our troops and the level of violence doesn't raise. Oh, wait a minute....Robert Gates just said we're not going to draw down troops for the forseeable future....guess the surge isn't as successful as we thought, eh John?
And don't get me started on Hillary....not that I have anything personal against her, but I don't think 32 straight years of the Bush/Clinton monarchy would be a good thing (if Hillary wins and serves two terms, we would have 32 years of Bush/Clinton!)
Enough of that....we celebrated Obama's Virginia victory with a two hour delay for school. Actually the delay was caused by a little icy weather. The upside of that delay was we talked with Seth and Eli for about half an hour this morning. They had just returned to Al Asad from their mission and were in good spirits. The talk turned to how little time they had left and the fact that they are starting to pack some things to start shipping home. Jan had a momentary panic attack when she thought they would be shipping everything to our home, but that isn't the case. Seth will be back in for the next 7 to 10 days before heading out on a potential 15 day mission. Eli is not currently scheduled for that mission but is trying to get assigned so he can be with Seth during that time. Eli has nothing scheduled for the next couple days so they will both be enjoying some down time and doing some small details around the motor pool. Seth claims he'll be bored waiting for the next mission....personally, I like bored.
And don't get me started on Hillary....not that I have anything personal against her, but I don't think 32 straight years of the Bush/Clinton monarchy would be a good thing (if Hillary wins and serves two terms, we would have 32 years of Bush/Clinton!)
Enough of that....we celebrated Obama's Virginia victory with a two hour delay for school. Actually the delay was caused by a little icy weather. The upside of that delay was we talked with Seth and Eli for about half an hour this morning. They had just returned to Al Asad from their mission and were in good spirits. The talk turned to how little time they had left and the fact that they are starting to pack some things to start shipping home. Jan had a momentary panic attack when she thought they would be shipping everything to our home, but that isn't the case. Seth will be back in for the next 7 to 10 days before heading out on a potential 15 day mission. Eli is not currently scheduled for that mission but is trying to get assigned so he can be with Seth during that time. Eli has nothing scheduled for the next couple days so they will both be enjoying some down time and doing some small details around the motor pool. Seth claims he'll be bored waiting for the next mission....personally, I like bored.
Monday, February 11, 2008
Just what our politicians count on....
The following is from the Rasmussen Reports, a national polling organization:
Given four choices as to the size of the federal budget presented by the President last week, 39% of American voters did not offer any answer, 36% guessed wrong, and just 24% knew the answer--$3.1 trillion dollars.
Nineteen percent (19%) said the budget presented totaled $301 trillion annually while 10% thought the proper answer was $301 billion. Seven percent (7%) thought it was only $3.1 billion.
Thirty-four percent (34%) of men knew the proper answer along with 15% of women. Voters under 30 and over 65 were less likely to know the proper answer than those between 30 and 64.
75% of those polled had no idea about the size of the budget....that's exactly what our politicians count on. We don't care about the size of the budget, the tax cuts for the wealthy, the program cuts for the poor and elderly....just send us our economic stimulus checks and we'll be happy! I think that if people really knew what our government was up to we may have another tea party.
Given four choices as to the size of the federal budget presented by the President last week, 39% of American voters did not offer any answer, 36% guessed wrong, and just 24% knew the answer--$3.1 trillion dollars.
Nineteen percent (19%) said the budget presented totaled $301 trillion annually while 10% thought the proper answer was $301 billion. Seven percent (7%) thought it was only $3.1 billion.
Thirty-four percent (34%) of men knew the proper answer along with 15% of women. Voters under 30 and over 65 were less likely to know the proper answer than those between 30 and 64.
75% of those polled had no idea about the size of the budget....that's exactly what our politicians count on. We don't care about the size of the budget, the tax cuts for the wealthy, the program cuts for the poor and elderly....just send us our economic stimulus checks and we'll be happy! I think that if people really knew what our government was up to we may have another tea party.
Sunday, February 10, 2008
Happy Birthday Seth and Eli!
A birthday is just the first day of another 365-day journey around the sun. Enjoy the trip. ~Author Unknown
How many of us remember what we were doing on our 23rd birthday? Heck, if I were honest I'd have to admit I'm not really sure what I was doing on my 54th birthday even though it occurred forty-two days ago. I like to claim that I'm still playing with a full deck....I just shuffle a little slower these days.
Tomorrow Seth and Eli will celebrate their 23rd birthday and I'm pretty sure that they will always remember where they were and what they were doing. What they'll be doing is getting ready for another trip outside the wire. They'll be on the same mission this time, something that I don't think has happened since they both returned to Iraq from their leave. Tomorrow will be spent getting ready for the trip....getting equipment ready and having briefings. Their plan is to celebrate their birthday by getting pizza for dinner and watching a movie. This is Seth's second birthday celebration in a war zone. He turned 20 sitting in Afghanistan. While it can't possibly be much fun celebrating your birthday in Iraq this one will have to be better than his 20th because he and Eli are together. It must be nice growing up with someone like you - someone to lean on, someone to count on...someone to be with you.....even if you're 8,000 miles from home and loved ones!
As their time grows shorter, instead of being comforted, I think Jan and I are getting more anxious. Last Thursday Jan asked me through tears if I remembered what we were doing a year ago that night. Now I've already confessed that I can't remember what I was doing forty-two days ago, so what chance did I have at 365 days? A year ago last Thursday we were sitting with Seth, Brittany, Eli and Katy at an Eddie From Ohio concert at the Black Friar Theater in Staunton. Eddie From Ohio is an east coast group that Josh introduced us to and they've become a family favorite. We just want Seth and Eli to come home safe, sound and soon so we can get back to the business of building those family memories of good times being together. As their time in Iraq winds down I think the anxiety will build until we hear they're on their way home.
How many of us remember what we were doing on our 23rd birthday? Heck, if I were honest I'd have to admit I'm not really sure what I was doing on my 54th birthday even though it occurred forty-two days ago. I like to claim that I'm still playing with a full deck....I just shuffle a little slower these days.
Tomorrow Seth and Eli will celebrate their 23rd birthday and I'm pretty sure that they will always remember where they were and what they were doing. What they'll be doing is getting ready for another trip outside the wire. They'll be on the same mission this time, something that I don't think has happened since they both returned to Iraq from their leave. Tomorrow will be spent getting ready for the trip....getting equipment ready and having briefings. Their plan is to celebrate their birthday by getting pizza for dinner and watching a movie. This is Seth's second birthday celebration in a war zone. He turned 20 sitting in Afghanistan. While it can't possibly be much fun celebrating your birthday in Iraq this one will have to be better than his 20th because he and Eli are together. It must be nice growing up with someone like you - someone to lean on, someone to count on...someone to be with you.....even if you're 8,000 miles from home and loved ones!
As their time grows shorter, instead of being comforted, I think Jan and I are getting more anxious. Last Thursday Jan asked me through tears if I remembered what we were doing a year ago that night. Now I've already confessed that I can't remember what I was doing forty-two days ago, so what chance did I have at 365 days? A year ago last Thursday we were sitting with Seth, Brittany, Eli and Katy at an Eddie From Ohio concert at the Black Friar Theater in Staunton. Eddie From Ohio is an east coast group that Josh introduced us to and they've become a family favorite. We just want Seth and Eli to come home safe, sound and soon so we can get back to the business of building those family memories of good times being together. As their time in Iraq winds down I think the anxiety will build until we hear they're on their way home.
Monday, February 04, 2008
How can I think of retiring when Bush proposes a $3.1 Trillion budget?
I'm 54 years old. I don't know how it happened, but somehow it creeped up on me. I have the medicines in my pillkeeper to prove that I'm getting old (or should that be I am old?) Just the fact that I have a pillkeeper to keep my medicines organized is embarassing. I'm at the point in my life that I would like to think about retirement. I admit I haven't been a fiscal conservative in my own life, so maybe it's too much to expect from our politicians. But, come on.....Bush's $3.1 Trillion budget is embarassing. I guess what our politicians count on is that the typical person on the street just doesn't care and can't begin to comprehend the magical slieght of hand that passes for the governments budget. Bush claims his plan will lead to a deficit of only 407 Billion in fiscal year 2009. Of course he's only budgeted 70 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan while admitting that the cost will be much higher (for those of you who are mathematically challenged, that means the deficit will be much higher.) I would have an easier time balancing my personal budget if I could just budget $100 for my mortgage payment while knowing that it's eight times that much! Bush also claims that we'll have a budget surplus by 2012 if we just follow his lead. I don't want to pooh-pooh his leadership, but following him hasn't exactly put us in a great position so far. This budget is nothing more than smoke and mirrors continuing Little Georges failed policies. While keeping his tax cuts for businesses and the wealthy, he's proposing cuts in just about every domestic program except defense. The cruelest cuts come in Medicare and Medicaid. Watching my parents struggle to pay medical bills makes this most offensive. What kind of society balances their budget on the backs of the elderly, poor and children. How can I think about retiring when George needs more money. It's my civic duty to stay employed, pay my taxes and stimulate the economy as much as one person can.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Palaces and Fishing
We talked to Eli (and Seth in the background) this morning. Eli had just returned from a trip to Baghdad at 5:00 AM their time. While in Baghdad he and two other soldiers toured around the Green Zone and visited one of Saddam's palaces. They couldn't go in as it is now occupied by ambassadors and other officials, but they were able to walk around on the grounds. Apparently Saddam liked to fish and Eli said there were several man-made lakes on the grounds and since they just happened to have a few fishing poles in the humvee they fished a little at Saddam's fishin' hole. He didn't say if they actually caught anything but did talk about playing with an eel in the shallow end of the lake. It's currently 5:00 PM at Al Asad and the boys are getting ready to go to dinner. Seth will be leaving early tomorrow morning for a trip and Eli is unsure of his next mission, but it will be soon. Eli has been back for 10 days and has spent 5 of those days outside the wire. I've kind of lost track of when they're in and when they're out, but my impression is that the pace of their trips has picked up a little. When I mentioned this to Eli he concurred and noted that is good because it helps the time fly by faster. Seth and Eli love to see the calendar turn to a new month....it's a concrete reminder that time is flying by.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
