Continental Airlines

Not a big fan right now have been on hold for over 2.5 hours!

Let the 15 days of Saturday commence!

Home sweet home!

Can o Whoop Ass!

Happy Thanksgiving (Not a Monday)

As you partake of the bounty of America's heartland, enjoy time with family and friends and nap on the couch, please take a moment and give thanks to all those that let you sleep soundly. 

This year, goes without saying that I have a lot to give thanks to and for. There are lot of people who allow me to sleep soundly knowing that everything is going to be alright.   Today, I have a new group I would like to include and thank; the boys from Kansas who provide me the luxury of sleeping safely and securely while at my home away from home. 

Book Review "Blackwater" (Audio Book)

By Jeremy Scahill

This one I struggled to get through and it was an audio book courtesy of the Navy’s online book library. This book dripped of anger at the Bush administration, defense contractors, right wing conservatives and the Christian right.  If you chose to read it, get a copy from the library. Remember we are imperialistic capitalist! (FYI Our current military structure would fail without contractors on the battle field!)

Missile or Airplane??

FOIA the Federal Aviation Administration for the radar tapes! Everything in SOCAL is under radar control or being monitored!  Easy, easy.  If not an airplane some serious heads will roll!

Things that make you go..."Hummmmm"

UAE Taking Al Qaeda Claim Seriously in Crash Probe

and

Lufthansa cargo plane splits in half on landing in Saudi capital, injuring pilot and co-pilot

Now ties this in with....

Explosives Found on Planes amid US Terror Probe

Makes you go hummmm?!

Book Review: “The Defector” by Daniel Silva

This is one of those post 9-11 not quite techno thrillers along the line of Vince Flynn.  This time it is the Israelis getting even with some Russian gun runners.  Interesting and the 497 pages were a quick read, especially when compared to” Atlas Shrugged”.  Would I get this in a bookstore?  Maybe an airport book store, defiantly.  This one is a hand me down and I will in do the same. 

Where did all the "Smart" people go?

Don't forget to VOTE

"Should things go wrong at any time, the people will set them to rights by the peaceable exercise of their elective rights. "
Thomas Jefferson

"The elective franchise, if guarded as the ark of our safety, will peaceably dissipate all combinations to subvert a Constitution, dictated by the wisdom, and resting on the will of the people. "
Thomas Jefferson

"Now more than ever the people are responsible for the character of their Congress. If that body be ignorant, reckless, and corrupt, it is because the people tolerate ignorance, recklessness, and corruption."
James Garfield

"Pure" Michigan Politics I would vote for him.....

David L. Dewey has a varied work background and now he wants to add county commissioner to that.
Running as an independent and on a campaign which is not spending money on signs or ads, Dewey said he is entering politics because he does not agree with where this country is heading and is not longer going to stand by and watch.
 
Dewey has worked as a recreation therapist, been in the Peace Corps in Ethiopia, has worked in the Michigan prison system in leisure activities, has sailed extensively and ran a charter service, worked as a mental health case manager, was in ownership of video stores, taught overseas in American schools, was principal for Walkerville Public Schools, was assistant principal/athletic director for Holton High School and has been in ownership of a crematorium. He has worked as a substitute teacher and is now a truck driver.
“And I know what it’s like to be unemployed,” he said.
 
Dewey is fiscally conservative, and believes the county has to look seriously at what services it can provide within its budget.
 
Instead of expanding the jail, Dewey said the county should look at less expensive housing for convicted criminals, such as barracks located at the wastewater facility.
 
Dewey said the county can’t keep adjusting the budget, but must have to make tough decisions on across the boards cuts among all the departments.
 
In economic development, Dewey said he sees heavy industry coming back into the county, and tourism needs to be promoted better. He suggests a passenger ferry route from Chicago to Muskegon, a casino located on the waterfront, and more promotion of tourism.

The challenge of getting “buy in”

In my organization there are a lot of relatively smart people; college educated, technical folks who understand complex systems.  The challenge I have seen is getting them to “buy in” to a new way of doing things.  As a SharePoint and web 2.0 person, getting others, the types mentioned above, to engage and embrace the new technologies has been a challenge.  You could place some blame on me for not forcing the issue.  However, force is never a good way to convert. 

Failure however is a great conversion tool.  This group was raised on the “C:” drive and understand and are familiar with the digital junkyard known as the “shared drive”.  Although it would be devastating to some, I would like to see the “shared drive” crash.  Then I could go back and say, “Well, if you had moved your files to the cloud, SharePoint etc. you would not have lost all that work.”

Tell me again where did you say you saved that file?  Can you email the latest version of the spread sheet… Pain to my ears…..

Book Review “Atlas Shrugged”

 By Ayn Rand 

Holy Cow!  1069 pages of micro font!  It took me on average 3 minutes to read a page!  I started this book back in July and just finished it Crazy!  Well, what can I tell you?  It is crazy similar to what is now going on in America. Weird that it was written in the ‘50’s.  If you have the time, I would add it to you “to read” list.  Don’t let the “looters” prevent you from reading this.  Tell them to get out of your way! 

220 Miles on the Trail

Something close to 10 Marathons! 

Did I mention the dust, dirt and rocks?

Warfare in the new Millenium

I am sure in past conflicts there were many authors who captured their thoughts and observations on good old fashioned paper.  Where once written is was stuffed into a footlocker or box and is not resting comfortably in an attic or basement. 

Students of history will tell you that all that we needed to know about warfare we learned, in some cases the hard way during world war two.  I am quite confident that the greatest of generations has a plethora of undiscovered facts and recollection on paper yet to be discovered. 

Where I am going is that there is A LOT of "stuff" which is published electronically on the web that in times past was just not easily accessible.  It is difficult to sort though what might be good info and what is not.  I am just happy that there is in fact all this "data" which is being published.  I just wish I had more time to read blog posts, electronic journals and contribute to the data pool with my own observations... 

A note to the leaders of the new military;
1. Food, an Army Navy Air Force, Marines, OGA's and contractors need it, keep it good! 
2. Pay, don't fuck it up!  Make it easier to fix when it is. 
3. Most Important, high speed internet! 

Comic Targeted for Execution!

Once again, we have people outside our borders, dictating actions of our citizens inside our borders.   Yep, our troops are in danger, they always are when they go into harms way!  We, Americans should not have to live in fear for exercising our "Rights" in OUR Country!

From FOXNEWS

"The Seattle cartoonist whose work sparked the controversial "Everybody Draw Mohammed Page" on Facebook has gone into hiding at the advice of the FBI, the newspaper that published her comics said Wednesday.

Molly Norris has moved and changed her name following a call by U.S.-born Yemeni cleric Anwar al-Awlaki, The Seattle Weekly said. Awlaki reportedly said she was a "prime target" for execution and that her "proper abode is hellfire.""

Did you know??

 Muslims don't wear jewelry at the conclusion of Ramadan to support the whole idea of denying themselves. 

Press conference on 10 Sept, the end of ramadan

... Just sayin...

Good for the goose but not so good for the Gander?

It is unfortunate how quickly we forget stuff!

A repost from around the web.... Just to remind you how forgiving we, pork eating, christian cursaders are!

And now for the "Religion of Peace"

Published June 18, 2007 by:
Kimberly West

After defeating their rivals in Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, Muslim extremists are focusing their attacks on Christians in Gaza City. Christians in Gaza City have issued an appeal to the international community and a plea for protection against the increased attacks by Muslim extremists.

Father Manuel Musallem, head of Gaza's Latin church, told the AP that Muslims have ransacked, burned and looted a school and convent that are part of the Gaza Strip's small Romany Catholic community. He told the AP that crosses were broken, damage was done to a statue of Jesus, and at the Rosary Sister School and nearby convent, prayer books were burned.

Gunmen used the roof of the school during the fighting, and the convent was "desecrated," Mussalem told the AP.

"Nothing happens by mistake these days," he said.

Father Musalam additionally told The Jerusalem Post that the Muslim gunmen used rocket-propeled grenades (RPGs) to blow through the doors of the church and school, before burning Bibles and destroying every cross they could get their hands on.

Catholic Online reports that the heads of Christian churches in the Holy Land have urged both sides to put aside their weapons, noting that the infighting diverted international attention from the national goal of Palestinian independence.

"This domestic fighting where brother draws his weapon against brother is detrimental to all the aspirations of achieving security and stability for the Palestinian people," they said. "In the name of the one and only God as well as in the name of each devastated Palestinian, many of whom are still dying, we urge our brothers in the Fatah and Hamas movements to listen to the voice of reason, truth and wisdom."

One young woman told the Catholic News Service that she was concerned the Islamic extremists would "enforce a strict dress code, forcing women to wear veils and robes."

One Christian teenager spoke to the Catholic News Service on the condition that her name not be used. She said the days of fighting had been "very difficult" but they were "OK now." "We all hope it will be better, but it will never ever be good with Hamas," she said.

An Open Letter To President Obama

An Open Letter To President Obama

  JEFFREY S. HOWARD 

 

    In today’s dangerous world, we need a president with experience, leadership and courage. Unfortunately, you have shown us little of those traits.  
   
Your childhood and younger years denied you the opportunity to grow up as an American man, and that is no fault of your own. Unfortunately, your lack of empathy for and experience of a traditional American upbringing has left you out of touch with those of us who grew up learning the traditions and work ethic of our predecessors.  
   
You have never accepted the honor of military service, or held and survived in any sort of entry-level working position. You are bereft of many of the basic building blocks of a true American personality and worldview.    

You have never experienced the icy hand of fear caressing your gut during a firefight when your very survival from second to second depends on your luck, wits, fellow troopers and the grace of God. You have never sweated out a payroll when your receivables are late.      

You’ve missed the rewarding feeling of flogging a loaded truck all night to deliver a load 500 miles away at 7 a.m. You never shoveled cow manure for less than minimum wage to earn enough for a rattletrap car. You missed out on greasing dump trucks on the night shift, and never had the opportunity to start out cleaning restrooms and sweeping floors in a factory.       

Your education was in the law, and you ignored any opportunity to absorb the lessons of history or the theories of economics. You have never experienced the law of the jungle in the private sector.     

While you play golf and basketball and surround yourself with “the swells” enjoying concerts in the People’s House, those of us in the general public dine on Spam and Costco burgers. I can’t put my wife on a 747 and send her to Spain so she can be ready to spend 10 days on Martha’s Vineyard when she gets back. She works seven days a week and so do I — spreading four full- and parttime jobs between us to make ends meet.     

I watch in pain while my business venture slides into oblivion and my small IRA erodes as your economic policies push the nation into a double-dip recession. This economy is locking up again, and you cannot blame former President Bush. The great construction jobs I created are ending while you pour trillions in borrowed money into the public sector to buy votes.

I blame you personally for appointing the ship of fools you have as Cabinet officials and advisers.      You are repeating the gross mistakes of Japan in the ’90s and the Roosevelt administration in the ’30s — both of which failed and lengthened severe economic problems for a decade or more. You are intentionally smothering our private sector with regulations, taxes and mandates at the same time you squander the wages and futures of our children and grandkids.      

I deplore your continued efforts to divide the greatest nation of immigrants in the world along race and class lines. Pandering to various groups and attempting to set them against other Americans is demagoguery at its worst. I sincerely hope such actions end up damaging you in the end and not our country.
   
You will leave office with a big pension, Secret Service protection and gold-plated health care for life. I may well end up with 40 years of hard work down the drain, living in a mobile home in the backwoods.  
   
I do not resent you for your good fortune — you worked hard to become president and won the election fair and square. I do, however, despise your policies and the damage they are visiting on our nation, its economy and our future. 

I have dedicated my remaining years to fighting you and your policies and protecting our children’s futures.  
  
I may well end up destroyed financially from the results of your misguided and dangerous actions — but you will never break me psychologically or crush my spirit. 

I am a Marine, I have a wonderful wife and family   , and last but not least, I live in the greatest nation in the world. I shall work to my last breath to keep it that way, and you, sir, shall fail to destroy that dream.    
 
Howard, a Marine Corps veteran, University of Washington graduate and heavyequipment supervisor for two decades, is now a developer with projects in Washington and Oregon.