Update from the Heartland
No.275
12.3.07 – 18.3.07
Blog version:
http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
No.275
12.3.07 – 18.3.07
Blog version:
http://heartlandupdate.blogspot.com/
To all,
Various elements of The Press reported the confession of Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) – the human vermin captured by Pakistani ISI and U.S. CIA agents in Rawalpindi, in March 2003. KSM was remanded to the CIA detention system and certainly subjected to extensive interrogation processes. [68, 249] According to some sources, he now resides at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. His confession encompasses a wide range of global terrorist events including the first World Trade Center bombing (1993) and the second attempt (2001), as well as numerous assassination and bombing plots. The list of KSM’s claims possesses an aura of hallucination, and yet we cannot discount his confessed involvement. How can we review KSM’s list and reject the reality that we are truly in another world war? What a sad statement on the condition of mankind!
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace, USMC, offered, or perhaps unintentionally allowed, recorded comments that take us back into the homosexual rights debate. General Pace chose a position of leadership and as such, he lost his right to publicly offer his personal opinions – he is the highest leader of the entire military, not just the heterosexual military. And, I suspect but cannot prove that homosexuals have been serving honorably in the military since the founding of this Grand Republic. Peter is entitled to hold whatever personal opinions, views and notions he chooses, including his expressed belief that homosexuality is immoral. I suspect he considered his comments as representing the military position regarding the service of homosexuals. For him to suggest that because he thinks homosexuality is immoral, homosexual military men and women should remain in the closet defined by “don’t’ ask, don’t tell” is ridiculous. Some military leaders think divorce is immoral, or adultery, or cohabitation . . . the list goes on; are they to be allowed to impose their morality on every soldier? Nonetheless, demanding Peter apologize for expressing his personal opinion is nonsense. The reality is Peter Pace’s moral opinion does not matter. The political leadership of the Nation will decide how the military will handle homosexuals in military service to this Grand Republic, just as President Truman did with racial integration when he issued Executive Order 9981, 50 years ago. We even had former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John M. Shalikashvili, USA (Ret.) [1994-7] [265], publicly voicing his opinion, as a private citizen, that homosexuality was no longer a valid factor for exclusion from military service. I happen to agree with John; it is time to move passed this archaic notion. Just as the military led the Nation in teaching integration in the 1970’s, it must now lead the Nation is teaching tolerance of diversity with respect to the social factors, as long as they do not affect performance.
Taylor and I flew down to Austin to have lunch with our pregnant Melissa; Tyson had a photo shoot gig and missed our brief visit. On the flight down, as is often the case in our family, we turned to political debate . . . between radio calls with air traffic control. This day, General Pace’s public comments occupied our conversation. Taylor pointed to one particular opinion offered by Debra J. Saunders, a columnist in the San Francisco Chronicle, published in Friday’s USA Today Opinionline (16.March.2007, page 13A). Saunders wrote sarcastically, “We can’t have people expressing their religious beliefs in public, now can we?” As suggested above, the issue is not that Peter Pace expressed his religious views in public as Saunders implies. Peter was not a common citizen like you and me; he spoke as a Marine general officer and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Saunders closed with, “The best way to promote tolerance for gays, however, is not to muzzle people who disagree. ‘Don’t ask, don’t’ tell’ critics should stick to arguing the issues. It will be a sad day in America if tolerance for gays is won because (of) intolerance of devout Christians . . . You want tolerance? Exercise it.” Nicely said, however, I would offer the counter-argument that it is not Peter Pace’s religious beliefs or personal opinions that were objectionable, but rather his using the uniform, his rank, and his very public position to convey his personal opinions.
Representative Martin T. "Marty" Meehan of Massachusetts introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2007 [H.R. 1246] to amend the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law and make unlawful, discrimination within the military based on sexual orientation. The bill was referred to the House Armed Services Committee for consideration. I think we all knew it was only a matter of time. This bill ought to spice up the blooming presidential electoral process.
An observation . . . several key, and sometimes violent events, often demark significant social change. The Declaration of Independence set in motion a revolutionary change where individual liberty reigned and the government was subservient to the People. The Occoquan Workhouse Tragedy of 1917 brought public recognition of the need for women’s suffrage and of their full rights of citizenship. The lynching of Emmett Till and the defiance of Rosa Parks, both in 1955, stimulated an oppressed class of citizens to demand their constitutionally certified equal rights. Some might say the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969, convinced homosexuals to step into the sunlight and demand equal protection under the law. I will take a somewhat different tack. Communications enabled so much of the social change our ancestors experienced and will be the conduit for future social change. Women and citizens of color saw camaraderie in their oppression. The same is true, no less, for homosexuals, who now know they are not alone. The genie cannot be returned to the bottle.
The administration now claims they considered firing all U.S. attorneys instead of the eight named so far. Strange thing, if they had done that after the President’s reelection in 2004, we most likely would not have the current debate, as that is common practice for appointees. Nonetheless, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said this week that he thought the situation had been mishandled . . . well, duh . . . ya think! Although U.S. attorneys are political appointees, even the impression of politicizing the federal prosecutorial system for whatever reason can never be good for the Republic.
I am not interested in wasting my time on incompetence; however, I do find some satisfaction in acknowledging the firing of Lieutenant General Kevin C. Kiley, USA, former Surgeon General of the Army and former commander of Walter Reed Army Hospital. I am not particularly fond of any arrogant, pompous [expletive deleted] like Kiley. Good riddance. That said, I can remember my father, who was very seriously wounded on Leyte during World War II, complaining about his treatment at a VA hospital in California, five decades ago. I have been with our oldest son several times at the VA hospital here in Wichita, and I must say his treatment was timely and good. I have heard horror stories over many years from veterans going back to the War to End All Wars, so I think it is safe to say that the Walter Reed Building 18 fiasco is hardly unique to this administration. To my knowledge and experience, the VA hospital system has been consistently, persistently and notoriously under-staffed and under-funded; and, much of the bureaucracy was created by Congress, id est, it’s the law. This is hardly a Democrat or Republican thing; all administrations as far back as I am aware have failed to properly support the Veterans Administration. Further, from what I have heard from my British brothers-in-arms, the same is true in the United Kingdom. We have reason to be thankful that the President and Secretary of Defense have stood up to the mark and appear to be making a concerted effort to assess and improve the medical treatment of our veterans, however it will largely boil down to Congress and money.
Comments and contributions from Update no.274:
"Thanks for latest up date! Can I have an English version! 'Javelina crap'?...."
My reply:
Javelina is a type of wild pig common to the Southwest United States, and in this instance, the State of Arizona. I must remember to explain oddities. Hey, at least you read the Update.
. . . with this follow-up:
"I need to buy an American dictionary! My 'concise english' is not good enough! Although I did learn that a 'javel' is a worthless fellow! Origin unknown!...any connection? I wonder."
. . . and my follow-up reply:
I have a bevy of dictionaries in American English, British English (the mother tongue, I must add), and perhaps a dozen other languages. I can only find one reference to “javel” and only a couple of references to “javelina.” I might offer up an on-line resource I utilize quite often, especially when I am on the road sans dictionary.
http://www.dictionary.com
The site offers a myriad of search tools as well as a pretty good, multiple-language, translator tool. And, to answer your query, no, I do not think there is any connection between ‘javel’ and ‘javelina’ beyond the sequence of letters.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
Various elements of The Press reported the confession of Khalid Sheik Mohammed (KSM) – the human vermin captured by Pakistani ISI and U.S. CIA agents in Rawalpindi, in March 2003. KSM was remanded to the CIA detention system and certainly subjected to extensive interrogation processes. [68, 249] According to some sources, he now resides at the Guantanamo Bay Detention Facility. His confession encompasses a wide range of global terrorist events including the first World Trade Center bombing (1993) and the second attempt (2001), as well as numerous assassination and bombing plots. The list of KSM’s claims possesses an aura of hallucination, and yet we cannot discount his confessed involvement. How can we review KSM’s list and reject the reality that we are truly in another world war? What a sad statement on the condition of mankind!
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Peter Pace, USMC, offered, or perhaps unintentionally allowed, recorded comments that take us back into the homosexual rights debate. General Pace chose a position of leadership and as such, he lost his right to publicly offer his personal opinions – he is the highest leader of the entire military, not just the heterosexual military. And, I suspect but cannot prove that homosexuals have been serving honorably in the military since the founding of this Grand Republic. Peter is entitled to hold whatever personal opinions, views and notions he chooses, including his expressed belief that homosexuality is immoral. I suspect he considered his comments as representing the military position regarding the service of homosexuals. For him to suggest that because he thinks homosexuality is immoral, homosexual military men and women should remain in the closet defined by “don’t’ ask, don’t tell” is ridiculous. Some military leaders think divorce is immoral, or adultery, or cohabitation . . . the list goes on; are they to be allowed to impose their morality on every soldier? Nonetheless, demanding Peter apologize for expressing his personal opinion is nonsense. The reality is Peter Pace’s moral opinion does not matter. The political leadership of the Nation will decide how the military will handle homosexuals in military service to this Grand Republic, just as President Truman did with racial integration when he issued Executive Order 9981, 50 years ago. We even had former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General John M. Shalikashvili, USA (Ret.) [1994-7] [265], publicly voicing his opinion, as a private citizen, that homosexuality was no longer a valid factor for exclusion from military service. I happen to agree with John; it is time to move passed this archaic notion. Just as the military led the Nation in teaching integration in the 1970’s, it must now lead the Nation is teaching tolerance of diversity with respect to the social factors, as long as they do not affect performance.
Taylor and I flew down to Austin to have lunch with our pregnant Melissa; Tyson had a photo shoot gig and missed our brief visit. On the flight down, as is often the case in our family, we turned to political debate . . . between radio calls with air traffic control. This day, General Pace’s public comments occupied our conversation. Taylor pointed to one particular opinion offered by Debra J. Saunders, a columnist in the San Francisco Chronicle, published in Friday’s USA Today Opinionline (16.March.2007, page 13A). Saunders wrote sarcastically, “We can’t have people expressing their religious beliefs in public, now can we?” As suggested above, the issue is not that Peter Pace expressed his religious views in public as Saunders implies. Peter was not a common citizen like you and me; he spoke as a Marine general officer and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Saunders closed with, “The best way to promote tolerance for gays, however, is not to muzzle people who disagree. ‘Don’t ask, don’t’ tell’ critics should stick to arguing the issues. It will be a sad day in America if tolerance for gays is won because (of) intolerance of devout Christians . . . You want tolerance? Exercise it.” Nicely said, however, I would offer the counter-argument that it is not Peter Pace’s religious beliefs or personal opinions that were objectionable, but rather his using the uniform, his rank, and his very public position to convey his personal opinions.
Representative Martin T. "Marty" Meehan of Massachusetts introduced the Military Readiness Enhancement Act of 2007 [H.R. 1246] to amend the current "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" law and make unlawful, discrimination within the military based on sexual orientation. The bill was referred to the House Armed Services Committee for consideration. I think we all knew it was only a matter of time. This bill ought to spice up the blooming presidential electoral process.
An observation . . . several key, and sometimes violent events, often demark significant social change. The Declaration of Independence set in motion a revolutionary change where individual liberty reigned and the government was subservient to the People. The Occoquan Workhouse Tragedy of 1917 brought public recognition of the need for women’s suffrage and of their full rights of citizenship. The lynching of Emmett Till and the defiance of Rosa Parks, both in 1955, stimulated an oppressed class of citizens to demand their constitutionally certified equal rights. Some might say the Stonewall Rebellion of 1969, convinced homosexuals to step into the sunlight and demand equal protection under the law. I will take a somewhat different tack. Communications enabled so much of the social change our ancestors experienced and will be the conduit for future social change. Women and citizens of color saw camaraderie in their oppression. The same is true, no less, for homosexuals, who now know they are not alone. The genie cannot be returned to the bottle.
The administration now claims they considered firing all U.S. attorneys instead of the eight named so far. Strange thing, if they had done that after the President’s reelection in 2004, we most likely would not have the current debate, as that is common practice for appointees. Nonetheless, Attorney General Alberto Gonzales said this week that he thought the situation had been mishandled . . . well, duh . . . ya think! Although U.S. attorneys are political appointees, even the impression of politicizing the federal prosecutorial system for whatever reason can never be good for the Republic.
I am not interested in wasting my time on incompetence; however, I do find some satisfaction in acknowledging the firing of Lieutenant General Kevin C. Kiley, USA, former Surgeon General of the Army and former commander of Walter Reed Army Hospital. I am not particularly fond of any arrogant, pompous [expletive deleted] like Kiley. Good riddance. That said, I can remember my father, who was very seriously wounded on Leyte during World War II, complaining about his treatment at a VA hospital in California, five decades ago. I have been with our oldest son several times at the VA hospital here in Wichita, and I must say his treatment was timely and good. I have heard horror stories over many years from veterans going back to the War to End All Wars, so I think it is safe to say that the Walter Reed Building 18 fiasco is hardly unique to this administration. To my knowledge and experience, the VA hospital system has been consistently, persistently and notoriously under-staffed and under-funded; and, much of the bureaucracy was created by Congress, id est, it’s the law. This is hardly a Democrat or Republican thing; all administrations as far back as I am aware have failed to properly support the Veterans Administration. Further, from what I have heard from my British brothers-in-arms, the same is true in the United Kingdom. We have reason to be thankful that the President and Secretary of Defense have stood up to the mark and appear to be making a concerted effort to assess and improve the medical treatment of our veterans, however it will largely boil down to Congress and money.
Comments and contributions from Update no.274:
"Thanks for latest up date! Can I have an English version! 'Javelina crap'?...."
My reply:
Javelina is a type of wild pig common to the Southwest United States, and in this instance, the State of Arizona. I must remember to explain oddities. Hey, at least you read the Update.
. . . with this follow-up:
"I need to buy an American dictionary! My 'concise english' is not good enough! Although I did learn that a 'javel' is a worthless fellow! Origin unknown!...any connection? I wonder."
. . . and my follow-up reply:
I have a bevy of dictionaries in American English, British English (the mother tongue, I must add), and perhaps a dozen other languages. I can only find one reference to “javel” and only a couple of references to “javelina.” I might offer up an on-line resource I utilize quite often, especially when I am on the road sans dictionary.
http://www.dictionary.com
The site offers a myriad of search tools as well as a pretty good, multiple-language, translator tool. And, to answer your query, no, I do not think there is any connection between ‘javel’ and ‘javelina’ beyond the sequence of letters.
My very best wishes to all. Take care of yourselves and each other.
Cheers,
Cap :-)
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