Don't answer that...

Somewhere someone is going to reach out and try to sell you something, don't answer that call. I pay money every month for a way to be informed of new and better and must have products and services, the television is full of stuff I should tell my doctor about, get and use to make me just much more wonderful.

If I weren't such a responsible adult and only half of the team that runs this commitment, I would start shutting things down until I could reach out when I wanted and leave a message and not gather any in my passing. With free email, blogs and facebook one doesn't need a personal computer, only a keyboard with internet access - free at one's local library in America. But then one could cut that last chain that binds one - and flee the Terminators of original thought and human interaction... don't answer that.

Courtship or adoption, gone straying again?

I must be something, riding my motorcycle to work today and home. I seem to have attracted the notice of a feline from across the street. Well, some folks have it and some folks don't - or it could be that their front porch doesn't have the warmth of my garage and home, I am really not that attractive without the baggage of civilization's comforts. But I do pay attention to little things, which has its own rewards. Apple pie baking, pumpkin pies in the making and so far so good. Good night.

What I almost missed by being a loner...

You know that men understand women not at all - because they are men, and women shake their heads when men do things they can't comprehend (although the women will be sure they do Understand men - but that men are just fools or fallible). My point, quickly, is that we understand ourselves and our environment better than someone that doesn't live it with us. Trust me on this, Eskimos, Mongolian herdsmen and camel riding Bedouins live well where they are much better than I ever will be able to - in their environment and culture.

So in my studies and my storytelling, I have been bumping along on the American Revolution, Militia, Minutemen, and the Second Amendment to the Constitution. And for various reasons, me being a loner mostly, I kept concentrating on the People keeping and bearing arms - without the infringement from government. LEAVE ME ALONE! should be painted on my t-shirts, but I don't like too many printed shirts, plain dark somber colors. Okay, so far, that seems to be an important point from the Heller case - it does belong to the People (by only one vote). But you shouldn't trust the government to get it right, any more than you should trust a man or a woman to really understand the other gender. I don't trust the government goodness (and I do believe in fairy tales) when they spend so much time dividing the population into groups with different rules and privileges - I know why they do it and it never is the reason that they tell us, but back to what I almost missed.

Living in this high tech age, where Farmer Frank can plant, weed and harvest bushels of corn and beans that in the long ago past (1890's ?) would have taken long strings of horses and hundreds of men to produce on more acres (look at the pictures). So we don't really understand the old German farm houses, with the animals on the ground floor, the family on the second floor and the workers living in the tiny rooms on the third and fourth floors. We have trouble understanding community - we don't live in communities we just call where we live "a bedroom community" I watched my wife get up and leave for the day in Korea, to help the community replant the rice shoots (they have machines for it now) but everyone went out and helped replant the rice from the village, they would all go out and help harvest (they do have machines now - which is why they have so many people making cars for resale in America). Anyway, those are just two examples of community activities that everyone participating in for the benefit of the community. About the only community activity I see now, is sandbagging against floods - and we are being encouraged to stop that and run away by our government. Mandatory evacuation orders. I must be wandering again.

Back to my point, when you live as a community you also protect yourself as a community, establish good manners, laws and priorities -- and the community expects cooperation and responsibility from its adult members. You will talk, you will vote, you will abide or you will have to walk away an outcast, an outlaw (those are real important historical terms of condition). The MILITIA is the community's military power -- we don't have that any longer, governments don't want independent militia, an armed and organized bunch of citizens. The militia of the 1770's through the early years of America was the men of the community - not the state and never the Federal government. If we had communities today, not ones that just sleep together, the militia would be all the adult men and women of the community, armed and trained to protect the community. From sandbagging, fire fighting and catching crooks and perverts - it would be the community militia, but mostly the Community that would protect itself.

I now read that first part of the Second Amendment as what the Founding Fathers lived within, communities where the people formed their militia (not the government's nor King's military but the People's). Until you build communities again, it won't come back -- there are some places in America that aren't just bedroom communities: but they aren't on the news, on the Interstate or bothered much by Washington, DC. But then once upon a time Americans lived in communities not in enclaves (computer caves?) preparing to become part of the Matrix.

Way too beautiful outside to work, write or wread....

Time to disconnect and get back to work.

But I stole this for you to share, since I was preaching at the prison about how to use machine guns in pairs to keep the barrels from overheating - I am way too far from the important stuff:

'OUR Guys' and the honoring of Our Fallen. After reading it here, perhaps you could go visit LTC Phillips to catch up on his tour in Afghanistan.
~~~~~


Date: 10:21 AM 7/20/2008Subject:
An observation after a sad day in Afghanistan

I hope this e-mail finds each of you and your families well.

Here in southern Afghanistan it has been a sober day. We had a really bad fire fight. At this point I am not allowed to say much but our team had 18 guys vs 175-200 bad guys. They scored once; we scored many, many more. Yeah for the good guys.

Unfortunately, we held the first of several hero ceremonies, which occurs every time they move a body from one location to another. At each ceremony, every available service member will stand at attention and line the road, starting at our small morgue and eventually ending with his final flight home.

I am not sure folks back home know what happens at a small Forward Operations Base when a US kid dies in battle.

I am sure no one back home knows that this kid's commander, who is in charge of 7000 men, helped wash the blood from this kid's face and prepare him for the trip home. I bet they don't know that his buddies, all rough and tough and not a sissy among them, stand like brothers, hold hands, cry and exchange hugs. I bet they don't know that 250 people lined the walkway from our morgue to the ambulance just to salute this hero. I bet they don't know that one of my patients, who was also injured in this attack, demanded to be pushed outside in a wheel chair so he could say good bye to his brother. I bet they don't know that the command staff, all senior officers, marched behind the ambulance with tears streaming down their faces and carefully loaded his body onto the plane. I bet they don't know that people line the runway, stand at attention and salute the plane until it is out of sight. I bet they don't know that the FOB Commander orders each of the injured (who is able) to call home, so that their parents and wives, know they are OK, in an effort to ease the shock to the families when the guys in full dress uniforms show up at the family's home. I bet they don't know that tonight, these young men, far from home, will mourn like a family and will then pick up their weapon, wipe the tears from their eyes and head right back to the fight.

My observation: This young man has two families. The one here is already in mourning and the one back home will soon be awaken by this sad news. There are some very good men here, who care deeply for those they command and whom love each other as brothers.

Take care and let's try to live a life worthy of his sacrifice.

From: Richard's Deployment To Afghanistan

PDT and take that from CBC to NBC...

The Great Northwest, my part of it, has the Opening Ceremonies from China - now! Thank you Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. But I must shave and go, my wife will stay and take notes, it is very Chinese - very large and the children with flag cute - did notice the perfect soldiers finishing the flag raising. Work calls.

ABC of me, thanks to Breda,

I know there isn't anything of interest in me worth writing but since my choice was about the Lotto tickets or filling in my blanks for the world, the small part visiting I thought I would follow Breda, fine pistoleeress that she is (why yes I made that word up, but so have hundreds of others before me-it is a perfect noun for Breda, even if she is several hundred rounds behind me in shooting - I do have years on her). Anyway, although Breda gave me the idea, the Armed Canadian convinced me to spend the time.

Airborne, Army, Awful -- oh, accent, you didn't notice but I will drop a y'all on ya, along with yens and youse guys. But that is just playing, I speak like the television news fellows and color my speech with emotion when riled, Minnesota, Ohio, Pennsylvania then North Carolina.....

Breakfast, yes, daily, old fashioned oatmeal nuked in microwave, raisins, crushed walnuts and almonds, 2% milk, mixed with medications and black coffee. Wife spoils me on weekends with eggs and such.

Chore I don't care for - wasn't that why it is called a chore? Trapping moles comes to mind, I don't take any pleasure in it, and have to be really pushed to go out and set the traps. But have done it before and will do it again, but would rather reach a negotiated settlement (but have more faith in winning the Lotto).

Dog or cat - have had both in our home over many years, we gave up - since my wife and I have two very different ideas of the place of animals in our world, and different methods of training the poor humans taking care of the animals - we gave up after giving up my son's dog. Too much heart break. I would love to have a harrier to jog with and my wife wants a toy something to smother with maternal love.

Essential electronics, my computer - did I mention I have three, two set up and one backup and I don't want to live inside them, but seem to sometimes too often?

Favorite Calogne? Whatever she is wearing that I only notice when I get nearer her neck - oh, for me? Old Spice after shave - no one ever gets that close to my neck that they would care and I don't wear it often. That bottle has been in this house about eleven years now.

Gold or Silver - I like both, have rings in various amounts, but really cold steel stirs me much more than gold or silver. Although I do think the real American Silver Dollar was a great coin to have in one's pocket.

Handbag? I wear a backpack for local motorcycling, or a messenger bag on my bicycle, but handbag, that is too metrosexual and young for a throwback like me - handbag? I am old but I am not dead.

Insomnia; I have been known to sleep through rocket attacks, my wife likes to stay up late and I like to get up early - but we both have different reasons for staying awake - and always a problem that we just haven't the best solution for --- yet.

Job title - officially: Library Associate, or hidden: Library/Archival Paraprofessional level 5 or personal one: The Library Keeper.

Kids: Had one lost one, had another and he grew up. The best reason for Earl and KC was the kid. Wish we could have been better bumblers, but still feel blest.

Living arrangements? Home in suburbia, married long time. If it needs adjusting my wife will let me know - loudly or with deafening silence (guess which is worse?).

Most Admirable Trait - I don't think I have one, or any that stand out - I think my two friends might have an answer to that but I don't want to get too proud of any of me - I do know the dark side.

Naughtiest Childhood behavior - escaping, broke out of my playpen by breaking the slats, jumped out of a second story window when I was four or five, ran away from home to join Castro in Cuba against Batista (the mountains slowed my progress to a halt and a retreat - it was only a three speed English racer and the night was dark), breaking into my home when my father locked me out as a teenager (was so proud of my son when he did the same when his mother locked him out).

Overnight Hospital Stays - only one, my first major motorcycle accident put me and my concussion in the hospital for recovery and observation. Lovely motorcycle and fool boy meet steel guard post - post wins!

Phobias - isn't that something you fear foolishly? Only long legged redheads that think I am something.... everything else I fear righteously. You can get killed out there.

Quotes - "You could be wrong, you've been wrong before."

Reason to smile - pure joy in the wonder of others and love and laughter.

Siblings - Sister, brother, sister and they are all doing well differently and the best they can beautifully.

Time I wake up - from 4:20 am early work day to seven am if I don't need to work for pay that day.

Unusual talent or skill - none, I am normal but broken in well.

Vegetable I refuse to eat - I am an omnivore - it is all food if it doesn't bite first, that makes me happy, I once didn't like lima beans and wax beans but then met C-rations and learned how bad they truly could be.

Worst habit - tapping on something or clicking a pen - I never notice. No matter what Breda says, Procrastination is an art, not a habit and I will perfect it one day when I get around to it.

Yummy stuff, watching a perfect Combined Arms attack or defense destroy a worthy enemy in combat. You either do know what I meant or you haven't ever been there, and both are fine.

Zoo animals I like most, human beings wandering the zoo, all the other animals should be free where I could enjoy missing them by my clumping along gracelessly. But we do visit zoos, sometimes, and watch the polar bears wear their fur off in frustration. Which might be why Animal Planet is so much more fun than the zoo.

See, it was interesting for me, but a bit boring for y'all. Bye!

Once upon a time,

There was a gang in my neighborhood, two boys and a wild young girl, they ruled our street and made life rough in the bedroom community. They threw the fallen apples at each other and didn't care that they bounced onto the golf course green-like lawn of the family across the street. That family was upset and wanted the sherriff deputy from down the street to do something about it, and he just wanted to come home and sleep - he worked with real criminals all day. I thought the family was a bit extreme for both being school teachers but maybe they had enough tiny terrors in their lives, too. Well, I went out and met the hooligans one day and took some grocery bags and suggested, like it was a game, that they pick up all the busted and tossed apples from the yards where they had thrown them. They did, and the street was cleaner and they could ride their wheels up and down again. I suspected the two boys were foster care, they had lots of toys to play with and little adult supervision, the girl was from "renters", probably subsidized by the state. Not bad kids but looking for adventure and some guidance. They asked me to play catch, and I noticed that Brady (the only name I ever got for any of them) never had shoes that fit, or half the time he had them on the wrong feet. I worked with him on that. He would go back home and get different shoes and on the right feet. We would play catch with a Nerf football or tennis balls. He would knock on my door and ask if I would play, and I would go out and play catch for awhile until he and his brother would be called to supper.

They all moved away, about six months later, that is what happens to the renters' homes and families. More children have come and gone, but they aren't worrying the streets, they are safe in their television or video game world. The apples fall from the tree and no one throws them around anymore, and there aren't big battery powered toy cars parked just off the street where the gang of three left them.

If I am gone...

My mother writes instructions for when she is gone, I explain to the patrons that I need some good writing about how important libraries are in the institutions to help recruit staff, everyone in some little way is preparing for when they are gone but the need is still there. One of the men says to let the inmates run the libraries, they can do it. And they do it at the camps, whatever library is there is a combination of inmate interest and activity and some staff person that has a key to the room where the library is. It is much better than nothing, but the Washington State Library doesn't give up its collection to the inmates nor Department of Corrections, they try to recruit new staff and run the library well with supervisors opening the doors and shifting staff from other institutions to maintain some service. Still, the library is really closed, there isn't any depth when the institutions were reduced to one FTE per library. As the inmate said "Closed Libraries suck!" with all the anger you don't want to be the focus of...