Have a Wonderful Tea Party!

Today is Tax Day....and it's also the day when patriotic Americans (or if you're a liberal, you'd call them tax-protesters) are holding anti-tax Tea Parties in all 50 states. Personally, I support the patriotic Americans who have taken the time to attend the Tea Parties. Big Government, with higher taxes to support Big Government spending, is not an effective way to govern. Big Government does nothing but perpetuate reliance on Big Government.

Don't get me wrong, I support a central government that is responsible for defense of the Nation and foreign affairs. I even think that maintenance of interstate infrastructure is the responsibility of a central government. But I don't think that a big, central government should be making decisions about the leadership of corporations or requiring banks to make risky mortgage loans and then bailing them out when the bank holds "toxic paper." Nor do I think the government should be managing health care or creating "one-size-fits-all" social programs, which in reality fits no one.

So, to those of you attending a Tea Party today.....thank you for going. For those of us who don't have a Tea Party nearby....you can still work within your local community to make your opinions known. The "Silent Majority" can't be silent anymore.

Reach for the Dream!

WOW! If you haven't see this video of 47-year old Susan Boyle singing "I Dreamed a Dream," you need to check it out! She has an amazing voice, and completely shocked everyone in the audience as well as the judges (one of whom is Simon Cowell). Ms Boyle told the judges that she's always dreamed of being a professional singer, but no one ever gave her the chance; which is why she was at the audition....trying out for the TV show "Britian's Got Talent." Well, this woman didn't let less than stellar looks, or her age, stop her. She went for it, without excuse and she proved that she certainly has talent! She is a wonderful example for everyone who has a dream.....keep reaching for your dream, no matter what!

Vets as Threats?

I just saw a news story on a report delivered by the Department of Homeland Security. The report, an intelligence assessment, apparently says that there is a strong threat of "man-made natural disasters" (Obama-speak for terrorist incident) from homegrown right-wing groups who are actively recruiting "disgruntled war veterans." Apparently, those of us who believe in the Second Amendment, have served in the military, and who disagree with the policies of the current administration and the liberal Congress are a security threat. I don't think so! Go read Lt Nixon's Rant on this subject. He says everything I wanted to say when I saw the story; but much better!

UPDATE: David K. Rehbien, the National Commander of the American Legion, has sent an open letter to Janet Napolitano, the Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, responding to the "incomplete and ... politically-biased report" and protesting the Department's characterization of military veterans as potential terrorists. It's a great letter. Read it here.

Happy Easter!

"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16

Liberal Hypocrisy

I go to a local gym to work out. A lot of the people who also go to the gym are "granola-types" who work for either the Federal government (there are two National Forests, a National Park, and a lot of BLM-managed public lands in this County) or for a alternative recovery program for at-risk teenagers. A couple folks who work out when I do have moved here from California. I've learned, mostly by listening but also by reading the bumper-stickers, that most of the gym-patrons tend to be a lot more liberal that the rest of the locals in the County and certainly a lot more liberal in their politics than me.

So it surprised me today when one of the more outspoken of the liberal granola-types came in the door of the gym and asked one of the male gym patrons if he was the Colonel who owned the truck parked outside. (You see, my truck has a DoD sticker on the front window, with a Colonel's eagle above it.) The male patron denied being the Colonel, so I spoke up and told the granola-type that I was a retired Air Force Colonel, and that it was my truck. I wish I could have captured the look of surprise on the granola-type's face. It was classic! I could tell exactly what he was thinking...."a woman Colonel? Really?" It was also classic how hard he backpedaled to try and cover up his surprise at the woman Colonel.

It's interesting that a purportedly liberal-minded person is the first person in a long time that has acted as if a being a woman would somehow prevent a person from attaining one of the higher ranks in the service. In my opinion, that little vignette showed liberal hypocrisy at its best.

Unintended Consequences

James Lewis has an interesting post about the Somali pirates on the American Thinker website. In the post he compares the pirates' taking of a US-flagged ship and holding it's captain hostage after the ship's crew retook the ship with the Iranian "students" taking US Embassy employees hostage in 1979. Mr Lewis is concerned (as am I) that the appeasement-approach that President Carter took in 1979 will be repeated by the present administration; prompting a number of unintended consequences.

According to Mr Lewis, while President Obama "may think this is a 'distraction'. The rest of the world sees it as a test. And so, far Obama is flunking. " Unfortunately, Mr Lewis has this one right. He goes on to explain that US weakness, even if it's only perceived weakness, will have consequences. Some of those consequences will be more than unfortunate or unintended. Some of those consequences could be disastrous.

"If Obama fails to take action, watch for Russia to make a move on the Ukraine. China will get more aggressive toward Taiwan. Iran will openly throw sandals at Obama effigies, and the rest of the world will realize -- uh-oh, no more cop on the international beat. North Korea will launch another missile over Japan -- pardon me, another satellite launch will somehow go astray, heading toward Hawaii.

That means one of two things: either the aggressors start winning, or somebody else has to play the international cop -- the role the United States has carried for sixty years.

So who do you want to play the world's cop?

Russia will happily volunteer do it for Europe, since Europe won't do it for itself. China could squeeze concessions from Japan and South Korea to stop the Norks [North Koreans]. And in the Middle East it will either be Israel -- which can protect the Arab countries from nuclear attack by Iran -- or it will be the mad mullahs of Qom. I would guess that the Israelis will bomb Iranian nuclear facilities, with the covert help of Arab Gulf states. "

Nature abhors a vacuum. Without a strong US, with a strong leader who has a strong will to protect US citizens and their property, someone else will step into that vacuum. Unfortunately, it may be someone with interests adverse to ours. As Mr Lewis says, "Welcome to the age of American weakness. The whole world, we were told in the last eight years, wanted to bring the US down a notch or two. Well, just be careful what you wish for."

UPDATE: Well, it seems that US sailors tried, and failed, to rescue the ship captain held hostage. It will be interesting to know why they were unable to rescue the captain and how these third-world pirates were able to repel sailors from one of the most capable, well-trained Navies in the world. I wonder if the rescue party was so hamstrung by extremely restrictive rules of engagement that they couldn't effectively do their job. Or, it could be the operation was "managed" by their political "masters" to the point that there was no way these extremely competent sailors could adjust to the situation as they may have needed to do. Most of all, I wonder if we'll ever know the truth of why the rescue attempt failed. What I do know is that a failure gives hope and incentive to these pirates, as well as to others who want to bring this Country down. A failed rescue may be as bad as no rescue.

UPDATE #2. Wonderful news! The Captain has been rescued by Navy Seals, who also killed 3 of the 4 pirates and captured the survivor. Along with the rest of the Nation, I'm happy that this has ended well.

We're Jammin' Now!

Today I did something that I've always wanted to do, but had not taken the time to do....I made jam. Strawberry jam, to be specific. I even made two batches for a total of 8 two-cup jars. For some reason, it was a lot of fun! Not only am I excited about the final product, it was the "making" that was fun. Instead of following my usual pattern and trying to get the "thing" I was doing finished as quickly as possible; I made a choice to enjoy the process of building a jar (or 8 jars) of jam. By taking my time and enjoying the strawberry-mashing, the sugar-measuring, and the pot-stirring, the entire process was a blast and made me even more excited about my foray into jam-making. I think there's a life-lesson to be learned here. Sometimes it's the journey and not the destination that's important. Besides....I get to eat homemade jam on my toast tomorrow morning!

Even the Geese Know.....

I've been living in "flyover country" for about 4 1/2 months. I've always loved it here, and enjoyed visiting when I could. There's something about the mountains and the desert that touches my soul and fills my heart. Those who think that America consists of the bustle found in the cities in the East and the glamour of the "left coast," really miss the true beauty of America. America is a beautiful country, with a wealth of diverse landscapes that can please any one's eye and reach their soul. Those who believe that the essence of America is the sum total of the political scene, the fight for bailout money, or the scramble for power or fame have lost touch with what makes America strong. America is strong because of it's people; including those who live in "flyover country, who love this land, and who want to protect it and her people.

Now this is a Travesty!

I didn't have the opportunity to serve in Iraq; but I know people who did. I have listened when they talked about the Iraqi citizens who risked their lives by serving as interpreters for American forces. I've met some of those Iraqi interpreters who have been able to obtain visas to come to the United States. They are genuinely nice folks, who made a decision to work for Americans who brought hope to them and their country; a decision that cost them their safety and sometimes cost even more. So I became increasingly angry as I read an article posted on FoxNEWS about the State Department's denial of a visa for an Iraqi interpreter who had repeatedly saved the lives of American troops; for what seems like a "made up" reason.

You see, this interpreter was a member of the Peshmerga, an anti-Saddam group. He was asked to get documents on one of Sadam's sons. He did so by stealing Uday Hussein's car, was caught, convicted, sent to prison, and repeatedly tortured. He actively worked to overthrow Saddam at a time when our foreign policy encouraged such activities...but a State Department Consular official denied this brave man's visa applications for himself, his wife, and their child, because he had a conviction for theft. He denied the visa despite a full explanation of the reasons behind the theft (the overthrow of a dictator) and despite numerous recommendations from military men and women (including General Officers) who described numerous occasions when this interpreter put his life on the line to save American lives. He's pulled wounded soldiers from destroyed vehicles and covered them with his own body to protect them from sniper fire. He's risked his own life to pull wounded troops to safety. His skill as an interpreter was invaluable at finding and catching insurgents. What more does anyone need to do?

This is a travesty and someone should question the real reason behind the visa denial. According to the FoxNEWs report, the State Department official who denied the visa was aware that this brave man was the organizational impetus behind a public meeting of translators to protest a political decision to hand over the real names of Iraqi translators to the Iraqi government; something the translators felt put them and their families in danger. He's also apparently been a whistleblower on a couple of other occasions. Perhaps, this State Department official who denied this heroic man his well-deserved visa is really just exercising his puny power.

Despite the denial, the Iraqi interpreter continues to work for the Americans. . .knowing that doing so risks his life and the life of his family. Amazing!

VA Has a New Gunn in Town!

If you've followed this blog at all, you'll know that I have been very critical about then-candidate Obama's judgment; particularly his judgment about people he selected to serve in important positions. As President, it didn't look like his judgment improved given the people he's chosen to serve on his Cabinet. Having said that....this time it looks like he got one right! Retired Air Force Colonel (and judge advocate) Will Gunn has been nominated to serve as the General Counsel for the Department of Veteran's Affairs. There couldn't be a better choice for the position. Will Gunn is one of the "good guys." I've known Will for a long time (about 20 years). In my opinion, he's extremely intelligent, personable, honest, and genuinely cares about others. The VA has come out ahead with this new "Gunn!"

Blogging

I haven't posted in quite a while; for a number of reasons. My life has been going through a lot of changes in the recent months and I've been "dealing" with some of those changes. I have to be careful about sharing any of the things that have been happening in my personal life, or sharing my personal thoughts, on this blog; because once it's on the internet....it's on the internet and people can use it against you. (No, I'm not paranoid; it's happened.) Unfortunate, but true. So....even though I'm sticking to my resolution to become a happier, optimistic person; I also have to be a realist. I'll have to avoid some topics, but I'll try to be better about posting those thoughts I can share. I still want to be a part of that continuing blog conversation.......

The Ultimate Wingman

When I was on active duty, a lot of Air Force leaders talked about "the Air Force Family" and emphasized how the Air Force takes care of its own; that we're all "wingmen." Some Airmen (particularly those in trouble) thought the concepts were just a lot of empty air. But, for the most part, the concepts are true and they work. I've seen some really amazing examples of how Airmen do care for, and take care of, each other. The institutional "Air Force Family" may falter at times, and there may be times when an Airman's wingman may be absent; but for the most part Airmen really do take care of each other. The story below is a great example.

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M., Feb. 5, 2009 - On April 30, 2008, Air Force Staff Sgt. Andrew Jones became what some would call the "ultimate wingman."

Jones, a senior controller in the Maintenance Operations Center of the 58th Maintenance Operations Squadron here, gave one of his kidneys to Air Force Tech. Sgt. Adam Johnson, a fellow controller who had been in total renal failure for more than 22 months.

Johnson was suffering from a rare autoimmune disease known as IgA nephropathy, which meant his body had turned against itself and his immune system was killing his own kidneys. He was undergoing long and painful dialysis treatments to remove the toxins from his blood that his kidneys no longer could.

"Adam would come to work on Monday and he would just be puffy. There's no other way to describe it," Air Force Maj. Mark O'Reilly, 58th MOS commander, said. "His skin was ashen, and there were bags under his eyes, but through it all, he never let it affect him or his professionalism."

Johnson's family all submitted to screening tests, but none were found to be a viable donor. Six members of the 58th MOS also volunteered to undergo screening; however, all but one were quickly eliminated. The sixth, another MOC controller, passed all but the last test before finding out that she, too, was not a viable donor.

After almost 18 months of dialysis, the prospects of finding a kidney were starting to dim.

Then, in the summer of 2007, Jones joined the MOC team as a weapons system controller. He heard about Johnson's fight for life and his need for a kidney, and without any hesitation, he volunteered to undergo the screening process.

The screening process is long and arduous. Besides the many compatibility tests and invasive procedures to ensure a donor kidney will be accepted by its host body, potential donors also must undergo many hours of counseling and psychological screenings. The tests are for the safety of both the donor and the recipient and are meant to ensure the donation is being made under proper legal and ethical circumstances.

For Jones, this meant that many tests had to be performed after long nights as the senior controller during the midnight shift. Then, finally, on April 1, doctors cleared Jones to donate one of his kidneys to Johnson.

"At first, I thought it was an April Fools joke," Jones said.

The surgery took place April 30. For six hours, doctors worked to remove the kidney from Jones and implant it into Johnson.

"The kidney 'pinked up' immediately," Lorissa Johnson, the recipient's wife, said. "Before long, the color returned to Adam's face and his energy started coming back. He had so much energy the nurses had to threaten to tie him down to keep him in bed!"

Meanwhile, recovery for Jones was painful, at times making even breathing unbearable. Family, friends and members of the 58th MOS stood by him, and despite the struggles, Jones never complained or regretted the decision.

"I felt that, for whatever reason, I was meant to be in the MOC and to help [Johnson]," Jones said.

Johnson said he'll always feel gratitude toward Jones.

"It is truly a humbling experience to have to ask someone outside of my family to give up an organ," he said. "[Jones'] decision to donate rescued me from a miserable existence on dialysis. His gift gave me my life back and saved my military career, and I will always be grateful for that."

Both sergeants have fully recovered and continue to work side by side in the MOC.

In my book, SSgt Jones is a hero and a wonderful example of how the Air Force Family helps its own.