HAPPY MONDAY! Okay, that's an oxymoron if I've ever heard one!
As we enter the final week of Summer School, I can only say HOO-RAY! Summer School is like real school, only it's not real school. We do one semester in one month. ARRRGH!
I am now three days behind where I am supposed to be. The majority of my class is composed of "The Bridge Program". Some program, paid for by federal funds (yep, your taxes at work) that serves as a "Bridge" from High School to College for students who may not be "ready" for the university. And how do they get ready? By taking four days off to take a trip to Gatlenburg Tennessee! Gee, I wish I could get a trip to Gatlenburg at taxpayer's expense! I should just flunk them all out of general principles -- "Welcome to college, kids!" But Nah, then I'd be labeled insensitive and racist. In higher ed., those labels are a career-killer! So rather than put my career in jeopardy, I'll just watch the other 1/3rd of my class get screwed -- "welcome to real life, kids!"
Heard from the step-son yesterday -- it's hotter than hell, the fleas are unstoppable and the spiders are badass! These camel spiders are the size of your foot, and if you see one, it will turn and run away. But as soon as you turn your back, the spider comes after YOU! Badass mother-lovers, those spiders are! So the next package we send him will have to contain bug-killer. Maybe even DDT! Because spiders like this will drink up RAID and look at you and laugh. "What, is this the best you have?" "I drink this shit for Breakfast!" Badass spiders!
The powers that be are finally letting them shoot back at the SOB's that crawl up to the berm and fire blindly at their FOB with AK-47's. About damn time! Look, I'm talking about an FOB (Forward Operating Base) manned by US Marines and US Army Combat Soldiers. We're talking about Gung-Ho Marines and Hard Core Soldiers here! So you're asking 18, 19,20+ year old men, 8,000 miles from home, being eaten alive by sand fleas, in 140+ degree daytime heat to sit there and do nothing while an ENEMY shoots at them? The step-son mans a tower with another soldier with their M-16's, plus two machine guns with plenty of ammunition -- trained to fight and kill the enemy -- and you say "Guys, now don't you shoot at those poor little insurgents -- unless they are stupid enough to actually try to cut through the wire." Yeah, right. He didn't say but I am speculating that one of those blind shots got a little too close for comfort to someone with brass on their shoulders. "Hey, I almost got hit -- KILL THE BASTARDS!"
Second job for the step-son -- checking cars for IED's. That gains him an extra $2,200 per month -- and gains his mother something else to worry about. Basically, him and other soldiers man a check-point and stop every car, take everyone out of the vehicle, and hand search it for weapons and Improvised Explosive Devices. He didn't say what he was supposed to do if he actually FOUND one -- maybe he didn't want his mother to know.
Funny how your perspective changes when a loved-one is over there -- before, when we heard about a soldier losing his life in Iraq we felt sad and empathic for the soldier's family. NOW the first thing we think of is "well, the step-son isn't there -- THANK GOD". Then we feel for the families. I just hope that all this blood and treasure we have expended in Iraq and Afganistan is worth it. That what ever comes out of all this mess when it ends (and someday it all will end) will be better for the US and the rest of the world -- not to mention the Iraqi people. Speaking of which, another of the step-son's jobs is supervising a work-crew made up of Iraqi men as they load trucks and head out to re-build infrastructure or new schools or something to benefit the population. And one thing he has discovered, is they are pretty much like us! They have many of the same problems we have, and many of the same worries that we do. Even in a Muslim country, 8,000 from the US, one can find commonalities with the locals. It is truly a small world.
I mentioned Afganistan, but I haven't been totally forthcoming about my ties there. Somewhere in Afganistan, I have a nephew -- Master Sergeant, US Army Special Forces -- out there hunting for Osama Bin Laden. He has just started his fourth tour. He HAD to do two but he volunteered for the rest of them. Why? Because of 9/11. He didn't know anyone in the twin towers, nor on Flight 93. None of his friends were involved in any of the search and rescue efforts. No he volunteered because he was PISSED! These (insert appropriate, politically incorrect labels for Arab Terrorists) came into HIS country, in HIS house and killed HIS people! That can't go unanswered! Plus, he was one of the soldiers that got to see the flag that was flying over the World Trade Center when the twin towers collapsed -- the one the Firemen were saluting at ground zero. After that, he knew his job was to find that (insert appropriate politically incorrect terms for Arab Terrorists) and bring him in. His orders are to bring him in alive if at all possible -- but the orders are not specific as to what condition OBL will be in when they turn him over.
NEWS COMMENT: Dude that got 15 months and a dishonorable discharge and lost his rank for not returning with his unit to Iraq when they were re-deployed -- he should be thankful it's 2005. 60 years ago, he would have been shot as a deserter.
Anyone besides me think that "The search for Natalie" has gone on too long? Or could care less about who or what Brad Pitt is humping this week? This year's summer movies were the worst ever? That neither Simpson sister has ANY talent that didn't come out of a voice synthiser? Doesn't care what Scott Peterson has to say about ANYTHING? That pedophiles should be shot on sight? Their bodies dumped into the nearest landfill? And their families billed for the shooter's time and ammunition? That Jane Fonda should just go away? Or, yeah, $2.38 for a gallon of gas SUCKS -- but no one's come up with a better way to power my car? Give me that -- and you're my hero!
Wrapping this up for now -- I remain your humble typist of aimless, time wasting tripe.
BLOG OUT!
posted by Eric at 11:35 AM
