First and foremost, let's talk about disclaimers shall we. If you get butt hurt real easy, if your panties are in a bunch as soon as you put them on, if you don't appreciate the God like versatility of the word FUCK, if you don't like the C-bomb dropped, if you can't take a joke, or if sarcasm is not one of the languages you speak, hit the fucking back button because I'm about to go off.... just a tiny bit, just a little tiny fucking bit.
Second, before you read further, check this shit out.
How America is about to get FUCKED!
Now if that didn't piss you the fuck off then do the rest of us a favor and paint your fucking dumb ass reflective fucking yellow and go lay down across the street and pretend to be a fucking speed bump because that's about all you're fucking worth.
I've been watching our sorry ass excuse for a government try to lead this country here recently and let me tell you it's like trying to watch a monkey fuck a football covered in Vaseline. I mean they want to cut defense spending, they want to cut government spending, and yet they are seriously considering keeping us in Afghanistan for another fucking ten years. IF and that's a big fucking IF, we manage to get the fuck out of that desolate place by 2014 that will be 12 fucking years in the same God damned war. Yes, 12 fucking years isn't enough we want to make it twenty-fucking-two! Oh but it's only like 25,000 troops, air support, and weapons..... hmmm.... shut the fuck up you fucking moron. Go back to your asbestos filled fucking home and continue to snack on lead paint chips and lick the fucking windows you mouth breathing douche bag.
Let me clue you in on something. The problem with our economy is not excess government, it's not tax cuts, it's not because we give corporations all the tax breaks and none to the people who actually pay taxes. Are you ready for a fucking epiphany? Here you go. Wait for it.... WAR IS FUCKING EXPENSIVE!!!! That's it. That is almost entirely why our country is going to shit. Because right now we are throwing all of our assets into a fucking ideological campaign. If we leave the place the insurgency may take over but guess fucking what?!?! We'll have enough fucking money to support our own fucking country. So in essence the terrorist will lose because we'll still be here. Yep, like fucking cock roaches after a nuclear blast.
So allow me to offer a history lesson. Remember those people who we were all about fighting but not fighting after World War II? Who were they again? OH YEAH! Them commie bastards from the USSR. Oh, wait, they're not around anymore. How could that be? Could it be because the government had squandered so many of their assets fighting a war that they could no longer support their people? Wait, where was that war again? Shit. That's right FUCKING AFGHANISTAN! News flash! People have been trying to control that land for-fucking-ever! People have been going there since before Christ was rocking Jesus creepers and most of them had enough common sense to say "Fuck It, I'm going home". Well that was up until one of the two major Super Powers thought they were good enough and then they were no longer a fucking super power. Now the last remaining "Super Power" is there.... hmmm I can only hope our government will take a look at history.
Here's another thing that baffles my fucking mind. We want to cut defense spending and the good old DoD says well we need to slash benefits because the cost of TriCare (Military health care) has increased exponentially over the past decade. Well no shit you fucking exhaust smoking brainiacs! We've been at war the past decade. We have improved our protective equipment so fucking much over the past few decades that people are surviving what used to kill people before. Guess what? It's cheaper to put someone in the dirt than it is to keep them alive and get them healthy. That shit costs fucking money. Here's another clue. When we activate a reservist or national guardsman then we have to provide that individual and their family with health care. This also costs money. Not to fucking mention that reservists and national guardsman while on Active Duty actually make more than your regular Active Duty personnel because they all get benefits of a married service member even if they aren't. Hey Congress... this isn't fucking rocket science but after looking at some of your college records I suppose it may seem that way to you. So yeah it only makes fucking sense that military health care costs will increase exponentially when this shit goes on.
Staying in Afghanistan for an additional ten fucking years is not the fucking answer. It's more money and more lives lost. Osama bin Laden is throwing a fucking party with Sea Urchins right now because the man is fucking winning. Have you idiots ever read any of his fucking speeches? I know you haven't but I think as a leader of this country and her people that you should give us the courtesy of understanding our enemy. Here's the thing. Bin Laden and the other leadership of this organization aren't fucking stupid. We may have limited their operational capability by cutting off one of the heads but blowing up buildings wasn't their true goal. Their goal was to bring down America by any means possible. One of those ways was economic ruin. They want us to stay and fight. They want us to spend all of our money trying to hunt for needles in a haystack. They want us to waste our resources. Unfortunately you morons don't see that because you've never taken the time to read what the man has said. We are doing exactly what they want if we stay because no matter how many social programs we cut, no matter how much we raise taxes, no matter how much we reduce government, and no matter how much we cut defense spending; War is still EXPENSIVE. This is the bottom line, and as long as we continue to fuck around with this shit we will continuously spend more than we can possibly hope take in.
All I can say at this point is by the time my kids are in college they are gonna Google Epic Fail (or ask their Uncle Jake) and they are going to see a picture of this fucking country.
The worst part about it is that from what I can tell in 2012 I'll be researching all the Presidential candidates to decide not who to vote for, but who to vote against.
Ok, for the time being I'm done.... sorry it's been so long.
Via con queso,
Your friendly neighborhood baby killer,
The Senator
Friday, August 19, 2011
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Torn Between Wars...
So this one is a little different. It's not my normal hotbed of insanely pieced together verbal assaults on various people and things that piss me off. This is more along the lines of me trying to sort out some shit that's constantly going through my head. However, my normal disclaimer still applies because even though this may seem a bit tame I still hold this ever so glorious ability to offend people even when I don't intend to. I also want to say that I am doing fine. What you are about to read may seem upsetting and normally I wouldn't post this online. However, I also think it's kind of important for some of you to gain a little insight into some veterans thoughts. More than likely not all, but I would hope that I'm not the only who has these crazy ass thoughts and feelings. Anyways, on to the post.
There are two things you need to be aware of about my current mental state. First and foremost I read an article the other day which really got me thinking entitled, "Why Would Anyone Miss War?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17junger.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
Secondly, this afternoon I'll be heading to Arlington National Cemetery to pay my respects, say my goodbyes, and watch as one of my former Marines, Cpl Kyle Schneider, be laid to rest. He was killed in Afghanistan by an IED on June 30th, 2010. He was a great Marine, he is too fucking young, and he will be truly missed.
So here I sit unable to concentrate on much of anything. The last few weeks have been wrought with nightmares and little sleep. I can't help but think that I forgot to teach this young Marine something before he left my charge. I forgot some minor detail that would have brought him home to his fiancee and family. I forgot something. Then there is also the point where I can't shake this nagging feeling that had I been there, had I gone back to the fleet, I could have done something to keep him alive. I know this seems ridiculous but you try and argue realism with my brain because for me it isn't working. It's not just guilt though. It's so much more. Here I am stationed in Washington, DC taking care of my family, spending time with my kids, enjoying time with my wife, and yet, I really fucking miss it.
It's fucked up, I can't explain it. War is hell. Getting shot at isn't exactly a past time that I truly enjoy. Having mortars and rockets shot at you isn't a great time either. After a while you become numb to it because you come to realize that it will either hit you or it won't, running for the nearest bunker stops making sense after a while because you could just be running to where the bastard is about to land. IED's, yeah they're a blast. Driving along, minding your own business, wondering to yourself why in the fuck anyone would choose to live in this god forsaken landscape, and then BOOM! You're ears ring so loud you can't hear shit, your heart races so fast you think it may pop, your head hurts, your eyes water, your adrenalin kicks in, and once you establish that everyone else in the truck is alive you start singing to yourself "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" to verify you're still in one piece. For all of you that think taking a life is a worth while experience, let me tell you it's not. If you even take a life where you see that individuals face I promise you that face will haunt you the rest of your life. Especially, when your realize it may have been an innocent civilian. Then there is the point that the true horror of war is realized when you stop playing and notice that some of your friends who got killed during the game don't magically stand up to play another day. Seriously, who the fuck would miss that? Well for some reason I do.
Marines train hard. We constantly go on training operations, go to ranges, physical conditioning, conditioning hikes, we practice shooting in simulated combat conditions, we blow shit up on a regular basis, shoot rockets, fire mortars, fire machine guns, all in the name of going to war and killing bad guys. After you do this for so long it's exhilarating to go to combat and put these skills to practical use. There's more to it than just that though. When you lead Marines there is even more. It's not a power trip thing. It's watching these young Marines that you've helped train work as a cohesive, combat, force to be reckoned with. Everything comes together in a sense, within all the chaos they work as a team and the straight up fuck shit up. It is a beautiful thing to be in charge of. Those Marines start to mean a little more to you after a while. They become you're family away from family. It's like you are in charge of your little brothers and you see them deceiving your parents for the first time. You beam with pride because you know they learned it from you. It's strange and even with all the bull shit I miss that most. This is also a catch 22 because when you lose one, the pain is amplified, and you can't help but think you forgot to teach them something.
Then there is the battle at home. I mean within me. Not actual battle of family. It is extremely difficult for me to understand how I can become emotionally numb at times to my own family. As much as I love spending time with them and doing various things that we all enjoy there is a part of me that screams "You Don't Belong Here!" Like this isn't the life I'm supposed to have. You've done too many fucked up things to deserve this, you should be back in combat doing that thing you do. Then sometimes there is even anger towards my family keeping me here, never manifested, normally suppressed and released in more constructive ways but still every once and a while it creeps up from the sub-conscious because if it wasn't for them I could just keep bouncing from deployment to deployment. Try sleeping when that shit is playing on your mind. It just doesn't fucking happen. I mean seriously, some nights I get up, look at my sleeping wife, look at my sleeping kids, wash my face, look in the mirror, and think, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Yet there is still a longing to return.
It's strange, it's hard to get a handle on, and it seems impossible to understand. How can I want to leave something I love so much and return to something that haunts me to this day? It just doesn't make sense. Frustration doesn't begin to scratch the surface. Sometimes I want to cry, other times I want to scream, and sometimes I want to choke the living shit out of someone.
You know last week I worked a parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial. Part of the description for the battle of Iwo Jima that is announced is, "It was like throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete." That's kind of fitting now. The casualties aren't nearly as great yet we keep throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete but this time we wrap them in some form of padding so some of them bounce off and come home forever fucked with the memories of the experience. Then once they get home they go through this process to get support that is like navigating a maze blindfolded. This particular parade our Guest of Honor was the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His aide gave me a coin and thanked me for my service and took off before I could give it back to him. I've got the coin sitting in front of me right now and I am seriously considering writing a letter to Mr. Gould, placing the coin inside, and simply stating, "Thank you, but no thank you." The Department of Veterans Affairs is supposed to be for the veterans but most veterans I know have been struggling with them since they got off Active Service. Even Active Service doesn't understand. I've got a fucking therapist that constantly tells me to relax, do relaxation exercises, and think happy fucking thoughts. She seems to have truly missed the point. I've got a psychologist who seems to think I may have hyper-mania because I've had periods lasting days when I can't sleep. They both say that I have PTSD yet they don't seem to be concerned with treating it. It's frustrating shit and I just want to tell them both to go fuck themselves but I have to have it thoroughly documented if I want a fighting chance with the VA when I'm done with Active Duty.
Maybe that's it. Maybe that's why we miss it so much. Maybe it's because war is so much easier. It's a game of survival. It's constantly trying to out think the enemy and stay a step ahead. There's no one else to worry about except you and your Marines. You go out, you work with the locals, you find the bad guys, and you kill them. It just seems so much simpler than dealing with everything in a normal life. Again, how fucked up is that?
For now, I think I'm done. Maybe more in the future but yeah, for now I'm done. I'm going to get ready, head out and go say my good byes to a Marine lost. Another name on a list that has grown far too long over the last ten years.
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother.”
~ William Shakespeare, Henry V – Act 4, Scene 3
There are two things you need to be aware of about my current mental state. First and foremost I read an article the other day which really got me thinking entitled, "Why Would Anyone Miss War?"
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/07/17/opinion/sunday/17junger.html?_r=2&emc=tnt&tntemail1=y
Secondly, this afternoon I'll be heading to Arlington National Cemetery to pay my respects, say my goodbyes, and watch as one of my former Marines, Cpl Kyle Schneider, be laid to rest. He was killed in Afghanistan by an IED on June 30th, 2010. He was a great Marine, he is too fucking young, and he will be truly missed.
So here I sit unable to concentrate on much of anything. The last few weeks have been wrought with nightmares and little sleep. I can't help but think that I forgot to teach this young Marine something before he left my charge. I forgot some minor detail that would have brought him home to his fiancee and family. I forgot something. Then there is also the point where I can't shake this nagging feeling that had I been there, had I gone back to the fleet, I could have done something to keep him alive. I know this seems ridiculous but you try and argue realism with my brain because for me it isn't working. It's not just guilt though. It's so much more. Here I am stationed in Washington, DC taking care of my family, spending time with my kids, enjoying time with my wife, and yet, I really fucking miss it.
It's fucked up, I can't explain it. War is hell. Getting shot at isn't exactly a past time that I truly enjoy. Having mortars and rockets shot at you isn't a great time either. After a while you become numb to it because you come to realize that it will either hit you or it won't, running for the nearest bunker stops making sense after a while because you could just be running to where the bastard is about to land. IED's, yeah they're a blast. Driving along, minding your own business, wondering to yourself why in the fuck anyone would choose to live in this god forsaken landscape, and then BOOM! You're ears ring so loud you can't hear shit, your heart races so fast you think it may pop, your head hurts, your eyes water, your adrenalin kicks in, and once you establish that everyone else in the truck is alive you start singing to yourself "Head, shoulders, knees, and toes" to verify you're still in one piece. For all of you that think taking a life is a worth while experience, let me tell you it's not. If you even take a life where you see that individuals face I promise you that face will haunt you the rest of your life. Especially, when your realize it may have been an innocent civilian. Then there is the point that the true horror of war is realized when you stop playing and notice that some of your friends who got killed during the game don't magically stand up to play another day. Seriously, who the fuck would miss that? Well for some reason I do.
Marines train hard. We constantly go on training operations, go to ranges, physical conditioning, conditioning hikes, we practice shooting in simulated combat conditions, we blow shit up on a regular basis, shoot rockets, fire mortars, fire machine guns, all in the name of going to war and killing bad guys. After you do this for so long it's exhilarating to go to combat and put these skills to practical use. There's more to it than just that though. When you lead Marines there is even more. It's not a power trip thing. It's watching these young Marines that you've helped train work as a cohesive, combat, force to be reckoned with. Everything comes together in a sense, within all the chaos they work as a team and the straight up fuck shit up. It is a beautiful thing to be in charge of. Those Marines start to mean a little more to you after a while. They become you're family away from family. It's like you are in charge of your little brothers and you see them deceiving your parents for the first time. You beam with pride because you know they learned it from you. It's strange and even with all the bull shit I miss that most. This is also a catch 22 because when you lose one, the pain is amplified, and you can't help but think you forgot to teach them something.
Then there is the battle at home. I mean within me. Not actual battle of family. It is extremely difficult for me to understand how I can become emotionally numb at times to my own family. As much as I love spending time with them and doing various things that we all enjoy there is a part of me that screams "You Don't Belong Here!" Like this isn't the life I'm supposed to have. You've done too many fucked up things to deserve this, you should be back in combat doing that thing you do. Then sometimes there is even anger towards my family keeping me here, never manifested, normally suppressed and released in more constructive ways but still every once and a while it creeps up from the sub-conscious because if it wasn't for them I could just keep bouncing from deployment to deployment. Try sleeping when that shit is playing on your mind. It just doesn't fucking happen. I mean seriously, some nights I get up, look at my sleeping wife, look at my sleeping kids, wash my face, look in the mirror, and think, "What the fuck is wrong with you?" Yet there is still a longing to return.
It's strange, it's hard to get a handle on, and it seems impossible to understand. How can I want to leave something I love so much and return to something that haunts me to this day? It just doesn't make sense. Frustration doesn't begin to scratch the surface. Sometimes I want to cry, other times I want to scream, and sometimes I want to choke the living shit out of someone.
You know last week I worked a parade at the Marine Corps War Memorial. Part of the description for the battle of Iwo Jima that is announced is, "It was like throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete." That's kind of fitting now. The casualties aren't nearly as great yet we keep throwing human flesh against reinforced concrete but this time we wrap them in some form of padding so some of them bounce off and come home forever fucked with the memories of the experience. Then once they get home they go through this process to get support that is like navigating a maze blindfolded. This particular parade our Guest of Honor was the Deputy Secretary of Veterans Affairs. His aide gave me a coin and thanked me for my service and took off before I could give it back to him. I've got the coin sitting in front of me right now and I am seriously considering writing a letter to Mr. Gould, placing the coin inside, and simply stating, "Thank you, but no thank you." The Department of Veterans Affairs is supposed to be for the veterans but most veterans I know have been struggling with them since they got off Active Service. Even Active Service doesn't understand. I've got a fucking therapist that constantly tells me to relax, do relaxation exercises, and think happy fucking thoughts. She seems to have truly missed the point. I've got a psychologist who seems to think I may have hyper-mania because I've had periods lasting days when I can't sleep. They both say that I have PTSD yet they don't seem to be concerned with treating it. It's frustrating shit and I just want to tell them both to go fuck themselves but I have to have it thoroughly documented if I want a fighting chance with the VA when I'm done with Active Duty.
Maybe that's it. Maybe that's why we miss it so much. Maybe it's because war is so much easier. It's a game of survival. It's constantly trying to out think the enemy and stay a step ahead. There's no one else to worry about except you and your Marines. You go out, you work with the locals, you find the bad guys, and you kill them. It just seems so much simpler than dealing with everything in a normal life. Again, how fucked up is that?
For now, I think I'm done. Maybe more in the future but yeah, for now I'm done. I'm going to get ready, head out and go say my good byes to a Marine lost. Another name on a list that has grown far too long over the last ten years.
“We few, we happy few, we band of brothers.
For he today that sheds his blood with me
shall be my brother.”
~ William Shakespeare, Henry V – Act 4, Scene 3
Saturday, July 2, 2011
Beer Review!!!! July 2, 2011
Okay I know, I'm late. The 4th of July weekend threw my schedule into turmoil. Plus I'm now on vacation. I promise to download my Droid's manual so I can figure out how to do the copy paste feature on my phone. That way I can do this on the road as well.
Now before I bestow the beer review on all of you I wanted to say a few words about the 4th. Basically, please be responsible! I know we all love to partake in the frothy goodness as well as other spirits but if you happen to over indulge make sure not to do anything too crazy. When I say that I'm referring to driving or boating of any sort. The crazy that involves making giant sling shots in the backyard, fat costume sumo wrestling, or anything equally insane is okay. That's where the fun stories come in! At any rate, thanks again to our resident brewmaster, Danny W!
Stone Brewing Company
Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
Cascadian Dark Ale/India Black Ale
8.7%ABV
Appearance - A nice Dark Brown almost Black with a Rocky Tan Head that lingers, lots of carbonation.
Smell - Sweet and Dank from Amarillo and Simcoe Hops, the Light Roasty notes just barely make it through with a hint of Coffee.
Taste - Tons of Hop Flavor colliding wtih Roast and Chocolate to make a great complex flavor. Just the slightest bit of heat from the alcohol lingers
in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel - Slick and Creamy with lots of body, this beer is great as a dessert!
Overall - One of the best examples of the new Cascadian Dark Ale style of beers that I've tasted. This beer is like a mix of a light stout and India Pale
Ale with a great balance of Hops and Roasted Malts. If you like hoppy, in your face beers like only Stone can make, then this is a beer for you!
In addition to this awesome selection by Danny I would also encourage everyone to try the various Seasonal Brew's that are released. Not just the main stream like Sam Adam's Summer Ale or Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat. Try some of the smaller brewery stuff that may be specific to your area, you will be amazed at how good some of them are. Danny has been pretty damn good at reviewing stuff that is nation wide so we can all find it. Stone is available at most Wegman's, if you don't have a Wegman's in your area I'm truly sorry because they have a GREAT selection!
Happy 4th of July everyone! Enjoy the fireworks! I'll be hiding under a couch somewhere while that's going on but the rest of you crack on!
Now before I bestow the beer review on all of you I wanted to say a few words about the 4th. Basically, please be responsible! I know we all love to partake in the frothy goodness as well as other spirits but if you happen to over indulge make sure not to do anything too crazy. When I say that I'm referring to driving or boating of any sort. The crazy that involves making giant sling shots in the backyard, fat costume sumo wrestling, or anything equally insane is okay. That's where the fun stories come in! At any rate, thanks again to our resident brewmaster, Danny W!
Stone Brewing Company
Sublimely Self-Righteous Ale
Cascadian Dark Ale/India Black Ale
8.7%ABV
Appearance - A nice Dark Brown almost Black with a Rocky Tan Head that lingers, lots of carbonation.
Smell - Sweet and Dank from Amarillo and Simcoe Hops, the Light Roasty notes just barely make it through with a hint of Coffee.
Taste - Tons of Hop Flavor colliding wtih Roast and Chocolate to make a great complex flavor. Just the slightest bit of heat from the alcohol lingers
in the aftertaste.
Mouthfeel - Slick and Creamy with lots of body, this beer is great as a dessert!
Overall - One of the best examples of the new Cascadian Dark Ale style of beers that I've tasted. This beer is like a mix of a light stout and India Pale
Ale with a great balance of Hops and Roasted Malts. If you like hoppy, in your face beers like only Stone can make, then this is a beer for you!
In addition to this awesome selection by Danny I would also encourage everyone to try the various Seasonal Brew's that are released. Not just the main stream like Sam Adam's Summer Ale or Blue Moon Summer Honey Wheat. Try some of the smaller brewery stuff that may be specific to your area, you will be amazed at how good some of them are. Danny has been pretty damn good at reviewing stuff that is nation wide so we can all find it. Stone is available at most Wegman's, if you don't have a Wegman's in your area I'm truly sorry because they have a GREAT selection!
Happy 4th of July everyone! Enjoy the fireworks! I'll be hiding under a couch somewhere while that's going on but the rest of you crack on!
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Tasty Tuesday!!!! 6-21
Okay so due to my commitments last week I epically failed and didn't get the beer review done. Well to make it up to you I'm giving you the review on Tasty Tuesday so you are prepared to spend your Hump Day in the correct frame of mind! Intoxicated! Without further adieu here is a beer review from our most revered Brewmaster, Danny W.
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Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
La Roja
Flanders Red
7.2%ABV
Appearance - Pours a Deep Cloudy Amberish, almost Brown color with a Tight Tan head.
Smell - Slight Vinegar and Cherries with a lingering Sweet scent.
Taste - Cinnamon & Clove Spicy notes and a refreshing acidic bite, moving on to a fruity aftertaste. A nice light Sourness from the Brettanomyces that balances the other flavors in the beer nicely.
Mouthfeel - Light and Clean, with an Apple Cider type of feel.
Overall - This is the best Flanders style of beer I've ever tasted, it's just complex enough to keep you entertained but not so much so that you can't just sit back and enjoy the beer for what it is. The sourness is on the lower end of the scale as is the acetic character so it's a great introduction to sour beers.
La Roja
Flanders Red
7.2%ABV
Appearance - Pours a Deep Cloudy Amberish, almost Brown color with a Tight Tan head.
Smell - Slight Vinegar and Cherries with a lingering Sweet scent.
Taste - Cinnamon & Clove Spicy notes and a refreshing acidic bite, moving on to a fruity aftertaste. A nice light Sourness from the Brettanomyces that balances the other flavors in the beer nicely.
Mouthfeel - Light and Clean, with an Apple Cider type of feel.
Overall - This is the best Flanders style of beer I've ever tasted, it's just complex enough to keep you entertained but not so much so that you can't just sit back and enjoy the beer for what it is. The sourness is on the lower end of the scale as is the acetic character so it's a great introduction to sour beers.
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell" and the Can of Worms
As usual my normal disclaimer applies. However, this blog is a little bit special as it may offend the normally non-offended as I blast out some opinions on religion and sexual-orientation. I must also state that this is my personal opinion and is NOT the opinion of the Marine Corps, Armed Services, Department of Defense, or anyone else who may want to court martial me following this little rant. Now for my truly religious readers, I will warn you now; this may upset you so this especially applies to you, read at your own risk.
First things first, if you haven’t read the article on the most glorious bookface here is a link about the new SgtMaj of the Marine Corps and what he told the Marines about the repeal of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.
If you aren’t inclined to read it let me sum it up for you in just a few words. “Get over it.”
Now the reason I feel the need to blog about this is because a lot of people, and I mean a LOT, ask my opinion on the decision to repeal the Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell policy. When I’m asked my opinion in uniform I simply state, “Sir or Ma’am, I don’t have an opinion on this issue. My Commander-in-Chief ordered that the policy be repealed and therefore as a Marine I will follow that order and implement the new policy.” Politically correct huh? Believe it or not I came up with that line of shit all on my own but I must say that it’s the truth. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, order issued order followed. Period. HOWEVER, (pause for effect) I do have an opinion on this matter and here on the trusty innerwebz I can rant and rave about it without implicating neither my rank nor the Marine Corps.
So to give you a refresher when all this started I was opposed to repealing DADT. Does this make me some sort of sexual bigot? Nope. It means I didn’t want to deal with the bullshit that is now rolling down from Capitol Hill to my humble world as a Marine and an Infantryman. I may not be the brightest fucking color in the box of crayons but I recognized the fact that by repealing the DADT policy that our trusty government was opening a can of worms that makes Texas looks like Rhode Island. I mean really, they didn’t see this shit coming? Probably not because the only things they were thinking about when they repealed DADT were how many votes they were securing for the next election. Granted there may be a handful that were pushing this issue for equal rights but for the most part they were trying to tap into a fairly large sector of voters. If you don’t believe that I have a bridge for sale in Brooklyn and I’m selling cheap!
Let me explain something really quick here before I go into how much inequality repealing the DADT policy actually brought to the surface. Most people in the military don’t give a rat’s ass if an individual is gay. We all understand and probably know of someone who is gay that serves. Most of us aren’t bothered by it as long as it isn’t broadcast like crazy because it’s personal business. Let me put it this way. Few people care what religion you are, do what you gotta do, just don’t preach to me. Make sense?
Now on to the fun stuff. So the government say, “Let there be GAY” in the military. Awesome. We have separate livings quarters for males and females to help dissuade the younger hormone infused personnel from bumping uglies. In a logical sense we should do the same for homosexuals but it isn’t happening. So we coexist. Not too big of a deal there although I think it could cause some issues for units deployed but they’ll work it out. Yet the living quarters issue is something that bothers me. Let me spill out this can of worms a bit. As a heterosexual male or female if you get married you have a right to get several benefits. A basic allowance for housing (BAH), a basic allowance for sustenance (BAS), residence on base in lieu of receiving BAH, life insurance, dental insurance, and health insurance. These are the big ticket items. So here is my major complaint. If we are going to allow gays to openly serve in the military why the fuck won’t you allow them to get married? SERIOUSLY. If you get married in a state that recognizes gay marriage then you can get married BUT, and this is a big fucking Hillary Clinton sized BUT here, the MILITARY AND U.S. FUCKING GOVERNMENT won’t recognize that marriage. Oh shit. That means that you won’t get housing, BAH, BAS, or insurance for your new spouse because they have the same parts that you do. Yet this is a step towards equality? What the fuck! This ladies and gentlemen is an atrocity towards equal rights.
So I’m sure you’ve been wondering how I may offend our friends of the cloth, well, here it comes. For those of you who are sitting there saying the government shouldn’t recognize gay marriage because it makes a mockery of the meaning of marriage and because in God’s eyes it’s wrong, all I can say to you is wake the fuck up. First off, if two guys love each other and want to get married then fucking let them. How is that making a mockery of the meaning of marriage? How about all the politicians running around making a mockery of the meaning of marriage? You know the ones who are involved in prostitution rings, who run around sticking the dick into anything that will let them, and then go to church and pray to the baby Jesus that all gays burn into damnation. What about that shit? If anything destroys the sanctity of marriage that’s it. This goes along with my argument that if you Pro-Life uber Nazi’s knew that fetus you were trying to save was gay that you wouldn’t be so hard core about saving it. It’s bullshit. If you let them serve, let them get married and have the same fucking rights as the rest of us. If you don’t than you are beyond hypocritical. Unfortunately this is what most of the argument in the government is basing this on right now. Religious beliefs and the sanctity of marriage. Great fucking argument there. So let me drop back into history just a little bit and remind you of some of the arguments once based in religious beliefs.
Let’s first go back to that slave thing shall we. First off people straight up kidnapped a mother fucker out of his village, sold him, tossed him on a boat, then sold him again on the other side where he ended up on some fucking plantation picking cotton or doing some other heinous shit. They were treated like animals. It took a long ass time for someone to say, “Hey, that’s kind of fucked up.” And when someone did do that on the concept that the white man was created in the image of God people actually drew up charts pointing out the differently shaped head, the more muscular build, and other physical characteristics that differed from most whites. Because of these differences and the fact that whites were made in the image of God blacks were considered sub-human. They were deemed an inferior race because of these differences and because of that it was ok to treat them like animals. Don’t believe me? Google that shit. So then we had the Civil War which contrary to popular belief had little to do with slaves and everything to do with Federal vs. State power, however, a result of that struggle was that the slaves were freed. Well sort of freed. That’s an entirely different subject altogether. I just want to bring up the fact that although freed they weren’t by law made equal citizens until the Civil Rights movement of the 19fucking60’s! Finally 50 years after that we have our first black President. Great basis for opinions steeped in religious beliefs right.
What about women’s rights? That was a cluster fuck as well that for some reason because of religion they weren’t equal. What a crock of shit. This is the same damn thing. Because of some religious belief the sanctity of marriage will be violated if gays marry so the U.S. Government won’t recognize it. But, YAY, now they can serve openly and we will OPENLY discriminate against them by not allowing them the same rights and benefits afforded to heterosexual couples. So yeah let’s talk about equality. All the politicians are patting themselves on the back because they think they reached sexual equality within the ranks for allowing gays to openly serve. All they did was effectively show the world that we are going to openly discriminate against them. They opened a can of worms and now their heads are spinning as to what to do next.
So in my personal opinion I don’t really care about the DADT being repealed. Frankly I’m not bothered at all about gays in the military, hell they’ve been here the ENTIRE time. However, if you are going to repeal something like that you have to be prepared to go the distance to make things equal for all. I hate this half way bullshit.
As for the people still up in arms over the actual repeal, in a nut shell, get over it. It’s done. There is no more argument; there is no longer an opinion in that matter because it’s in the past. Now is time to move on and try to ensure that it’s done right. If you can’t handle that we are downsizing and you know when you’re end of active service is. So yeah mark time until you reach it. For the rest of us it’s trying to figure out how to do this right so everyone is equal regardless of race, sex, creed, religion, ethnicity, and now sexual-orientation.
Until next time…
The Senator
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Weekend preparations... das Beer Review.
So first and foremost I must extend my thanks to my former Squad Leader from back when I was a super boot in 2/1 81's Plt. Yes the originators of why Marines are bad for the women folk. From Coaches, to the Boogey, to many other places we frequented, namely Tijuana. Good times. In fact our resident Brewmaster was also in this infamous platoon of alcholics, womanizers, and trouble makers. So anyways allow me to introduce to you our beer of the week!
Sierra Nevada
Pale Ale
American Pale Ale
5.6%ABV
Appearance - A Bright Amberish Gold and perfectly clear with a slightly Tan Rocky head that dissapates very quickly.
Smell - Sweet Malt and a Clean Neutral hop bitterness dominate the scent of this beer.
Taste - Clean and crisp with a slight bite from the hops. It's perfectly balanced for an American Pale Ale.
Mouthfeel - This beer is light and refreshing, with a sharp bitterness and crisp dry finish.
Overall - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the classic "Gateway Beer", this is one beer that has converted more "Fizzy Yellow Beer Sissies" into Craft Beer Drinkers than any other. It's Crisp, Clean, Clear and has just the perfect balance of malt and hops to bring even the biggest "ButtWiper" Fan over to the Dark-Side. Don't believe me? Give it a try, I know you'll like it.
From the Senator:
I was exposed to this particular beer in Hawaii and I gotta tell you it's pretty damn good. It's not bitter like many other pale ales that you run across. Give it a try and you'll probably enjoy it as much as I have!
Sierra Nevada
Pale Ale
American Pale Ale
5.6%ABV
Appearance - A Bright Amberish Gold and perfectly clear with a slightly Tan Rocky head that dissapates very quickly.
Smell - Sweet Malt and a Clean Neutral hop bitterness dominate the scent of this beer.
Taste - Clean and crisp with a slight bite from the hops. It's perfectly balanced for an American Pale Ale.
Mouthfeel - This beer is light and refreshing, with a sharp bitterness and crisp dry finish.
Overall - Sierra Nevada Pale Ale is the classic "Gateway Beer", this is one beer that has converted more "Fizzy Yellow Beer Sissies" into Craft Beer Drinkers than any other. It's Crisp, Clean, Clear and has just the perfect balance of malt and hops to bring even the biggest "ButtWiper" Fan over to the Dark-Side. Don't believe me? Give it a try, I know you'll like it.
From the Senator:
I was exposed to this particular beer in Hawaii and I gotta tell you it's pretty damn good. It's not bitter like many other pale ales that you run across. Give it a try and you'll probably enjoy it as much as I have!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
So you want to cut spending...
So first and foremost let's talk just a little about my disclaimer shall we. It still applies and this one may offend more than normal because I'm just a little bit irritated. I say again, if you are easily offended, don't appreciate the semi-god like versatility of the word "fuck", or don't like the C-Bomb you may want to stop now. For the rest of you, read on at your own risk.
Prior to reading my rant further please refer to this article about the possibility of cutting troop pay and benefits.
http://www.military.com/news/article/mullen-says-pay-benefit-cuts-on-the-table.html
Now that you have a little background let me begin.
Defense spending is a hot topic and I, as an employee of the Defense Department fully agree with the fact that we need to cut spending. However, can we be a little more fucking realistic about this shit please. Although my pay and benefits package is pretty good, especially the benefits, there is no reason my pay or benefits should be cut. You wanna know why health care is costing the defense department so much fucking money. NEWS FLASH GENIUS, we're fucking surviving. Shit that woulda smoke checked a mother fucker in Vietnam isn't killing people anymore. So they are coming back fucked up. It costs a hell of a lot more fucking money to fix people that it does to bury them. Can no one else see this? What the fuck? You wanna know what else is doing it. We call them the reserves and the national guard. See although we offer these people health care, we only offer it to them when they are activated. Ummm.... so when we have them in reserve status we don't pay extra. Up until 10 years ago they weren't activated too much. However, when you go to war and then you decide to pull a Hitler and fight on multiple fronts you have to call up your reserves. I say again, when they are active we have to pay for their health care. Not to mention you also have to cover their dependents. Oh and if they get fucked up, we have to continue to care for them when they return. This isn't fucking rocket science.
So you want to cut defense spending do you. Here are a few profound fucking ideas on how to do it without fucking over the people who operate the fucking weapons. Instead of investing so much fucking money trying to develop a new weapon or piece of equipment that we don't need why don't we look to improve the ones we have that are combat proven. Instead of using the good old boy network to award fucking contracts for new equipment why don't we use the civilian version that has been tested as being more effective and cheaper. We have a free world fucking market out there at our disposal why not fucking use it instead of hiring your old officer buddy to reinvent the wheel for eleventy fucking million dollars. The Marines and Soldiers on the front lines are fucking amazing. We figured out that if mom sends us a fucking remote control car we can add some weight to it and blow up pressure plate IED's before the convoy runs them over. This costs roughly $50 bucks for the remote control car, and $10 for shipping. So does the government raid every fucking Toys R Us for this shit. Nope. We spend billions of dollars developing this high speed low drag wheel system the rides approximately 20 feet in front of the lead vehicle. It costs like $500,000 and once it goes boom it has little chance of being used again. So $60 or $500K. No fucking brainer. Not to fucking mention that the $500K variety is a stationary piece of fucking equipment so those insurgent fuckers figured if the put the plate in one spot they should put the explosive 15 to 20 feet behind it. So the roller hits the pressure plate and the boom happens under the vehicle. Great waste of fucking money guys. Give me that fucking remote control car and a fucking brick! We can drive that thing at various distances in front of a convoy which makes it harder to target! We call this not establishing a fucking pattern.
Want to cut more defense spending. STOP PAYING HALIBARTON TO CLEAN OUR FUCKING TOILETS. Are you fucking kidding me. We have people that are capable of cleaning up after themselves. This is fucking retarded and a huge fucking waste of god damn money and it needs to stop.
Here's another fucking idea. STOP GOING TO WAR. Afghanistan was originally understandable. But Iraq. That fucking giant douche bag was contained and couldn't do shit if he wanted to. Let him run his fucking mouth. Who gives a shit. The "Because we could" excuse doesn't set well with me either. Look at how much money and lives we've given for this fucking war. And for what? An ally in the middle east. Wait isn't that why we coddle fucking Saudi Arabia. We helped put a ruthless regime in power there and we've propped them up like it's fucking cool and look just how well that shit has worked out for us. How about holding up that no fly zone shit around Libya. That's fucking costing a minor fucking fortune and yet we're doing it. WILL SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY? Qaddafi has been in power and other than being a tard on occasion he has more or less been kept in check. So let those fuckers fight it out without our help. Oh and for those people that say it's all about human fucking rights. Here's a fucking idea hot shot, walk around any major fucking city in the United Fucked Up States of America and talk to the homeless. Go to the shelters and talk to the women and children that are there because they got pummeled by some waste of oxygen with a penis. THEN tell me we should spend TRILLIONS of fucking dollars saving other people instead of helping those you drive past every fucking day. Do me a favor and go to a brush fire in California this year and hug a fucking burning tree.
Having a force in readiness is needed to help out people when the shit hits the fan. Like Haiti, Japan, Indonesia, etc. It's not to go influence or invade countries cause the leader does fucked up shit to his people. That's fucking happening hear but we don't do shit. Oh wait, we are doing something. We're cutting the funding they need to help the few that they can. Great fucking move genius.
So yeah let's cut the pay and benefits of the working class instead of reducing retarded spending. That makes so much fucking sense.
What about other areas. Oh I have a fucking idea. Let's actually make corporations pay their fucking taxes and not give them a god damn fucking refund. I bet those mom and pop stores pay their fucking taxes and don't get a fucking return so why the fuck doesn't GE pay shit. When the fuck did we start saying hey make more fucking money and you won't pay fucking taxes. That shit is backwards. What about the wealthiest people in the country. Some of them are begging the government to tax them because they have the fucking money and some of them pay less in taxes than someone who makes 10% of what they do. How about we stop subsidizing oil fuckers. Jesus Howard Fucking Christ. Really. Have you not seen the price of gas? THEY MAKE ENOUGH FUCKING MONEY. We don't need to give them more so they can practice fucked up drilling that is destroying environments all over the globe. Oh and for those of you who think that subsidizing the oil companies keeps gas prices low. Do me a favor and go drink some gas, it has fucking vitamin C in it and other good shit. It's better for you than fruits and fucking vegetables. You fucking retard. Gas is actually fairly inexpensive, until you add the fucking TAXES. Back in the day Erie County New York decided that in order to help boost the economy during a recession that they would spend an entire week without collecting county sales tax. Let me tell you, the fucking gas prices dropped like .30 a gallon. Back in the 90's that put the shit under a buck a gallon. So there's an idea, instead of providing billions to oil companies, why not stop taxing gas so much to make it more affordable. The government will spend the same amount of money and the oil tycoons will still be rolling in it. Oh and how about pharmaceutical companies. Subsidize, subsidize, subsidize. Ever see a commercial that says, "If you can't afford your prescription Aztra Zeneca can help." Yeah we all have. Here's why. The government gives them money for research and development which in turn they use to be able to give medicine away cheaper to those in need. Sounds good right. Wrong. They use that shit as a fucking loophole and claim money that isn't even theirs in the first place as charitable donations. So now they pay less taxes while they rake in the fucking cash cause people are getting older and they need fucking drugs so they don't keel over and die. Or because some douche bag doctor who has his hands in the pharmaceutical company's pocket tells you that you need these meds. This is fucking criminal. Why don't we stop subsidizing those fuckers and put that money into Medicare so people can get some fucking insurance. This shit pisses me off and in the words of Murphy, it should piss you off too.
But instead of examining this shit, we want to consider cutting troops pay and benefits. So why not Congress? Why not other government positions that make retarded amounts of money for fingering his or her asshole at work and doing nothing because they knew somebody and that somebody owed them a favor.
Fuck this shit.
I need to stop before I fucking give myself a fucking heart attack. Then because they are cutting my benefits at least Astra douche fucking bag Zeneca can help me pay for my drugs that the doctor says I need so I don't die in 30 fucking seconds.
Grrrrr....
Prior to reading my rant further please refer to this article about the possibility of cutting troop pay and benefits.
http://www.military.com/news/article/mullen-says-pay-benefit-cuts-on-the-table.html
Now that you have a little background let me begin.
Defense spending is a hot topic and I, as an employee of the Defense Department fully agree with the fact that we need to cut spending. However, can we be a little more fucking realistic about this shit please. Although my pay and benefits package is pretty good, especially the benefits, there is no reason my pay or benefits should be cut. You wanna know why health care is costing the defense department so much fucking money. NEWS FLASH GENIUS, we're fucking surviving. Shit that woulda smoke checked a mother fucker in Vietnam isn't killing people anymore. So they are coming back fucked up. It costs a hell of a lot more fucking money to fix people that it does to bury them. Can no one else see this? What the fuck? You wanna know what else is doing it. We call them the reserves and the national guard. See although we offer these people health care, we only offer it to them when they are activated. Ummm.... so when we have them in reserve status we don't pay extra. Up until 10 years ago they weren't activated too much. However, when you go to war and then you decide to pull a Hitler and fight on multiple fronts you have to call up your reserves. I say again, when they are active we have to pay for their health care. Not to mention you also have to cover their dependents. Oh and if they get fucked up, we have to continue to care for them when they return. This isn't fucking rocket science.
So you want to cut defense spending do you. Here are a few profound fucking ideas on how to do it without fucking over the people who operate the fucking weapons. Instead of investing so much fucking money trying to develop a new weapon or piece of equipment that we don't need why don't we look to improve the ones we have that are combat proven. Instead of using the good old boy network to award fucking contracts for new equipment why don't we use the civilian version that has been tested as being more effective and cheaper. We have a free world fucking market out there at our disposal why not fucking use it instead of hiring your old officer buddy to reinvent the wheel for eleventy fucking million dollars. The Marines and Soldiers on the front lines are fucking amazing. We figured out that if mom sends us a fucking remote control car we can add some weight to it and blow up pressure plate IED's before the convoy runs them over. This costs roughly $50 bucks for the remote control car, and $10 for shipping. So does the government raid every fucking Toys R Us for this shit. Nope. We spend billions of dollars developing this high speed low drag wheel system the rides approximately 20 feet in front of the lead vehicle. It costs like $500,000 and once it goes boom it has little chance of being used again. So $60 or $500K. No fucking brainer. Not to fucking mention that the $500K variety is a stationary piece of fucking equipment so those insurgent fuckers figured if the put the plate in one spot they should put the explosive 15 to 20 feet behind it. So the roller hits the pressure plate and the boom happens under the vehicle. Great waste of fucking money guys. Give me that fucking remote control car and a fucking brick! We can drive that thing at various distances in front of a convoy which makes it harder to target! We call this not establishing a fucking pattern.
Want to cut more defense spending. STOP PAYING HALIBARTON TO CLEAN OUR FUCKING TOILETS. Are you fucking kidding me. We have people that are capable of cleaning up after themselves. This is fucking retarded and a huge fucking waste of god damn money and it needs to stop.
Here's another fucking idea. STOP GOING TO WAR. Afghanistan was originally understandable. But Iraq. That fucking giant douche bag was contained and couldn't do shit if he wanted to. Let him run his fucking mouth. Who gives a shit. The "Because we could" excuse doesn't set well with me either. Look at how much money and lives we've given for this fucking war. And for what? An ally in the middle east. Wait isn't that why we coddle fucking Saudi Arabia. We helped put a ruthless regime in power there and we've propped them up like it's fucking cool and look just how well that shit has worked out for us. How about holding up that no fly zone shit around Libya. That's fucking costing a minor fucking fortune and yet we're doing it. WILL SOMEONE EXPLAIN WHY? Qaddafi has been in power and other than being a tard on occasion he has more or less been kept in check. So let those fuckers fight it out without our help. Oh and for those people that say it's all about human fucking rights. Here's a fucking idea hot shot, walk around any major fucking city in the United Fucked Up States of America and talk to the homeless. Go to the shelters and talk to the women and children that are there because they got pummeled by some waste of oxygen with a penis. THEN tell me we should spend TRILLIONS of fucking dollars saving other people instead of helping those you drive past every fucking day. Do me a favor and go to a brush fire in California this year and hug a fucking burning tree.
Having a force in readiness is needed to help out people when the shit hits the fan. Like Haiti, Japan, Indonesia, etc. It's not to go influence or invade countries cause the leader does fucked up shit to his people. That's fucking happening hear but we don't do shit. Oh wait, we are doing something. We're cutting the funding they need to help the few that they can. Great fucking move genius.
So yeah let's cut the pay and benefits of the working class instead of reducing retarded spending. That makes so much fucking sense.
What about other areas. Oh I have a fucking idea. Let's actually make corporations pay their fucking taxes and not give them a god damn fucking refund. I bet those mom and pop stores pay their fucking taxes and don't get a fucking return so why the fuck doesn't GE pay shit. When the fuck did we start saying hey make more fucking money and you won't pay fucking taxes. That shit is backwards. What about the wealthiest people in the country. Some of them are begging the government to tax them because they have the fucking money and some of them pay less in taxes than someone who makes 10% of what they do. How about we stop subsidizing oil fuckers. Jesus Howard Fucking Christ. Really. Have you not seen the price of gas? THEY MAKE ENOUGH FUCKING MONEY. We don't need to give them more so they can practice fucked up drilling that is destroying environments all over the globe. Oh and for those of you who think that subsidizing the oil companies keeps gas prices low. Do me a favor and go drink some gas, it has fucking vitamin C in it and other good shit. It's better for you than fruits and fucking vegetables. You fucking retard. Gas is actually fairly inexpensive, until you add the fucking TAXES. Back in the day Erie County New York decided that in order to help boost the economy during a recession that they would spend an entire week without collecting county sales tax. Let me tell you, the fucking gas prices dropped like .30 a gallon. Back in the 90's that put the shit under a buck a gallon. So there's an idea, instead of providing billions to oil companies, why not stop taxing gas so much to make it more affordable. The government will spend the same amount of money and the oil tycoons will still be rolling in it. Oh and how about pharmaceutical companies. Subsidize, subsidize, subsidize. Ever see a commercial that says, "If you can't afford your prescription Aztra Zeneca can help." Yeah we all have. Here's why. The government gives them money for research and development which in turn they use to be able to give medicine away cheaper to those in need. Sounds good right. Wrong. They use that shit as a fucking loophole and claim money that isn't even theirs in the first place as charitable donations. So now they pay less taxes while they rake in the fucking cash cause people are getting older and they need fucking drugs so they don't keel over and die. Or because some douche bag doctor who has his hands in the pharmaceutical company's pocket tells you that you need these meds. This is fucking criminal. Why don't we stop subsidizing those fuckers and put that money into Medicare so people can get some fucking insurance. This shit pisses me off and in the words of Murphy, it should piss you off too.
But instead of examining this shit, we want to consider cutting troops pay and benefits. So why not Congress? Why not other government positions that make retarded amounts of money for fingering his or her asshole at work and doing nothing because they knew somebody and that somebody owed them a favor.
Fuck this shit.
I need to stop before I fucking give myself a fucking heart attack. Then because they are cutting my benefits at least Astra douche fucking bag Zeneca can help me pay for my drugs that the doctor says I need so I don't die in 30 fucking seconds.
Grrrrr....
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