Well, shit…

And now we go through it all over again…  The research into the life of a person we didn’t know, to try to find out what we can about this man through past references, because we won’t ever have a chance to read newly penned words or a related “No shit, there I was…” story again, because he cannot speak, or write, or offer his take on world events, local events, personal events…  He’s gone…

We try to let all of those who loved him know that he will not be forgotten, but compared to the shattering hit that such news brings, our words are dry sawdust, without substance, because the written word will never come close to conveying the depth of sorrow and sympathy our hearts are breaking to express.  They can’t, they won’t…  The best they can do is let the survivors know that they are not alone in this sad turn of events…

Some blessed souls who participate in such things will allow this event spur them to greater action and effort.  Soldiers Angels will rally, local VFWs and the United States Army will mobilize to do right by his family…  Hundreds will throw their shoulders behind the wheel to make sure that the pain is dealt with, that, somehow, sense can be found in the loss of this man.

Some will try to use his death as a platform that what “they” are doing is too dangerous, and that our troops must leave Iraq.  They are wrong, of course, because there are too many reasons for us to stay right where we are.  Others will try to analyze the details of the event, and attempt to scry a better way of doing things…

A Commander, if he’s one of the good ones, will lay awake in a hell of self-doubt and professional conundrum, and try to sort out WHAT WENT WRONG, and deal with the issue that he will not be bringing one of his men home like he promised that he would…

The rest of us, especially we who came out of Iraq alive, will look at our own lives, and our thoughts will go one of two ways:  We’ll either look at the mundane trappings of our own lives with a little feeling of guilt, because we will drink beer tonight, wrench on our hobby trucks this afternoon, and hug our sweethearts and kids for the rest of our lives…

Or…

We will accept the fact that one of our brothers has fallen, as happens in war.  We know the secret handshakes, we know the dangers, the risks, and we have been there…  We know that everything that could have been done to protect this young man was done, that he was well trained, and it was simply an ill twist of fate that this soldier, Jordan Shay, happened to be at the wrong place, at the wrong time (thoughts that can drive you crazy if you really think about it…)  We drive on, we live life…  We do this because HE, Jordan, would want us to.

But we always remember.  We never let anyone forget.  We constantly remember the price paid in blood for the security and ways of our society, and we hold the butcher’s bill in awe and the highest respect, because those are our brothers and sisters out there.  We stand against those who would abuse the privileges protected by our lads and lasses on the line…

Godspeed, Jordan.  Godspeed to you and all of our victorious dead…

God have mercy on the rest of us…

Damn…  Just…  Damn!

Conan of Cimmeria would tell you:

“To crush your enemy; see him driven before you, and hear the lamentation of his women!”

Wellll…  In today’s age, not so much…

What I would see is a country rebuilt.  A country strong in standing, rich in history, and full of realized potential.

However, in the warrior’s eyes, what is best in life is to bring home the weapons of a defeated enemy.  It shows that he was victorious in the encounter against someone who was trying to kill him, for how else could he have taken possession of his enemy’s weapon, but by vanquishing the foe.

Now, gentle reader, you must understand that my enemies in this country are not the people, but the remnants of a defeated government, and the criminals who would try to usurp power at the expense of their own people.

In this light, I take a great degree of satisfaction at the discovery I made here, and although I cannot bring anything home, the pictures speak for themselves.

(Truth be told, given some heavy lift equipment, shipping resources, and a toolbox, I could have a field day in this scrapyard!!!)

Dead Migs... How many of them dropped bombs on their own citizens..?

Mig-17...

T-72 anyone?

There is something satisfying about your own aircraft flying over the remains of an enemy’s…

WASHINGTON – Eric Holder, the nation’s first black attorney general, said Wednesday the United States was “a nation of cowards” on matters of race, with most Americans avoiding candid discussions of racial issues. In a speech to Justice Department employees marking Black History Month, Holder said the workplace is largely integrated but Americans still self-segregate on the weekends and in their private lives.

Whhhaaat?

I know that our African-American brothers and sisters started off under less than ideal circumstances, and that they have waged a long and hard struggle to attain a standing in the status quo of American society.  I understand that our Hispanic, Native American, and Asian citizens have had to work hard ensure that they share in the prosperity of our nation.  I get it.  I have the utmost respect for this civic leaders who saw prejudice and bigotry in the system, and took brave action to correct it.  I applaud their efforts, and I support them 100 percent.

But at what point does the pendelum swing too far in the other direction?

We have Black American History month shoved down our throats every year.  Where is Scottish American History month?  Scottish inventers, social thinkers, engineers, reformers have had a part in amost every aspect of modern culture, but the best we can do is ridicule a “bunch of guys wearing skirts”, and denigrate their national instrument?  If we did that to the descendants of Africa, we would be crucified…

I hold George Washington Carver in the same esteem a Robert Fulton; one man exploited a natural resource for the betterment of agricultural science, and the other harnessed the power of steam.

Benjamin Banneker developed the first clock built in the United States, studied astronomy and developed an almanac. Helped to create the layout of the building streets and monuments for the Nation’s Capitol – Washington, D.C.  I hold him in the same light as Thomas Alva Edison and Frank Lloyd Wright.

In everyday life, I hold a man with black, brown, yellow, and white skin to the same standards as everybody else.  It has been proven to me that there are heroes and villains in every ethnic group.  There are folks who are willing to meet me halfway, and there are folks who take advantage of the system in the worst possible fashion.

So now we have the Attorney General of the United States who says that we are a “Nation of Cowards” when it comes to racial matters?

Well, Mister Holder, everytime somebody tries to address the issue, bring to light facts and trends, and points out that not everybody has a clean backyard, they are shouted down as “racist” should they be of the wrong skin color.

Case in point:  A public official uses the term “niggardly” in a public forum.  The word has absolutely no racial connotation, and no connection to a racial epithet, but because it sounds like it might, the official is forced to trip all over himself as he apologizes for using such a “horrible word”.

Ross Perot, in addressing a group of primarily African Americans, uses the term “you people”.  He was trying ot make the point that there are some issues that must be solved within the ranks of the Black community, but he is shouted down for using a phrase as “discrimitory”…  He was speaking plainly, laying out a fact, but because he failed to insert the proper political correctness, the message was lost due to a knee-jerk reaction.

Mr. Holder, when you can gurentee that I don’t have to tiptoe through a social minefield when attempting to deal with racial issues, when you can gurentee me that I won’t be castigated for speaking plainly, when you can assure me that I will receive the same respect as I am willing to extend, then I shall speak and address racial issues forthrightly and directly.

I want a quid quo pro, Mr. Holder.  I don’t want to get slapped down for expressing my thoughts.

We are cowards, Mr. Holder, because the price for being incorrectly branded a “racist” is far too great to endure.

Do something about it.  In the light of the current administration, it shouldn’t be difficult, because Barak Obama has blown the biggest crutch used by African Americans completely away…

I’m waiting.