Gunfighter: A Modern Warrior's Life

Open Letter to Republican Tea Party Members

 

We had eight years of Bush and Cheney, but now you get mad?


 

• You didn't get mad when the Supreme Court stopped a legal recount and appointed a President.


• You didn't get mad when Cheney allowed Energy company officials to dictate energy policy.


• You didn't get mad when a covert CIA operative got outed.


• You didn't get mad when the Patriot Act got passed.


• You didn't get mad when we illegally invaded a country that posed no threat to us.


• You didn't get mad when we spent $1 trillion on said illegal war.


• You didn't get mad when over $10 billion dollars (in hard cash) just “disappeared" in Iraq.


• You didn't get mad when you found out we were torturing people.


• You didn't get mad when the government was illegally wiretapping Americans.


• You didn't get mad when they didn't catch Bin Laden.


• You didn't get mad when you saw the horrible conditions at Walter Reed hospital.


• You didn't get mad when they let a major US city drown.


• You didn't get mad when they gave a $1.6 trillion in tax breaks to the rich.


• You didn’t get mad when, using reconciliation; a trillion dollars of our tax dollars were redirected to insurance companies for Medicare Advantage -- which cost more than 20% more for the same services that Medicare provides.


• You didn't get mad when the deficit hit the trillion dollar mark, and our debt hit the thirteen trillion dollar mark.

No, but you did get mad when the government decided that people in America deserved the right to see a doctor if they are sick. Yes, illegal wars, lies, corruption, torture, stealing your tax dollars to make the rich richer, are all okay with you, but helping other Americans... oh hell no!

 

 

 

My friends, this post comes to you courtesy of  Keith, the blogger responsible for The Electronic Village.  Sometimes Keith and I respectfully disagree on things, especially when it comes to the use of Tasers by police officers, but when the man is right, he is spot-on!

 

Look, this whole Teabag scam is all about sour grapes, racism, and classism. 

 

The people that tend to benefit from Republican leadership are always the wealthy... but the wealthy are relatively few in number, therefore they need foot-soldiers, hence, the Republican "southern strategy" that we owe to the Nixon administration.  Convince working class and middle-middle class whites that they are victims, and that their interests line up with those of the wealthy.  Tell them that their "liberty" is under fire.  Scare them with images of non-whites.  Make them AFRAID.

 

Remember, this isn't a particularly bright crowd.  These are the same jackasses that believe that you can wage two wars, and create the largest increase in the size of federal bureaucracy since 1947 (Dept. of Homeland Security, anyone?), and still cut taxes.  These people, even more than that pie-in-the-sky-Democrats, believe that there is some Leprechaun-like magic pot 'o gold lying around somewhere to pay for these things without any responsibility on the part of the taxpayer.

 

No my friends, at the end of the day, these Tea Party people are all about greed, as befits them as Republicans.  These people are classists of the worst sort.  They will spend thirty percent of their tax dollars on the Department of Defense (very little of which actually gets spent protecting the nation's sovereignty)  and scream at the top of their lungs about the three percent that gets spent helping the poor.

 

You see, the Republicans believe that the poor are only poor because they are lazy, and therefore deserve to be poor, and therefore are unworthy of any help.

 

 

There it is, laid bare.  The Tea party movement is an assault on the poor. 

 

 

The Healthcare Bill: Where I stand (1)

So we have a healthcare bill. Finally. We finally have the leadership in place to make this a reality. We finally can join the ranks of civilized nations who actually give a damn (or at least sort of) about our citizens.

It's about bloody time, I say.

Now, I'm not running around pretending that this bill is going to fix everything that is wrong with our healthcare system. It won't. Not by a long shot, but it's a start. Personally I think that this bill really needed a strong public option which would have best served not the people living in poverty, but the working poor that frequently have to make the choice between going to the doctor or paying the rent. I think that this country really needs a two-track healthcare system. Not like the system in Britain, but more like the Australian model. As I say, this bill isn't perfect, but it was something that could get signed by the majority of our lawmakers. It's a start.

Most of you who read this already know where I stand on this issue because I have written about it in the past, both on my own blog and at DC Metro Moms, when I was the resident dad over there. What I would like to do now, is talk to the folks I know that were against this bill. I would really like to have a cogent discussion with them/you about your opposition.

My point is that in the press, "mainstream", "Liberal", and "Conservative" (and isn't it a shame that we can even say those things about the press?), what we hear most are the voices of extremity. I would like to ask the anti-healthcare people why they hate the notion of making sure that all Americans have access to medical care. I know that there are those who object to the expense. I know that there are those that are fiscal hawks who want to keep spending reigned in. I understand those things, and I can, in part, agree that we must be very, VERY careful about how things like this get paid for. Having said that, I must tell you that the tenor of the debate on this bill has had very little to do with expense, or the means of paying for it.

My concerns with the debate are those we see in it's forefront… the Teabaggers who scream about abuses of "liberty". The people that are beginning to advocate anti-government violence (sedition anyone?), the thinly veiled racism that is so common at the demonstrations, the cries of "Socialism", "Stalinism", "Nazism", and the like. Why is your side all about these things? Can you tell me in a way that doesn't make you seem like dangerous lunatics?

Come on, I know that you are out there. Talk to me (Goose). I promise that we can still be buddies after our argument. If you are local, I'll even buy you a beer when we're done.

 

Fatherhood Friday: Mentally Sexy

I am interrupting the list of books and movies that I need to review to tell you about something that is going on in the Dad-blogging community.  It is the "Mentally Sexy" movement/contest.  What is "Mentally Sexy", you ask?  well, I will just let one of my brother fathers tell you.  Please meet Reservoir Dad , an Australian husband, stay-at-home dad,  and blogger.  Reservoir Dad is the originator of the ""Mentally Sexy" concept and contest, and here is his definition:

 "To me, the Mentally Sexy Man is one who takes responsibility in maintaining the passion in his relationship.

One of the greatest aphrodisiacs for women is being desired? Yep, I think I read that somewhere… and so it would follow that a man, in a committed relationship, who is pitching in with the housework and child-rearing, to allow more time for intimacy, is displaying to his wife, in a very practical, visual way, that he still desires her very much. I call that a win win for both husband and wife."

 

If you are reading this and you are a dad, ask yourself:  Are YOU mentally sexy?

If you are a mom, ask yourself:  Is this a good definition for mentally sexy?

 

This post is brought to you as part of the Fatherhood Friday community at The Dad Blogs.  It's where all the cool dads are!  You should take some time to come and visit to see what my brother fathers (and sister mothers) are talking about.

Movie Review - Percy Jackson & The Olympians: The Lightning Thief

After church a few weeks ago, we took a little family trip to go see the new movie "Percy Jackson & The Olympians:  The Lightning Thief".  Soccer Girl was all psyched up for it, because she has read all  five of the Percy Jackson books, by author Rick Riordan, and had enjoyed them immensely.  Further, she was really excited about the movie because we, totally without warning, saw the trailer when we went to see the most recent Harry Potter movie several months ago.

I confess that I wasn't all that excited about it, because... well... it's a kid's movie, right?  What would there be for me?  As it turns out, there was enough to keep me engaged.  It breaks down like this.  The Olympian God Poseidon, who, along with Hades and Zeus, form the "big three" in the Olympian Pantheon, had taken mortal form, as the Gods are apt to do from time to time, and taken a mortal lover.  The offspring of their union was Percy, who, because of his parentage, was a demigod. 

Once it was revealed to the teen-aged Percy, that he is a demigod, and was being pursued by other powerful gods, he was whisked away to a camp where the offspring of other Olympians were housed, and trained.

I won't go over the movie in detail, but there was a lot of fun in the movie.  The special effects were good, especially the part at the beginning where Poseidon emerges from the sea!  The story was clearly written for the tween market, and as a result the movie was fairly juvenile, which was just fine with me.

I have heard a lot of criticism about this movie, and I suppose it would be fair if watching it from the eyes of an adult... but if you view it from the eyes of the target audience, it was a fine film, one which, no doubt will sell lots of tickets, lots of toys, and more importantly, lots of books.  No... the acting wasn't perfect, but really, who cares about that?... after all, if we cared about good acting, neither Jennifer Aniston nor Cameron Diaz would ever work on-screen again

A word of caution... this movie is great for the kids, but there is some violence and some scary-looking creatures, so be careful if the kids you are taking are really young or easily spooked.  This probably isn't the movie for them.

I enjoyed the movie, and no-doubt, it will join or collection when it comes out in DVD.  If you have the opportunity to see this movie while it is still on the big screen, I recommend that you do so.  You'll have fun, and really, isn't that the whole point?

Business Review: CarMax

As I mentioned to some of you yesterday (via Twitter... what do you mean you aren't following me?), I had to go out and buy a car.  It wasn't because I had the new car bug... I certainly didn't, because Mrs. Gunfighter and I aren't really car people.  I mean, having a new car is cool, but not having a car payment is even better in our book, so we tend to drive our cars until they start to cost more money than they are worth in terms of maintenance or repairs.  Well, this turned out to be the case last week.  I'll tell you the story, briefly.

I tool the car to get inspected last week, figuring it would pass, as we had just (that same week) gotten new tires.  Everything else was working fine, so there were no worries.  Anyway,the car failed inspection becaue the tie-rods were loose.  Damn.  OK, small thing as one our neighbors is dating a preofessional auto mechanic who does side-work for extra cash.  This guy works on the car for awhile and tells us (and I believe him) that our rack & pinion system was so trashed, that fixing the tir-rods wouldn't be enough, and that even with his discount, the reapirs would cost nearly 900 dollars.  Naturally, we weren't going to plop down a thousand dollars on, so it was time to go spend some dough.

We had heard good things about CarMax, and we are fortunate enough to have one of their locations less than five miles from our home, so at 11:30 I went to the dealership and found something that I thought Mrs GF would be comfortable with for her commute into DC, since she would be the person putting the most mileage on it.  After seeing what was available and comparing prices, I came up with a 2008 Ford Edge.  I told the salesman that I would be back so that my wife could see it and make a decision.  When we returned at 2:30, we had our test drive, and were signed, sealed and delivered by 4:30.

Now, that might not seem like that big of a deal to some of you, but I really, really hate the car buying process, and the folks at CarMax made it quick and easy... and I left without feeling that we had been screwed somehow, which is usually how I feel when buying a car.

The staff was courteous, knowledgeable, and didn't waste my time.

The CarMax in Woodbridge, Virginia gets full marks from the Gunfighter family.

The new GF-mobile!

Book Review: Sudden Threat

Have you ever read a book that sounded like it was going to be really great when you read the description on the jacket or back cover, only to be disappointed when you discovered that all of the good stuff was in that little blurb?

Well, this book wasn't like that... exactly.  The basic premise for this story is that in the days prior to the invasion of Iraq, a cabal of high ranking American government officials planned to sandbag the rush to military action in Iraq, by fomenting an Al Qaeda-styled insurgency in the Philippines.  The plan involved having the Japanese build small arms for the Filipino Abu Sayaff muslim rebels, and supplying them with other military aid.  The Japanese major player in this whole operation was playing a double game against the US and was planning, with his own government, to use the Philippine insurgency to set the stage for the re-emergence of Japan as a major (expansionist) military player in the far east.

The plan looked foolproof, but none of the major players considered the involvement of Matt Garrett!

Garrett is a paramilitary operator for the See-Eye-Eh(that's for you Canucks), and he is uncovering all of the links in the conspiracy, even as the United States armed forces clash with the forces of Japan in the Philippine jungles.

OK, that is the story... there is a minor love interest, but I won't spend any time on it.  This book told an interesting story.  It had all of the characteristics of what a techno-thriller should have: exotic locations; combat action; gadgets; aircraft; spies; a pretty woman; and nefarious bad guys.  This book had it all.... except for good writing.

The author of the book, A.J. Tata, who retired from the United States Army as a Brigadier General, should have done his homework a little more diligently, and should have had better editors (which wasn't really his fault).  There were a few places in the story that were totally disjointed, and should have had better transitions.  Lastly, the characters... even the main characters were paper thin and in some cases, even cartoonish.

Again, I liked the story, but it was an amateurish attempt.  I can't really recommend it, but I will not say "don't read it", either.

I am currently reading his follow-up in hopes that he has had a bit of polishing.  I'll  let you know how it turns out.

***NOTE***Giving the author his due, it must be said for the record that General Tata is donating all of the royalties from this book to the USO Metro Hospital Services fund for Wounded Warriors at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda National Naval Medical Center.   For that, and his honorable service, I say good on him.

Pieces of My Mind

Some of the things that have been on my mind lately.

*  I have been reading like a madman of late (I know, right?  so what else is new, GF), and I have about 8 book/gadget reviews to write.  I'm working on them, bear with me for a couple of days, alright?

*  My mother is doing much, MUCH better than anyone could have possibly imagined.  She is back home, has gained some weight, is back in treatment (radiation), and in considerably less pain.  I am grateful for the support and prayers from my on-line pals.

*  I am disgusted with some of my shooters, and even more disgusted by some of their leaders.  When will people realize that the use and carriage of firearms is serious stuff?

*  I am seriously irritated with some of the parents of my Sunday school students.  Would it be too much to ask you to send me an email telling me that your child won't be attending?  I felt kind of silly this Sunday when the only two people in my class were me and my own kid.

*  I am saddened, but not surprised that the toolbag Governor of Virginia is going to try to ease the Commonwealth's financial woes on the backs of school children.  One of the most glaring problems in our state is the fact that we have a an exceptionally high proportion of military personnel living here who aren't paying state or local taxes, while still using state and local services.  If the state collected taxes in a sane and equitable manner, our budget shortfalls wouldn't be anywhere nearly as severe as they are.

*  On the subject of taxes... It might not surprise you to hear that I am a member of several Disney-related on-line communities, via discussion forums as well as on Twitter.  I had an unusual exchange with a fellow member who is known to comment about his support for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.  This dope frequently says things like "If you don't support the mission, you can't support the troops"and other stupid things like that.  I have to tell you that those sorts of statements by right-wing freaks really bother me.  Why? because those douchebags are the people who cry and whine incessantly about their taxes.  The people who cry about taxes are very supportive of doing one of the least cost-effective things that any government can do, and that is fight a war.  Mind you, they like cutting budgets at public schools, but don't flinch at fighting unnecessary wars.  Doesn't make much sense to me.  In my opinion, complaining about taxation (which is how wars get paid for, and they ain't cheap)during a time of war is unpatriotic, but somehow the Wingnuts, who think that they have  cornered the market on patriotism, have gotten it twisted.

*  You know, I am still bothered by people who spend too much time flapping their gums as they drive.  I am even more bothered by the dopes that text as they drive... but, I am open-moth flabbergasted by the people who for some reason, feel that they have to talk on their cell phones while trying to navigate their carts in the supermarket!  Could you people PLEASE stop talking for the short amount of time it takes to shop for your groceries?  This would allow you to go faster and make it easier to navigate your cart.  Can I tell you how sick I am of grocery-laden carts pushed by people trying to juggle their phones and steer their carts at the same time?

There are more... but my shooters are here, and they are probably going to piss me off.  Which is bad.

Book Review: Red Inferno

In the waning days of the European theater of the Second
World War, the forces of the Soviet Union were closing in on Berlin, and Adolph Hitler.  Newly ascended American President Harry Truman halted the United States army on the banks of the Elbe river, so that the Soviets could take the city, in light of the horrific casualties they suffered through the German invasion of their country.

When the Germans were finally finished, Germany was divided into zones of occupation for the forces of the four major allied powers, as was the city of Berlin.   This was the beginning of more than forty years of stalemate in Europe, and the setting of what became known as the cold
war.
 
At least, that is what happened in our history… but what if things had gone differently?
 
I just finished reading Robert Conroy’s new alternate history novel, Red Inferno, in which the author asks the same question. In this story, Harry Truman, not wanting to appear weak to Soviet leader Josef Stalin, sends a token, two division-sized force to Berlin as the Russians were closing in on the city from the east.
 
Josef Stalin, being absolutely freakin’ insane, decides that Truman is trying to halt the Soviet advance, and after provoking an “incident”, attacks the American force. The United States responds, and a new war is born before the previous fight against the Germans is finished. The Soviets decide
that for the sake of their own security, the United States must be driven out of Europe, but Truman isn’t having any of that, and fights back
 
During the initial Soviet assault against American forces, a sizable remnant of American units are cut off and trapped in Potsdam, Germany, and are trying to survive against Soviet pressure while the American leadership tries to slow down the inexorable main Soviet thrust to the west. Because of pressure by the Red Army, the U.S. can do very little to help the besieged units in Potsdam, but this force is resupplied by air, and survives by its wits (and the employment of German soldiers to help them fight the Soviets), and the good leadership of it’s officers.
 
I won’t give any real spoilers, but the book ends with some interesting twists that I think you'll like.
 
The premise of this story is sound, and I enjoyed it. Conroy did what he usually does in his novels, and limits the number of point-of-view-characters to sensible numbers and goes easy on the philosophy, while concentrating on telling his tale.
 
This book was a fast, fun read. The combat scenes weren’t gratuitously gory, neither was their any gratuitous sex (which doesn’t really bother me, but there you are, I’m a Philistine, ok?). If you are a fan of alternate history, you will, without a doubt, enjoy this novel.

The Hamas Assasination

Recently, a leading member of the avowed terrorist organization, Hamas, was killed in the Arab Emirate of Dubai. Many people/organizations/nations were quick to scream bloody murder about that incident because it is widely believed that the killing was perpetrated by agents of Mossad, Israel's intelligence agency.

Well, whomever was responsible for whacking the Hamas leader, gets nothing but a pat on the back and a hearty "Well done" from me.

Look. Hamas is a terrorist organization, and terrorists need to be exterminated... thats what I said: exterminated, like the vermin that they are. There are those who will say "but Bill, the United States isn't clean, we kill people, too" and I'll agree to that. We aren't perfect, but the United States, despite what some of you might want to believe, doesn't blow up school buses, churches, marketplaces, for the sole purpose of killing as many people as possible in order to politically intimidate a person, group, nation, or group of nations.

You see, terrorists (defined as a person, group of people, or nationally sponsored entity)are murderers. Murderers. Not soldiers, who fight on behalf of nations according to civilized rules of behavior. Terrorists, especially radical muslim terrorists, can't be reasoned with. They can't be dealt with. They don't want to share with you. They want to either intimidate you into complete submission or kill you.

 

You.

 

Yes, you, the person reading this. They want to subjugate or kill you. Kill your friends. Kill your parents, and your children... and they won't quit because you try to make nice. They won't quit because you aren't American... because you're a westerner no matter where your parents or great grandparents came from. They don't care if you are Canadian or European, they love you no more than they do the United States, so don't fool yourselves.

Terrorists aren't criminals that you take to court. Terrorists are vermin. Worse than vermin... they are evil, and evil must always be confronted.   Always.  Confronted with violence and without fear, without flinching, and without remorse.

**Please note that nothing that I have written here should be construed to suggest any sort of justification on my part, for the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.