Post Veterans Day Disgrace To The Human Race

Ommmmm, Gods gonna get you for this one- you Jack O Lantern. Our country shamefully screws up a lot of stuff- I know but, one thing the feds take very seriously when it comes to their attention is military service fakery. Story of this gooberhead here at TSG. This is sickening and with the support enjoyed by our troops of the American public I'll bet way more prevalent than we would ever guess.

Thursday's Thoughts

• War can be a beautiful thing.



• The fact swine flu vax doses have been allocated for prisoners in Guantanamo Bay has some in the public and congress in an uproar. My thoughts: The vaccine will be voluntary for the approximately 200 detainees and I predict no more than 25% of them will accept. No more than a third of Americas 300 million people take the normal influenza vaccine anyway- will this one be that much different? Like it or not, they are prisoners- therefore in a very high risk group for communicable diseases.



• You don't hear much in the press without some digging about the antics of the low risk profile detainees released from Guantanamo- wonder why?



• Can't get that Ozzy Osborne song Perry Mason out of my mind after hearing just a line or two of it earlier.



• Lots of headlines recently about docs travelling to China and other places to study nontraditional and eastern medicinal remedies such as acupuncture- ridiculous. For one reason everyone in the medical field (I thought anyway) knows that stuff specifically acupuncture doesn't work- there has been literally millions of dollars spent on studies demonstrating that- so why the interest? The American public is so silly they're clamoring for the stuff and there's not only money to be made- they are already losing tons of it to non physicians or physicians from Asia. It's all reasonably low risk and insurance will be paying for it more and more as gullible Americans with nothing better to do than fret over something, then believe they were made better by having some goober push hat pins into their bodies or wave magic crystals over their body energy aura or whatever.



• This is turning into a rant.



• I don't like to be a ranter.



• I'll quit.



• For now.

I Rant I Rave- You Read: The Wednesday Edition

• I have watched a lot of horror movies in my life and if I've learned nothing else- when a monster such as the proposed health care reform bill is created someone, somewhere down the line will have to step and kill it- or it will devour everyone in sight.



• "Save money"? Are you kidding? When I heard The President say that- all respect for him on this issue vanished- he didn't misspeak nor was he misinformed, he had to know that was a lie.



• "No matter what they're talking about when a politician speaks he's talking about spending money." "No matter what they're talking about when a politician speaks he's lying." These are very good, always pertinent truisms but, he took both to a new level in that speech.



• What does a politician mean when he says save money anyway? Is it the same as when you and I say it? No absolutely not, ever- they always mean spending less than originally planned (if that even). If health care costs are expected to rise 5% per year, the bureaucrat wanting to make his administration look good will find a way to shave 2% off of spending, subtract the difference then say in press conference,"To all the naysayers-we've saved the American taxpayer 20 teen gajillion dollars this year alone in health care costs since the health care reform act passed. Blah, blah blah..." All the while spending continues to grow until it's some big monster no one knows what to do with- then what?



• They'll figure out a way to blame those who were opposed in the first place.



• What happens when they spend less? Automatically increased rationing of health care- which not really all that bad of a concept in it's purest form (it's necessarily necessary- already part of the reason we actually have docs) but, everyone involved has been adamant it won't happen. It happens and has ever since the first x ray machine was manufactured, there were room for only so many patients, it was far enough away for a doc to have to decide whether it was necessary and docs stopped accepting chickens for their services and demanded cash. The only change? It will and it has to only get worse.



• All the major players pushing for this have used terms like "obscene profits" when talking about the profit margins of the insurance industry. Now that it's clear their margins really aren't all that great compared to other industries, will the message of the activistic politicians change?



• My insurance company (both health and dental) will have to carry us for a quite a few more years before they break even and we're quite healthy people.



• Doctors will get out of the field and will be replaced by lesser qualified individuals- it has to happen since we know it already does- primarily over government reimbursement issues, astronomical costs and narrow margins.



• Healthcare Reform Explained As A Summer Picnic from the youchoobs.



• A very interesting counterpoint of successful plans which specifically talks about Germany's plan- a public option that (supposedly) is not tax funded.



• Regardless of plan- one big, huge, insurmountable problem if you're enamored of the English, the Germans or France's system. We are not Brits, Germans or French.



• John Stossel's take on the issue. Sick In America.



• A lot of the reason politicians push for things like this is to buy votes, another- guilt over their own wealth- both should bother us to no end but, we don't really care.



• 70-80% of Americans are reportedly happy (I bet it's really more) with their current insurance status. Where else would that level of satisfaction be risked to upend a system?



• 800 billion dollars a year is wasted on unnecessary medical procedures in the US, driven primarily by fear of lawsuits. If you could rid the system of this and fraud for government reimbursement plans already in place ( you can do neither) more sweeping reform would be affordable and welcome in my book.



• Just a few short generations from now people will look back in amazement while face palming and head wagging over a health care system in shambles and a country drowning in debt and say,"They weren't smart enough to see this coming?"


• Anyway, let me finish with this, which should solve this issue, help settle all our differences and bring us together as one- united as a race of sentient, compassionate humans not rich, poor or black or white just- people helping people as I always say.

Sad Picture

As I recall the symbolism behind this picture is this young mans only desire was to come home and have his daughter on his chest. The first day I was home my daughter stayed on my chest essentially from noon until two am the next morning.

I thank God for that day.

Warm And Center Of Attention=Cats Dream

We had a Siamese cat when I was growing up named Dean, he lived to be 19 years old. He would sleep on the TV to stay warm- he was kind of the grumpy old codger of catdom. I do not know how many times someone would stop by the TV and say,"Oh look at this cat, it looks so real." and touch him causing him to bolt up hissing and spitting and swatting at the hapless stranger as he slid off the back of the TV while his victim would retreat clutching their chest sure they were about to die of a heart attack.


Not actual cat.

Monday's Missives

My new set of wheels to replace Turdbomb.

• Greatest headline I've seen in a while- Police: Homeless man hid stolen ferret in pants. Suspect faces theft, battery charges for dangerously wielding animal. AP



• "A former “Jerry Springer Show” producer, Bobby Goldstein, told In Touch magazine that he had a pilot, “Jon - Kate = Jon + Octomom” in the works and that Gosselin was onboard. According to a press release In Touch obtained, Goldstein’s show would follow Gosselin as “he contemplates what hooking up with Octomom could really be like.” msnbc the scoop



• NOOOOOOOOooooooo!



• I'm literally clawing my eyes out for reading that and hitting myself in the head with a coffee cup in hope of inducing a memory erasing traumatic brain injury.



• We are doomed.



• Finally took the tent down- want to figure out something semi permanent we can sleep in whenever the mood strikes.



• A heavy duty tipi maybe?



• The neighbors love me- that might challenge their patience though.



• Six cinnamon rolls and about eleven cups of coffee- it's what's for breakfast.



• Zac is starting gymnastics tonight, it's the type that requires parental involvement.



• Groan.

Fort Hood Murders My Thoughts

SGT Anthony Sills of Texas National Guard' 36 Infantry Division consoling his wife after the Ft. Hood murders.

• Although I was not there and can't really know what happened during the major who committed the murders at Ft. Hoods career (family claims he was harassed over being Muslim) I have been in the guard, regular army,peacetime,wartime, overseas in peace, a non combat job skill and combat job skill, been in several formal military schools, taught at a military academy as a guest instructor, served in several US states etc. etc. and one thing that always stood out- and I've considered it way before this event- teasing guys about their religion if not off limits is rare and self limiting if it happens.


• Another thought: I would be more than surprised I would be shocked if in the hyper sensitive environment of the Army under its equal opportunity mandated environment and the Army wide fear of reprisals over harassment if there was a lot of harassment over that guys religion.
• Specifically since his religion happens to be Islam.
• Also, reports have come from a cousin to the killer that he was harassed over his race by being called a "camel jockey"- being harassed over ones race in the Army? Uh,uh- sorry didn't happen- to an extent it would trigger some kind of mental break anyway. Even the allegation of same will end with everyone in the chain being sentenced to interminable cultural sensitivity training, poor reflection in evaluation reports and proven abuses? Everyone associated will be punished by article 15 and if they're not lucky a discharge from service. Would a lawyer make a joke about a bomb under a judges car? A doctor joke in any thing approaching a public manner about poisoning his difficult patients? Don't think these are appropriate analogies? You don't understand modern military thought environment then- harassment especially harassment over race and religion is not tolerated.


• If there's anything to his families claim- we'll hear about it from others he served with- that's the way it always is they don't have to break ranks there is always someone interested in doing the right thing and if nothing else a disgruntled troop who heard or witnessed something.


• Many people will be more than happy to accept the assertion that he was "mortified" over his impending deployment to Afghanistan as the reason for these murders- come on, he is a psychiatrist what did he have to fear either in a personal safety aspect or in regards to some kind of shock to his religious sensibilities? The air conditioner in his office wouldn't blow cold enough or someone, somewhere might find out there's a Muslim serving as a doctor on the base where he is deployed?


• The first talking head I saw discussing these murders began prattling on about PTSD in the first sentence he uttered. Ridiculous.


• DFW local news as events unfolded.


• The Soldiers Dome where the shootings happened is directly across the street from my old 1 Cavalry Division unit and when first built was a place for guys to drink and eat while watching sports, it was later converted to an SRC- Soldiers Readiness Center.


• Howze Theater another location mentioned often in the newscasts about the murders was the first place I saw Platoon.


• That guy wasn't wrapped too tight to begin with and the Army would have been the best hope he had to prevent a break (very good counselling, structured environment with good pay etc.).


• Anyway, he didn't need an excuse with his mental problems and twisted worldview.


• It's my opinion that if in the medical field mentally ill people will be more drawn to psychiatry, psychology and associated mental health disciplines. It kind of just makes sense but, is also demonstrable I bet- if you dug through news archives.


• People are asking,"How did he kill so many people, why didn't someone shoot him- it's a military base." On a military base not everyone is armed at all times and even if you have a weapon for a class, a range or mobilising for deployment the troops will not have rounds for their weapons until they're needed and issued.


• Sources reported a gunfight between another shooter and a SWAT team at a separate location simultaneous to the SRC murders- how does that happen, even in the fog of these developing situations?


• "He said: "Ford Hood is perceived as being even safer than normal because of its size and scale." excerpted from an interview of a British major who had been stationed at Hood- his analysis is wrong though. Look at Fort Hood the same as any other city of 100,000 people except, a younger on average population, higher density of males per capita, sense of anonymity, a whole lot of people bringing all kinds of bad habits with them from their backgrounds, a lot of alcohol and drug abuse etc. The sense of safety on the post is deceptive.


• I wonder what his case will do to the death penalty debate? Will opponents keep silent because they know the public desire for vengeance and how it will galvanize attitudes? You'll hear less from opponents than you might think at first glance I think.


• I assure you- he will have his dance with the ole Grim Reaper at the sharp end of a needle.