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We cannot defend freedom abroad by deserting it at home. - Edward R. Murrow Jul. 4th, 2026 @ 10:09 pm
Support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic.

If you are coming to look at my journal, from here on out, until the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration Independence of the United States of America, this is the first thing you will see.

On that day, 4 July 2026, I wonder if I will be able to look back and see that the Constitution was supported and defended well.
What do you think?
( Read more... )

Take one moment Jan. 1st, 2025 @ 01:30 pm
If you are able, save for them a place inside of you and save one backward glance when you are leaving for the places they can no longer go. Be not ashamed to say you loved them, though you may or may not have always.

Take what they have taught you with their dying and keep it with your own. And in that time when men decide and feel safe to call the war insane, take one moment to embrace those gentle heroes you left behind.

Major Michael Davis O'Donnell
1 January 1970
Dak To, Vietnam

this might cause nightmares for some people Jun. 30th, 2008 @ 10:37 am
kitten
moar cat picturz

SCOTUS news - District of Columbia v Heller: 5-4 in favor of Heller Jun. 26th, 2008 @ 11:11 am
The court's 5-4 ruling struck down the District of Columbia's 32-year-old ban on handguns as incompatible with gun rights under the Second Amendment. The decision went further than even the Bush administration wanted, but probably leaves most firearms laws intact.

The court had not conclusively interpreted the Second Amendment since its ratification in 1791. The amendment reads: "A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed."

The basic issue for the justices was whether the amendment protects an individual's right to own guns no matter what, or whether that right is somehow tied to service in a state militia.

Writing for the majority, Justice Antonin Scalia said that an individual right to bear arms is supported by "the historical narrative" both before and after the Second Amendment was adopted.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080626/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_guns

Gitmo the terrorist puppet, and Cookie Monster abandons the cookie movement Jun. 24th, 2008 @ 09:41 am




and then there was Cookie Monster vs Martha Stewart (nsfw for monster bondage)


May the candles on your cake, burn like cities in your wake! Jun. 10th, 2008 @ 10:32 am
Happy birthday, [info]miss_lisa_ma - I love you, and "I don't BELIEVE you."

for the fallen May. 26th, 2008 @ 12:36 pm
They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eyes, steady and aglow,
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

converting from oil to gas? May. 21st, 2008 @ 03:56 pm
How tough, how costly?
I know you need to have a gas line running to the general neighborhood, which isn't an issue.

Of course, if I were to look into that, might need to consider trying to chop off the asking price, which could be argued anyway, but, hey, with the cost of home heating oil ...

Cogen units?

Battlestar Galactica Vs Star Wars Vs Star Trek Vs Babylon 5 May. 18th, 2008 @ 11:47 am
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXnPG19npW8

paranoia vs pollyanna vs pronoia May. 6th, 2008 @ 09:47 pm
I once compared two quotes:

Statement Number One: 'The people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism and exposing the country to danger. It works the same way in any country.'

Any guesses who said it?

Statement Number Two: 'To those who scare peace-loving people with phantoms of lost liberty, my message is this: Your tactics only aid terrorists, for they erode our national unity and diminish our resolve.'

Any guesses there?

Do they sound similar to you?

( Read more... )

I once discussed this with our prosecuting attorney in the desert of iraq.
He told me I was being paranoid.
I told him I'd rather be paranoid about this, and wrong, than pollyanna about it, and wrong.

This couldn't happen here ... no one would suggest putting identification bands on Muslims in America, because of 19 terrorists in September 2001?

No one would suggest, seriously, that we should attack any members of the press in America who speak out against the war, would they?

No one would suggest that speaking out against the war supports our enemies, would they? Oh, wait, people have, right here in my very own blog.

This, my friends, is called eliminationism: a kind of politics and culture that shuns dialogue and the democratic exchange of ideas for the pursuit of outright elimination of the opposing side, either through complete suppression, exile and ejection, or extermination.

Any time either side, left, or right, says that someone from the opposite side shouldn't be allowed to speak - it's eliminationism.
Here's the first of a ten part series on eliminationism in the USA:
http://dneiwert.blogspot.com/2006/12/eliminationism-in-america-i.html
I recommend not eating before you read it.

flist - to whom do i talk? May. 5th, 2008 @ 03:03 pm
Who's the person to talk to on Beacon Hill about stupid laws?

This law means that Sam Adams Summer Ale is illegal to brew or serve in the Commonwealth.

Do I want all those other things being in my beer?
No.

But grains of paradise?
WTF?

homeward bound Apr. 23rd, 2008 @ 04:09 pm
Leaving to go home and sort laundry.

Tomorrow, dinner with a buddy from the Farm.

This weekend, maybe, I do a burn and cook some 'cue.
Monday, the baffle/convection plate for my silver smoker should arrive ... two days late for my burn.
Oh well.

metal workers? Apr. 20th, 2008 @ 11:57 am
Anyone on my friends know anyone who can do some weird metal work?

Here's the deal: I have a smoker. Unfortunately, it's inefficient.

One of the tweaks to make it better, is to add thermal mass - a heat sink.
Some people use broken pieces of pizza stones ...

I found a slab of cast iron in Laura's garden in 2006 or so.
About one inch thick, 6 inches wide, 12 inches long.

It's heavy, and, when it gets heated up, helps my smoker maintain a constant temperature over the 8+ hours I need for cooking ribs and or brisket.

But it's HEAVY.
And UNWIELDY - last time I used it for ribs, it crushed the baffle system I have in the smoker for distributing heat to the far end for consistent temps.

I need the thing cut into four parts, so, 3x6x1 billets ... and maybe have a hole drilled through, or a hook/loop welded on, to assist in putting it into the smoker, when it's hot, using a poker or garden tool.

Anyone, bueller?
Failing that, anyone know where I can get NON-GALVANIZED iron chain? I'm thinking that short lengths of that would work fine, and would be easier to add into the smoke chamber.

0-3 Apr. 18th, 2008 @ 12:22 pm
snerk

US Civics (and economics) literacy: Apr. 15th, 2008 @ 09:47 am
You answered 50 out of 60 correctly — 83.33 %
Average score for this quiz during April: 67.0%
Average score since September 18, 2007: 67.0%

http://www.americancivicliteracy.org/resources/quiz.aspx

Halfway down the path to Hell Apr. 10th, 2008 @ 04:55 pm
Here's another story about one of my heroes in the security business, whom I discussed, before, here.

Tell me it doesn't make you go misty, just a little bit.

W00t! Apr. 2nd, 2008 @ 09:49 am
must. Eat. HERE!

this is an awesome toy Apr. 1st, 2008 @ 12:19 pm
Want. MUST. HAVE!

dear main stream media: Mar. 25th, 2008 @ 09:25 am
Quit sucking John McCain's cock.

Mar. 14th, 2008 @ 09:38 am
Not only are you gone, but hopefully I'll forget you, you POS!

Never darken the tyled door where I sit, for I won't meet you on the level again.
And because it got my Irish up, and the thing about Irish Alzheimer's is that you forget everything but the grudges, let me leave it with this:

May you reap what you have sown.

WTF? Mar. 14th, 2008 @ 05:50 am
That's about all I can say.

holy shite Mar. 12th, 2008 @ 12:44 pm
color laserjet under $200!!!

damnit. Mar. 11th, 2008 @ 02:18 pm
I lose at the game.

The roll of the Workmen has been called, and one Master Mason did not answer: Mar. 4th, 2008 @ 09:47 am
A fairly good friend of mine passed away yesterday.

I don't know if I want to post who, because, damnit, no one deserves to find out through LJ.

A Brother Mason, a fan, a good man.
I will miss him.

want to see what I'll be doing? Feb. 27th, 2008 @ 01:08 pm
Go here and especially look at the videos.

I'm less panicky now: I thought the catheter was on the lines of 1-2 millimeters bigger than the needle.
Now, that's not HUGE, but I had NO idea how you would get that in, after the needle stick.

It's less than .38 mm bigger!

It's really pretty simple: the needle basically rides like a pencil lead does in a mechanical pencil, with two "hubs", one for the needle, one for the cath (in front of the needle hub).

The catheter tip is tapered, and is only barely back from the needle tip, like less than one mm.

file this under what the fuck Feb. 27th, 2008 @ 11:19 am
cell phone display and touchpad in your SKIN.

Talk about being a gargoyle!

this sucks Feb. 27th, 2008 @ 10:55 am
I'm really, really, really unsure about next week's training -
I'm afraid of heights, and I'm getting certified to teach rappelling.


I HATE needles (I take them fine, but I HAVE to look away), and I'm going to be trained in how to administer a saline lock and an IV.

100% of all deploying soldiers are now required to be Combat LifeSaver certified, and ROTC is requiring me to go because I might have to do this for a cadet.

I just looked through the take home textbook.
ARGH!!!!!!!!!!

say anything Feb. 25th, 2008 @ 02:46 pm
Stolen from [info]shadesong -
Comments are screened, and will stay that way.

Tell me something. Anything. There are over a thousand of you out there, and a few hundred of you never comment. :) I want to know you. Don't be shy. Just tell me a little bit of your story.

movie quotes meme Feb. 12th, 2008 @ 03:29 pm
1. Pick 15 of your favourite movies.
2. Go to IMDb and find a quote from each movie.
3. Post them here for everyone to guess.
4. Strike it out when someone guesses correctly, and put who guessed it and the movie.
5. NO GOOGLING/using IMDb search functions. Totally cheating, you dirty cheaters.

1. Right lads, now, I know there's not a faint heart among you, and I know you're as anxious as I am to get into close action. But we must bring them right up beside us before we spring this trap. That will test our nerve, and discipline will count just as much as courage. [info]badseed1980 Master and Commander
2. It was actually about 1 and a half I think. It was 1 and a half, I've got a great Polaroid of it, and he's right there, must be 1 and a half. [info]lothiriel_1 Top Gun
3. Reiben, pay attention: now, this is the way to gripe. Continue, Jackson. [info]arielmn Saving Private Ryan
4. There's a man out there I haven't seen in 15 years who's trying to kill me. You show me a son that'd be happy to help. My son. My life that could have been... and wasn't. How do I feel? Old. Worn out. [info]1cmf Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan
5. Now, I got no fight... with any man who does what he's told. But when he don't, the machine breaks down. And when the machine breaks down, we break down. And I ain't gonna allow that... in any of you. Not one.
6. Five thousand of my men are out there in the freezing mud. Three thousand of them are bloodied and cleaved. Two thousand will never leave this place. I will not believe they fought and died for nothing. [info]arialrainfire Gladiator
7. I'll miss the sea, but a person needs new experiences. They jar something deep inside, allowing him to grow. Without change something sleeps inside us, and seldom awakens. The sleeper must awaken. [info]badseed1980 Dune
8. I am not a "peacenik", Captain; I just don't agree with the reasons behind this particular war, and I feel if we're gonna fight it we oughtta goddamn fight it right.
9. You are so finished when I get in there! I'm gonna stuff you in the blender, push "puree," then bake you into a pie and feed it to the social worker! And when he says, "Mmmm, this is great, what's your secret?" I'm gonna say... love ... and ... nurturing. [info]firespirit1 Lilo and Stitch
10. Sealed with a curse as sharp as a knife. Doomed is your soul and damned is your life. [info]feste_sylvain The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the Eighth Dimension
11. First of all, Papa Smurf didn't create Smurfette. Gargamel did. She was sent in as Gargamel's evil spy with the intention of destroying the Smurf village. But the overwhelming goodness of the Smurf way of life transformed her. And as for the whole gang-bang scenario, it just couldn't happen. Smurfs are asexual. They don't even have... reproductive organs under those little, white pants. It's just so illogical, you know, about being a Smurf. You know, what's the point of living... if you don't have a dick? [info]perseph12 Donnie Darko
12. Oh come off it, MAJOR. You put me right off my fresh fried lobster, do you realize that? I'm now going to go back to my bed, I'm going to put away the best part of a bottle of scotch... And under normal circumstances, you being normally what I would call a very attractive woman, I would have invited you back to share my little bed with me you might possibly have come. But you really put me off. I mean you... You're what we call a regular army clown. [info]amgem M*A*S*H*
13. That's it! See, at first I thought it was hate, too. Hate was all I knew, it built my world, it imprisoned me, taught me how to eat, how to drink, how to breathe. I thought I'd die with all my hate in my veins. But then something happened. It happened to me... just as it happened to you. [info]perseph12 V for Vendetta
14. You know, in certain older civilized cultures, when men failed as entirely as you have, they would throw themselves on their swords. [info]badseed1980 Serenity
15. And the seventh angel poured his bowl into the air, and a voice cried out from heaven, saying: "It is done." A man with your responsibilities reading about the end of the world. And what's this? "I am become Death, the Destroyer of Worlds." [info]tigira The Hunt for Red October

just a poem by someone else: Feb. 11th, 2008 @ 09:09 am
Tommy

by Rudyard Kipling

I went into a public-'ouse to get a pint o' beer,
The publican 'e up an' sez, "We serve no red-coats here."
The girls be'ind the bar they laughed an' giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an' to myself sez I:
..........O it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, go away";
..........But it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play -
..........The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
..........O it's "Thank you, Mister Atkins," when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but 'adn't none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-'alls,
But when it comes to fightin', Lord! they'll shove me in the stalls!
..........For it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, wait outside";
..........But it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide -
..........The troopship's on the tide, my boys, the troopship's on the tide,
..........O it's "Special train for Atkins" when the trooper's on the tide.

Yes, makin' mock o' uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an' they're starvation cheap;
An' hustlin' drunken soldiers when they're goin' large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin' in full kit.
..........Then it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, 'ow's yer soul?"
..........But it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll -
..........The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
..........O it's "Thin red line of 'eroes" when the drums begin to roll.

We aren't no thin red 'eroes, nor we aren't no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An' if sometimes our conduck isn't all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don't grow into plaster saints;
..........While it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' "Tommy, fall be'ind,"
..........But it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind -
..........There's trouble in the wind, my boys, there's trouble in the wind,
..........O it's "Please to walk in front, sir," when there's trouble in the wind.

You talk o' better food for us, an' schools, an' fires, an' all:
We'll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don't mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow's Uniform is not the soldier-man's disgrace.
..........For it's Tommy this an' Tommy that, an' "Chuck him out, the brute!"
..........But it's "Saviour of 'is country" when the guns begin to shoot;
..........An' it's Tommy this, an' Tommy that, an' anything you please;
..........An' Tommy ain't a bloomin' fool - you bet that Tommy sees!

new opt out feature Feb. 1st, 2008 @ 02:51 pm
LJ will highlight your new public posts in LJ explore.

So, for those of you who thought "hey, so and so won't find my journal, they don't know my LJ name" they MAY find your posts that you leave unlocked.

Don't like it?
Opt out, as you defaulted to include your public posts in this new, so important, feature.

More news at http://news.livejournal.com/105711.html

what D&D character bandwagon Dec. 19th, 2007 @ 11:46 am
Big surprise -

I Am A: True Neutral Human Ranger (5th Level)
( Read more... )

it's that time of year Dec. 6th, 2007 @ 04:48 pm
[info]frommy, this one's for you:

Have you ever wondered what Xmas would be like if it were a Jewish Holiday?

Do you like the Boston Christmas Tree? Dec. 6th, 2007 @ 12:11 pm
... - --- .--. / - .-. .- .. -. ... .-.-.- / -- ..- -. .. - .. --- -. ... / ... .... .. .--. / --- -. / ..-. .. .-. . .-.-.- / .- .--. .--. .-. --- .- -.-. .... .. -. --. / .--. .. . .-. / -.... .-.-.- / --. --- --- -.. -... -.-- . / -... --- -.-- ... .-.-.-

by
...- .. -. -.-. . / -.-. --- .-.. . -- .- -. .-.-.- / .... .- .-.. .. ..-. .- -..- / -. --- ...- .- / ... -.-. --- - .. .- .-.-.- / -.... / -.. . -.-. . -- -... . .-. / .---- ----. .---- --...

A man who left his post, remembered civilian lives in danger, and returned to his post, to send what he knew would be his last message, so others might live.

I no longer need to wear my POW/MIA bracelet Nov. 27th, 2007 @ 11:29 am
And I didn't find out about this a year ago, when it was announced.

http://www.pownetwork.org/bios/a/a017.htm
http://www.arlingtoncemetery.net/smandrews.htm

Now the question is: do I try and return the bracelet I've worn for at least 16 years, to the family?

I may try, while I'm home for Christmas, to either leave the bracelet at the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial, or at his graveside in Arlington.

"We have done what we could but until it is finished it is not done." Nov. 11th, 2007 @ 10:53 am
11th hour, 11th day of the eleventh month.

The end of the War to end all wars.

Well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame
The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain,
For Willie McBride, it all happened again,
And again, and again, and again, and again

All done in vain? So the French speak German, as do the Belgians? The Czar is still on the throne of Russia, Britain is an imperial power?

Ask the people of Belgium or Alsace-Lorraine,
If my life was wasted, if I died in vain.
I think they will tell you when all's said and done,
They welcomed this boy with his tin hat and gun.

And call it ironic that I was cut down,
While in Dublin my kinfolk were fighting the Crown.
But in Dublin or Flanders the cause was the same:
To resist the oppressor, whatever his name.

It wasn't for King or for England I died,
It wasn't for glory or old Empire's pride.
The reason I went was both simple and clear:
To stand up for freedom did I volunteer.

It's easy for you to look back and sigh,
And pity the youth of those days long gone by,
For us who were there, we knew why we died,
And I'd do it again, says Willie McBride.

Yesterday at NEU, we added another name to the Veterans' Memorial Wall, SSG Robert Pirelli, class of 2001 CJ, 3rd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group, died 15 August 2007, Diyala Province, Iraq.

His entire SF Operation Detachment Alpha (what used to be called an A Team until that wretched show) was present, to lay the wreath for the GWOT, and his commander spoke.
His commander, younger than I, doing a job (ODA Commander) I once wanted.

Who knows, that could have been me.

For those who served:
Jimmy, Dad, Grandad, Elissa, Jeff, Tom, OCW, Bruce, Ellen, and names I cannot remember:

Thank you.

Pagan Night Out Nov. 11th, 2007 @ 10:47 am
Pagans' Night Out is a monthly event, held on the thirteenth at Phoenix Landing. Starts around 6-6:30 pm.

Appetizers are three dollars before 7pm.

This is an all call to see who will be there.

for the fallen Nov. 11th, 2007 @ 10:40 am
"THE YOUNG DEAD SOLDIERS"

The Young dead soldiers do not speak.

Nevertheless, they are heard in the still houses. who has not heard them?

They have a silence that speaks for them at night and when the clock counts.

They say, We were young. We have died. Remember us.

They say, We have done what we could but until it is finished it is not done.

They say, We have given our lives but until it is finished no one can know what our lives gave.

They say, Our deaths are not ours, they are yours: they will mean what you make them.

They say, Whether our lives and our deaths were for peace and a new hope or for nothing we cannot say, it is you who must say this.

They say, We leave you our deaths: give them their meaning: give them an end to the war and a true peace: give them a victory that ends the war and a peace afterwards: give them their meaning.

We were young, they say. We have died. Remember us.

- Archibald Macleish

Oct. 31st, 2007 @ 09:03 am
"Go Gillooly".
It's a funny song.

But it's not a funny idea.
I lived through watching this on TV:
First and ten, Riggins, flea flicker back to Theismann. Theismann's in a lot of trouble. And it was Lawrence Taylor who...slammed Theismann to the ground at the 42 yard line. The blitz was on, that's not necessarily a good play to have called and quickly Lawrence Taylor is up, saying Theismann is hurt. And I don't believe Lawrence Taylor would have reacted that way unless Theismann, is really hurt... He slammed him, to the natural surface here... The blitz was on, that is not a good call to have with the blitz on... Theismann has no chance at all to get downfield and let's take one more look at it with our reverse angle camera. He's looking deep and he knows he's in trouble. Lawrence Taylor number 56 right there. Carson is number 53. But it's Taylor, over Carson (at this time the leg is shown). And you can see the uh, right knee, the right foot. And I knew that something was uh... really bad. And Lawrence Taylor leaped to his feet, and beckoned over to the Redskins bench; get your medical team in here quickly.

the weekend existed Oct. 29th, 2007 @ 11:55 am
Friday night was a quiet night in.

Saturday, well, during the day, I was supposed to go to the Northeastern Homecoming game ...
Game started at 2pm. I had a wedding to be at at 4pm.
SO not going to the game.

Went to the wedding, it was beautiful. Imbibed, fortunately had dd available, though next time I'll call a cab.

Saturday night into sunday morning, slept poorly due to imbibing, and woke with a massive ache in my right arm.
Must learn to listen to the two gorgeous women who keep recommending I get a wrist brace. FUCK, it just feels like caving in to age (but, many nights, my right hand folds into a fist and tries to curl up against my wrist, so, maybe a brace will save me).

Sunday, we had a thing, very poignant, and, in some ways, painful (as suggested by the word poignant): it's a beginning of new things, but an ending of old ones, and those liminal times are always scary.

I've got some massive annoyance at myself for various projects that I have been putting off, in many vistas ... one of them bit me in the ass this weekend: I meant to get around to saving all of my documents from my laptop into something external, so I wouldn't lose them. The laptop died. I can probably pull the drive and access the info, but that's some work, and time I don't have right now. I have a computer up and running, however, and I just need to learn not to read old files when i figure out what they are.

More pain issues.

Frankly, I ended this weekend wondering if maybe I should be on anti-depressants.
I'm not going down that road again, if I don't have to.
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