It's going to be a busy month...

I got a message last friday (Jan 11) changing my detachment and transfer date from Apr to this month...giving me exactly 20 days to arrange to move myself, my wife (including arranging dialysis and medical care for her in the new place), and my 2 dogs...I'm moving from HI to CT so I have to arrange to ship my cars and household goods.

My pack out date is the 23rd. My fly out date is the 28th. There is a good chance I will be flying to ATL an renting a car to drive the rest of the way to Groton because of temperature restrictions incurred by taking our dogs with us.

An old picture of me and the pupps

Liberals Losing Their Way

The liberals were at one time a voice of reason in this country. They stood for an intellectual progressive position based on reason and liberty. Whether you agree with their ideas or not, this is true. Unfortunately for the country and the political debate, this voice has recently lost it way. In their hatred for Bush, their desire to politically hurt him, they have become the reactionary voice in the country. Just one example of this is the impending financial crisis being brought on by Social Security and Medicare entitlements. When presented with a solution to the impending crisis by the Bush administration, it is easily dismissed in thier haste to condemn anything from the White House as anti-(pick your voter group). Just as the idea of tax cuts was opposed by this crowd arguing the national debt, when passed, a ripple effect occurred and in 2006 we had a a budget surplus, which is how the debt gets paid.

Now the liberal Democrat controlled Congress is showing their true colors in another manner. They ran on a platform of supporting the troops, while opposing the war. Evidence to the contrary is plainly evident in the present state of the defense authorization budget bill. It will be blamed on the President's veto of the last budget submitted to him, but really it boils down to a political fight between the Congress and the President. This is hurting the troops by holding down a pay raise, 3% rather than the promised 3.5%, plus more than 20 re-enlistment bonuses, enlistment bonuses, special pays are canceled. In a move to deny the President his rightful Constitutional power to make appointments if Congress is in recess, the Senate has been meeting every 4th day for a partial day while the House is in full Christmas recess. So rather than shorten their Holiday recess and return to work on the 2nd or even the 7th like the rest of the real world. Many re-enlistments are being canceled due to these budget concerns, even though Congressional leaders tell us to continue our plans and the bonuses and benefits will be made retro-active, but no one in the military is willing to trust our leaders. In my opinon they have earned this lack of trust.

What Scares You More?

With Benazir Bhutto, friend to the United States and proponent of democracy and equality in Pakistan, killed in a terrorist action, what is scarier to you - the fact that President Mussharaf could have been involved in the assassination of his main political rival or the fact that he was powerless to stop the Al Qaeda ridden government he supposedly controls (which has nuclear weapons)?

The day of Bhutto's return to Pakistan, President Bush informed Musharraf that the United States holds him personally accountable for the safety and security of Bhutto. Indeed, he stopped an earlier assassination attempt on her life. Certainly the crowds at the scene blamed Musharraf for the attack. Now what will the United States do in this minefield of diplomacy? Will we stick by the President's word, or will we let Musharraf off the hook (or should we?)?

Too Bad

Not to knock the military service of the President, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter (who at least had the good sense to join the submarine force), etc. but I think this is a real shame:

President Bush’s top Iraq war commander said Sunday that as far as he knows, his command performances now and in the future will be strictly military, not political.

In fact, Army Gen. David Petraeus cited the words of Civil War-era Gen. William T. Sherman in declaring he has no interest in shedding his uniform and running for the White House, as Gen. Dwight D. Eisenhower did 55 years ago.

“None,” Petraeus replied, when asked on “Fox News Sunday” if he had an interest in running.

“I have great respect for those who do choose to serve our country in that way. I’ve chosen to serve our country in uniform,” Petraeus said from Baghdad.

“And I think that General Sherman had it right when he gave what is now commonly referred to as a Shermanesque response when asked a similar question.”

A leading Union general in the war, Sherman said in a telegram to the Republican National Convention in 1884, when he was being urged to run for president, “I will not accept if nominated, and I will not serve if elected,” according to “The Yale Book of Quotations.”

George H. W. Bush was the last Commander-in-Chief to have seen combat while in military service. Prior to him, it was Gerald Ford . Of the current crop of candidates, only Duncan Hunter (Ranger service during the Vietnam Conflict) and John McCain (Naval Aviator, POW during the Vietnam conflict) have any type of combat service, and the number of candidates with any military service is disturbingly low.

While military service is neither the make nor break characteristic of any candidate, during a time of conflict as the nation finds itself in now, I believe it is important for the troops who are placing themselves in harm's way to be able to look respect the President's decisions, to know he/she understands what he is asking of them. My father wasn't a great or wise man, nor even a good father, but one thing he did say that I have found useful as I have been placed in leadership roles in the Navy is "Never ask a man to do something you haven't already done or wouldn't be willing to do." How has the candidate you are supporting sacrificed for the country, and is that sacrifice on the level with the men and women who will be looking at him/her directly for leadership?

Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas one and all from the Whizzer family.

Please remember to keep those deployed and the Individual Augmentees in your thoughts on this holiday.

My Official Endorsement for President

On Foreign Policy:

Human nature. I do something nice for you, you do something nice for me, like not kill me. Next thing you know, we're friends.”

Don't leave your future in the hands of a man who does'nt know how to use a swiss army knife in the correct fashion. Vote with your heart: Macgyver 2008.

The Power of Prayer

A CNN journalist heard about a very old Jewish man who had been going to the Western Wall to pray, twice a day, every day, for a long, long time. So she went to check it out. She went to the Western Wall and there he was, walking slowly up to the holy site.

She watched him pray and after about 45 minutes, when he turned to leave, using a cane and moving very slowly, she approached him for an interview.
"Pardon me, sir, I'm Rebecca Smith from CNN. What's your name?"
"Morris Fishbone," he replied.

"Sir, how long have you been coming to the Western Wall and praying?"
"For about 60 years."
"60 years! That's amazing! For what do you pray? "'
"I pray for peace between the Christians, Jews and the Muslims. I pray for all the wars and all the hatred to stop. I pray for all our children to grow up safely as responsible adults, and to love their fellow man."
"How do you feel after doing this for 60 years?"
"Like I'm talking to a fuckin' wall."