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Crispy

The Other Lizard Queen's Book Signing

26NOV2005 - Cindy Sheehan was set up in Crawford, Texas, near President Bush's ranch, expecting a grand turnout of anti-war hippies flocking to get their copy of her book signed. Well, that wasn't quite the way it all played out...


Make sure you visit Sweetness & Light for the full story & the rest of the pictures.

Some things just make your day.

Crispy

UPDATE: 1608 28NOV2005:

WorldNetDaily also has the story & links to the AP, Reuters, and Washington Post stories.

Happy Thanksgiving, Early

Greetings, all.

I'll shortly be on my way to the cold state of Ohio to visit family for Thanksgiving. I wanted to put out a short reminder to not get all caught up in the preparation for "the big meal", but to remember the reason for the holiday - To give thanks. Spend your time away from work or school with those you love the most. So what if you don't get a drumstick or if the turkey stuffing is a little dried out. Remember why you're getting together.

Have a Great Thanksgiving,
Crispy

Military Field Humor

The strangest things become humorous when you're out in the field and things are sucking (ie: you've been land nav'ing all day and night, its below freezing, you're cold, hungry, tired, etc). I don't even recall the conversation this came up during, but one of the guys (ironically enough, my shelter buddy) says, "Its not rape. Its surprise sex!" Of course I gave him the "What the heck did you just say?" stare, but I started laughing shortly after. When you're out in "the suck", as we came to call it this past exercise, what is considered socially acceptable under normal circumstances goes right out the window. I think the only thing that really limits people is 1) how tactical the situation is and/or 2) whether or not there are any superiors around, which in some cases doesn't much matter, either.

So, don't be terribly offended when you're around some military personnel and they look like they've been to heck & back and they start saying some of the worst stuff ever. They probably just got out of the field and haven't gotten quite back to "normal" (at least normal for us) yet.

Speaking of "the suck", I was told that phrase came from the movie "Jarhead". Is there any feedback about the movie? If so, include your opinion of the movie and WHY you liked/disliked it. I've heard opinions from one extreme to the next.

Crispy

On Love and War

I've started to wonder about the rules that people use to govern their lives. I have become increasingly convinced that true Christian young ladies are a near-extinct breed.

I remember when the man in uniform was considered one of the most noble professions and girls would be raised to believe that if they had a soldier, to never let go. Maybe that was a misconception on my part. Maybe things are indeed different today. I'm not talking about the sluts that you see hanging all over anything with a name tag and a pulse. As a soldier who deals with impending danger, how important do you think it is that we have someone back home who isn't afraid to get down on her knees and pray for our safety at any hour of the day or night? It is easy to find a girl that longs for a soldier to hold her. It isn't as easy to find a true Christian girl. It is dang near impossible to find a true Christian young lady that understands the heart of a warrior. When I look around, I see women pursuing (which is the first part that is backwards) "hippified" frat boys or straight up stupid rednecks. It seems that the warrior doesn't even have a home in his own country any more. During times of peace the warrior is forgotten and discarded. During times of conflict, the warrior is given the lip service of praise and respect by the public, but held back from doing his job by the politician.

I subscribe to the idea that if you love someone, you will be willing to accept the fact that their job, their mission, may require them to spend time away from you. If this is the case, you recognize that the time you do spend together is that much more precious because he will be away and because you never know if he'll be coming back home alive. If a man is willing to sacrifice his life for his country, do you honestly think that he doesn't know how to love? Do you think when the enemy is finally dead, the dust settles and the adrenaline drains out that the soldier doesn't grieve for his fallen comrades? Do you think we are totally heartless? Or could it be that we cultivate an internal fortitude so that we can deal with such things? There is no time to cry when the bullets are in or out bound. Maybe, just maybe, you should try to get to know us a little better. Maybe we know more about brotherhood and bonds than your giggly gossip circle of Sex in the City characters could ever fathom. Maybe it takes time for us to allow you to get inside our walls. Maybe we aren't the simpletons you thought us to be. Maybe we're just as complex, if not more so (considering the factor of imminent death among us), than you say you are?

Crispy

Some Pieces of Motivation & Wisdom

What would you do if you knew you couldn't fail? Go and do it.

"You'll always miss 100% of the shots you don't take."
-Wayne Gretzky

The best decision you can make is the right decision. The second best decision you make is the wrong one. The worst thing you can do is nothing.
-Sherman Owens

It is better to have given it your all and failed then to have quit and been defeated before you even started. Complete the mission, accomplish your goal, and never quit. Never accept defeat. The only difference between the champion and the loser is that the champion decided to get up one more time than the loser. Your life is determined by the dreams you pursue. Don't listen to the ones that say it can't be done. They say that because they're too weak (mentally or physically) to succeed. Never listen to the failures. It can be done. You can do it; you can make it. Success isn't a default outcome. You need to work for it. You must strive for success. It'll require the investment of your time, your talent and your treasure. Success will require you to say no to something else so that you can pursue your dreams. Focus. Don't chase after that which isn't important. Forget and ignore the trivial. Ask yourself, "Will this matter five minutes from now?" In most cases, it won't.

So your kid left two pieces of broccoli on his/her plate? Big deal. Fathers, go throw the ball in the yard with your son. Mothers, go braid your daughters hair (or whatever y'all do). You don't know when your last day on this earth will be. No time that you invest in your child is wasted. Never make the mistake of thinking that you wasted a day because your spent it with your child. Fathers, take a day off work and go fishing with your son. Take him to a baseball game. Take him to a miniature golf course. Go to an arcade together & play games together. SPEND TIME TOGETHER. I can't emphasize this enough. Parents, do you want to know how kids spell love? T-I-M-E. Some of my best memories with my parents are when my Dad was helping me practice for baseball, whether it was in the batting cages or drilling me on my fielding. One of my best memories with my Mom, in contrast, was something as simple as making little submarines out of construction paper. Cutting out little shapes with construction paper!!! How much easier can it get? Invest time in your children. They'll most likely be around a lot longer than some goofy business or bill that needs to be paid. Houses will always be for sale, but your son or daughter will only be six years old for 365 days.

Crispy

13 November 2005 Is...

..."National World Kindness Day". Kick a rabbit to celebrate.

Crispy

To All Defenders of Freedom

To the Past, to the Present and to the Future:

Happy Veteran's Day, soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen. You are all greatly appreciated.

"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf." -George Orwell


Crispy

Finally Boiling Over

I think one of the worst things that I've ever truly thought about a person was, "I'll always cherish my initial misconceptions about you." People continue to amaze me with how shallow they are. The following post has been in the making (upstairs) for the last several weeks, hence the title.

Don't complain about how you're sick of being "alone" when all you do is lead people on and suddenly drop them like a ton of bricks. Don't run around claiming to be a Christian when you act the way you do. Tell people you're a Muslim or something. People see that you hop around like a friggin' rabbit. You've managed to create the reputation of a shallow, slutty "lewd or immoral woman" (amazing what you can do with a dictionary, isn't it?) in only a few months. Actually, you didn't create your reputation; you simply revealed your character. Don't try to drag others down with you. They don't need your claws sunk into their bodies. Several weeks ago I noticed you had started hanging with someone I know. About one to two weeks ago I warned him about your pattern. Guess what he told me last night? I heard one of my favorite quotes, "You were right." Sha-zam! These guys have enough to worry about. They don't need your help to make things worse. Get over yourself and go take a cold shower... for about the next six months.

Jesus loves you, but I think you're an anal sphincter!

Crispy


UPDATE: 0016 11NOV2005:

And by the way, "love" isn't something that changes week to week or day to day. It doesn't come and go. Its a decision, not a feeling.

This was supposed to be included in the original post, but it slipped my mind.


UPDATE: 1603 28NOV2005:

So now you have a boyfriend, again? *scratches head* The point of this update is only to further reemphasize my aforementioned points.

US-CERT ST05-018 -- Understanding Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)

Non-technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/tips/ST05-018.html

Crispy

US-CERT TA05-312A -- Microsoft Windows Image Processing Vulnerabilities

Technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/techalerts/TA05-312A.html

Non-technical: http://www.us-cert.gov/cas/alerts/SA05-312A.html

Crispy

Non-Buffalo Chicken, Drive Thrus and Retards (not the employees, real retards)

So, I decided I wanted to go out for dinner as opposed to eating in the Trough (dining facility). I didn't have to worry about anyone else's financial concerns, so I decided to go to a chicken place that is a favorite of mine, drive thru.

Before the story continues, I should say that I almost always order the same thing from this place. 10 piece buffalo chicken fingers, bleu cheese dressing instead of that ranch garbage and a large sweet iced tea. Well, in the past I've received everything from buffalo wings (usually equaling ten) to plain chicken fingers to plain chicken nuggets - you name it. Well, sometimes I like to think that I still have faith in the human race, so...

I pull up the squawk box and give 'em my order. They read it back perfectly. I get my total and think to myself, something's wrong (too low), but I continue, nonetheless. I figure I'll have my hay day at the window. Get to the pick up window, exchange cash, drink, etc. As Mr. Drive Thru is about to hand me my food, he asks if I ordered the 10 piece buffalo chicken fingers with Bleu Cheese dressing (a real hard order to screw up, you'd think). I said, yes sir, that's correct. He hands me the bag. Another happy customer served, so they think. As I put the bag on the passenger's seat, I notice that my nose isn't burning from the smell of buffalo. But, I trust Mr. Drive Thru, since that was the first time Mr./Ms. Drive Thru ever tried to confirm what I ordered right at the window. I figure this guy must know what he's doing. Besides, the weight of the bag was right, so I know I'm not the proud of owner of 10 tiny wings. I begin pulling away and start becoming more and more convinced that these chicken fingers haven't been bathed in buffalo.

Side note: The IQ of the local town population isn't quite on the positive side of the scale yet. And since I usually try to avoid as much contact as possible with the indigenous personnel, I quickly ruled out going inside to attempt to rectify the problem.

So, back to my room I head. Several times I think about turning around, but I really don't feel like dealing with them. Not to mention a few oddities that happened between there and here, I set the bag on the table. Pull out my box of chicken, pop the lid and there's 10 (I suppose, didn't count) completely naked pieces of breaded chicken staring at me. Thank God there were two packs of bleu cheese in there, though. So, I reluctantly plop into the chair. I start trying to figure out where my magic wand is so I can turn these vile little beings into the Dinner of Champions they should be.

Remember that training exercise I said I was going on over the weekend? Well, inside the MREs (Meals Read to Eat) they issue us are contained smaller packages with small things like salt, sugar, individual coffee packs, two chicklets, etc. Prior to going out, we "field strip" the MREs so we only have what we want & not everything they package with it. I field stripped all mine and left the rest of the stuff back here. Well, there is also this little precious gem of Tabasco sauce inside. They come in these little glass bottles that are about two inches tall (I'll have to post a picture some time; they're great). Well, my military ingenuity starts firing up. You can figure out the rest.

Now, to my point. How hard is it to push the button the says "Chicken Fingers" + Buffalo + 10? On the other end, how hard is it to read the black and green screen that says Chicken Fingers + Buffalo + 10?

This may sound mean at first, but it'll make sense in a minute or two.

Every morning at the Trough, my term of endearment for the dining facility here, they bring in these retarded kids to clean the tables and refill the napkin holders. (Yes, I thought the exact same thing: Exploitation of the mentally challenged!) I assume (hope) it is part of their therapy or something. Anyway, those kids work harder and do a better job than some of the (supposedly) non-retarded staff that works there. Why is it that a kid who isn't all there can do a significantly better job than someone more than twice his age who actually gets paid to do it? The employee volunteered to come work for the employer whereas the kid was brought here by the short bus (they really do come on a short bus). The employee had a choice as to where he or she applied for a job.

Yesterday morning one of the 'tards started freaking out about something. I have no idea what was going on, but he started... making... noise... that went on for the rest of the time I was in there. I don't mean the kid was mumbling or anything, I mean full on, full throttle moaning/yelling/noise. Ya know what the funny part was? It didn't bother me one bit. Why? Because he doesn't know any better. Yet, the paratard at the chicken place bothers me (simply by looking at the size of this post). Why? Because when a kid who doesn't have a fully developed brain can out perform you, something is desperately wrong. Your job is to make whatever that green and black screen says. There are directions laid out for you. Your job is to punch into the little cash register/computer whatever the person on the other end of the squawk box says. Some of those goofy things have pictures on them in addition to the word itself!

What is it about retarded people doing jobs better than "normal" people? While I was home during this past the summer, my dad and I were out for breakfast one morning when we noticed a retarded kid cleaning tables. I believe we were at a Denny's. I've never seen anyone clean tables like that guy. He was amazing. After we both observed him work, we started talking about how that guy worked harder than some of the people we know. How can people let a retarded person do a better job than them? Does anyone else see the problem with this? I don't say this against the retarded person, but against the pseudo-retard that is being out done. I must say, of those who are mentally challenged that I've seen work, on average, they do a much better job than the average person who fills their position. I really don't understand it. How can we let lazy people vote yet tell the retarded kid who gives 110% when he works that he can't vote or have a say in the country. I mean, I'm not up on all the specific voting restrictions or requirements, but I know that not all are allowed to vote.

This one time we were at Burger King. This was several years ago. I'm not sure if this dude was on coke, speed, retarded or just the kind of person that was always enthusiastic. Anyway, I've never seen someone so passionate about French fries. He made sure everyone knew the status of the French fries that were currently cooking. "30 seconds to hot fries." "15 seconds to hot fries." "10 seconds to hot fries." And he isn't saying this at a conversational tone. EVERYONE in the kitchen, if not the building, knows about the French fries. "Hot fries in 3... 2... 1..." And in unison with the timer alarm beginning to beep, "HOT FRIES!" He yanks the fries out of the fryer to drain, shakes 'em off, and throws them into the metal jobber where they're salted, then put into the containers and served. And this guy didn't do this once or twice. It was the same with every batch of fries and with everything he did. He was passionate about his job. He did his job well. My point in relating this story is that if someone can be that passionate about making French fries at Burger King, you'd think the rest of us can do our jobs at least to standard.

Crispy

A Message for "Juba"

Juba,

If you are within my area of operations, I vow this very day that I will bring you in or kill you.

Yahweh Akbar.

Crispy

A Must Read

I just finished one of the greatest books ever written. I recommend this book for any warrior, past, present, and future. I recommend this book for anyone desiring to understand the bond found among warriors. The warrior spirit lives within this book. "Gates of Fire" by Steven Pressfield is simply amazing. It is an epic novel of the battle of Thermopylae. I really don't want to spoil anything about the book. I was hooked in less than six pages when I first started reading it. This is a must read!


Crispy

O xein angellein Lakedaimoniois hoti tede
keimetha tois keinon rhemasi peithomenoi

Tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
that here obedient to their laws we lie.

Catching Up on Missed Conversations

So, we're back.

WaMi informed me of a good series of posts that had been on Vox Pololi that I had missed. I started scanning the archives for the month of October when I ran across this from 04OCT05:

On the unfairness of storks

A 39-year old woman finally gets around to considering children:

As certain as I am that now is the right time for me to have my children, it's hard not to blame myself for how difficult it's turning out to be. My husband tells me we don't know if it was any easier for our friends because no one talks about the trying, only the success....

So, now that you know, what do you say next time you see me? Don't say anything. I'll tell you when I'm pregnant, and in the meantime you can stop wondering whether every decision I make means I am. After all, I don't ask you if your interest in Gyrotonics is just a sign that your kids are growing up and you have nothing else to do. I don't blame you for being able to have your beautiful children. And I'm learning not to blame myself for my difficulty having my own.

This woman would appear to be more than a little slow. She's still convinced it's the right moment for her to have children, all evidence to the contrary notwithstanding. But if it's not her fault, then whose fault is it? After all, decades of sex education classes have taught us that babies don't simply appear out of the sky, carefully dangled from the beaks of storks, right? Perhaps society is to blame....

This is simply an evasive, feeble and ultimately futile attempt at self-deception. She knows perfectly well it's her fault; life is about nothing if not opportunity cost.

If a woman decides that she wants to have children - a decision that everyone concerned with the long-term fate of the West should wholeheartedly support in every way - it's really not all that difficult. A few suggestions:

1. Don't engage in casual dating relationships after eighteen. They tend to keep one occupied in a manner that prevents one from examining more serious possibilities.
2. Make your potential relationships the top priority. If you put your career first, there's a reasonable chance that a career is all you'll have at forty.
3. Settle earlier rather than later. I can't tell you how many women I know who have blown off perfectly decent men in their late teens and early twenties. Most of them who are now married are married to men I would consider to be of lower quality than those they blew off. Remember, your choices narrow as you get older, while men's choices broaden.
4. Let those around you know that marriage and children is your goal. Too many women, fearing the wrath of the Sisterhood, secretly wish for it while publicly and piously professing feminist-approved cant. Screw the Sisterhood. They're stupid, toothless bitches with third-rate minds and they don't give a damn about you, your hopes or your dreams.
5. Don't hesitate to end relationships that aren't leading towards marriage or with men who are anything less than completely positive about the prospect of children. Men are very good at learning how to string women along and they know they'll have no problem replacing you when you finally show your cards. Don't confuse conflict avoidance for malleability.
6. Shed your toxic friends as well as those loyal to the Sisterhood. Misery loves company and miserable women love to make everyone else miserable. They'll do their best to sabotage any potential relationship with a decent man.

Excellent post, Vox!

I will probably be making my own post on the male/female relationship topic soon. If we all get lucky, it may even turn into a two-parter, or better yet, a series.

Crispy