Cindy Sheehan & Other Unsightly Litter

I am constantly amazed by people like Cindy Sheehan. It is my observation that most of the Sheehanesque type of thinking comes out of California, but I'm sure it exists and thrives elsewhere. Why would anyone in their right mind expect a person enlisted in the military to be exempt from harms way. Ms. Sheehan is certainly not the first and absolutely won't be the last parent to lose a child to involvement in military conflict. This is a voluntary military. Nobody forced her son into active service and it is my guess that if there is any connection between the afterlife and the here and now, this boy is being embarrassed by the rantings of his deranged mother. Furthermore she is being played by the lunatic left. When all is said and done she will have made a fool of herself (for our amusement as brought to us by mainstream news) ,disgraced the memory of her son and accomplished absolutely nothing. Why would anyone sign up for this. Besides, from what source does Ms. Sheehan conclude that our actions in the middle east are illegal? This must be hyperbole, right. No offense, but this woman is like a housewife or something. An honorable enough role, but where did her credibility as a spokesperson emmanate from. Because her son lost his life while an active member of the armed forces, she has now become some kind of spokesperson for the left! I believe that Chris Matthews was even encouraging her to run for office. I don't know if anybody is tracking with me on this, but it all seems pretty desparate, almost surreal.

Friends and colleagues much smarter than me, continually tell me that the beauty of America is that everyone, freaks and lunatics included, get to have their say. I'm not so sure this is a good thing, but aside from being horribly inefficient, I guess it doesn't harm anything. The real problem to me is that Cindy Sheehan and others of her ilk raised on Dr. Spock, Romper Room and the dream state based romantic philosophy of the new left all get to gum up the workings of a phenomenally powerful and successful country such as the United States. I sometimes wonder how far ahead we would be if we didn't have to keep slowing down for these annoying leftist type people. This country never would have gotten started if it were left to the devices and cowardice of Ms. Sheehan, Barbara Boxer, Ted Kennedy and the like. I watched it in my own time during Viet Nam and found myself ashamed to be an American in uniform. Thank God for the military and thank God the Cindy Sheehans of this country don't have much influence on it. To paraphrase Jack Nicholson in a Few Good Men ' You want that freedom to do whatever the heck it is that pleases you, but then you question the manner in which that freedom is provided'. Like it or not there are some very bad people in the world. There always were and there always will be. I have no doubt that Ms. Sheehan and her supporters would have been out there in 1940/1941 yelling that the Nazis were not our problem and that we had no business in Europe. Pearl Harbor was fair game and the Japanese were acting responsibly in retaliation for trade barriers created by the US and its allies. In oter words we got we we deserved. I'm very sorry for her loss. I celebrate her son and his resolve. I thank God for my friends and colleagues, particularly the military veterans of WWII (my dad included), Korea, Nam, as well as the first and second Iraqi conflicts who understand that sometimes preserving the strength of this country requires tough measures. These brave souls in uniform have continued to serve as the beam of light that makes America a country to be respected and feared throughout the world, a place where scum like Osama Bin Laden think twice before blowing innocent people into the next world. A place where everyone is welcome, free and secure. And as my friends and colleagues continue to tell me this includes making room for the Cindy Sheehans, Jane Fondas, Barbara Boxers, Nancy Peloisis, Barbara Striesands, and all the other clueless people with a bully pulpit provided by Ms. Sheehan's son and thousands like him. I know it is a worn out retort... but if Cindy and friends don't like it here then they should get on a plane and move to Iraq or similar environ. Maybe after a few months living under the brutal reality of those countries Ms. Cindy and her friends will have a better appreciation for what her son died for. In those countries the good people impacted by the government's actions don't get to camp out in front of their president's residence. They just get to disappear. There is a lone voice on the oter side of the road in Crawford, the voice of an Iraqi woman pleading that we stay to give her country a chance to live the dream like in America. Nobody in the media is much interested in her plea or her message. It doesn't conform with the media's self righteous, self servicing agenda.

Moving Along

Well today I am getting ready to fly out to Virginia. I have a new job and I am enjoying it very much. I spent last week in New York and now I will spend the early part of this week in Virginia. Like with anything new, expectations are high on both sides, organization and deliverables are evolving and performance standards are yet to be defined. I still have a great deal of information to absorb and a number of processes to put in place before I can say that I've made a beneficial impact. This is the stage of development I like the most. Everything is new and uncharted. I have an opportunity to leave a meaningful and substantive mark on this group. I have 2 bosses, each has strengths that combined can make for a highly successful venture. I also like the members of the group very much. Let's see how it all comes together in the days and weeks to come.

It's not that unemployment is so bad. I was fortunate enough to have a little money put aside. It is just that being employed and working with people that you like and respect is so much better. I'm back in that saddle and sure glad to be there.

I STILL HAVE A DREAM

As I sit and think about whatever else I might do in this life before moving on, I am drawn to the issue of where I live and how I live. As many in my socio-economic strata I am living in a suburban area which like so many such environments is restrictive and anxiety producing even on the best days. Traffic, taxes, overcrowding problems, deed restriction issues, neighbors right on top of you and a general sense that it costs you every thing you have just to get by. Maybe okay for some, but as for me I think 20 plus years of running this course is more than I can bear! The cornerstone of retirement should be where to live, right? Everything else will grow from there. So what do I want for retirement years? I want a rural setting. I want to be able to enjoy the earth for my remaining years as I think God meant it to be. I want to get up in the morning and not see cars and listen to traffic as I try to adjust my mind and body to the new day before me. I want to be able to think without looking at my watch because I have to get somewhere. I came home from work one day not to many years ago and there was a giant cement light pole in the middle of my front yard. When I called the light company to inquire, I was simply told that they have that "right of way". Thank you for your call...learn to live with it, in so many words! The matter was ultimately resolved in my favor, but not without some major anxiety, persuasive arguments and a little well placed monetary incentive. I don't want to do this anymore. I have a vision of what I do want. It is a farm house owned by a close friend of mine. He has plans of subdividing his property and then building a brand new ranch house for his wife and himself. As for me I want to be the purchaser and eventual owner of the house to the right which is the current farm house. Can you see retiring here? Tell me it isn't beautiful. I picture waking up in the morning and going out on the potch with a hot cup of coffee and a newspaper or a book. I would then sit down, thank God for the day which lies before me and ask for the wisdom and strength to give the most I have to offer so I can get the most out of the day. I would then sip some coffee, read the paper or my book, and prepare myself mentally to take on the morning chores. Each day will start like this and end with me back on the porch reflecting on the day's activities and creating plans for the next day's tasks. I'm excited like I haven't been in a very long time. I need for this to happen and it will!

A New Twist

Well here it is Saturday evening and I'm looking at a totally different set of issues than I was at this time last week. Friday afternoon I received a job offer from a new employer, one I have wanted to work for for a very long time. I accepted the offer and now I'm preparing for a half-week long set of meeting in New York next week. How quickly things change. I think if I live to be 500 years old I'll never understand just how things work out in life.

Remember the friend I mentioned at almost the very beginning when I started this BLOG thing? Well she is the architect of the situation that has led to this job offer. I'm so very pleased and I will be working with some very sharp people whom I respect very much. Lots of "verys" here, I notice! I believe there is a chance to do some incredibly good things in this new position of mine. I actually feel like a kid entering a new job right out of grad school. The world is mine to carve and shape! Haven't felt like this in a long time.

I've already shared my excitement with my wife. Now I need to go call my mother

Big Decisions In My Little World

Of course I've been looking for work since losing my job in the beginning of July. It is already August 3rd. Getting older just seems to make the time fly. Absolutely I have been looking and I have found something that really, really appeals to me. I've interviewed locally and I've been up to New York. Everything is looking good except......the salary. This is the toughest decision I've had to make in a very long time. The salary is not anything to sneeze at, but it is substantailly below what I had been making for a very long time. On the other hand I haven't been excited about going to work in a very long time....yes like most people I know, I have been working primarily for the money. Now I have an opportunity to work for something I believe in with the chance to do something meaningful while working with people I really like and respect.

I am pretty certain I'm going to be given a formal offer later this week. What shall I do?