RHOGGBLOG

God and His Minions

2010-08-21T00:18:00.002+03:00

The enemies of God, and the enemies of men have not often found allies among one another; however, it is the mistake of man to believe that he can discern the truth of such things. As such a great conflict is arising, and a subtle hate is brewing in the heart's of children everywhere. It is always the position of the child to become a subject, to be enslaved, and yet live on for the sake of peace. Who will hear the command? Who will lead us into battle? Who will comfort us when the storm rages? We have frivolous wars, and we have Wars. We have ideas, and we have Missions. We have nothing without Him.

FLU-Tastic

2009-04-27T22:59:00.003+03:00

How is it that the company (Baxter), that contaminated flu vaccines and sent them all around the world is now creating a new vaccine for the pig flu "pandemic".

Where is Alice? Is this Wonderland?

"Baaahhhhh", said the sheeple.

Random Thoughts on Self Defense

2009-02-04T20:28:00.003+03:00

We now live in touchy feely world where animals are people (except for cows, pigs, chickens, lambs and a few others), where men are women (vice versa), morality is subjective, and heroes are people like ganbangers, rapists, juvenile delinquent sports stars, and Harvey Milk. Does it really surprise you that someone feels bad for a violent criminal or equates their worth in the world to any other human being? The Scales of Justice need major calibrating, but I don't see that happening anytime soon. Oh yeah, and Berny Maddof is still free, but I guarantee if you lift a candy bar from 711 your going to end up in the slammer.

What is a person to think? What are we all supposed to believe? What is left to believe in? People are confused! We now live in world where so many things are contradicted by the next "event", that most people have just accepted the fact that they are merely along for the ride.

It is impossible to make sense of it all, and I am convinced it is not supposed to make sense. The liquefying of your brain matter is all part of the "agenda".

My favorite thing currently on the chopping block is the whole "bailout" scenario. That fact that it continues is evidence to me that Americans have mostly lost their ability to think critically.

Moral of the story is I applaud anyone who has the stones to rid the world of a slug(violent criminal), in a lawful situation. The act of doing so, or the willingness to do so is proof that you have not lost your ability to reason, and that you still understand morality as not defined by a post-modern zombie citizen.

RUGER LCP... Small .380 Auto for Concealed Carry

2009-01-30T04:30:00.007+03:00

The Ruger LCP (Lightwieght Carry Pistol) is a 9.4 ounce semi-automatic handgun chambered for the .380 Auto cartridge. This little gun is intended mainly for concealed carry, and its small form factor is a testament to its pocket-ability.

I bought mine at a gun show from Dark Sun Surplus out of Richmond, VA for $329. Not bad for what you get.

I currently have only 50 rounds of FMJ through the little guy, but had no issues whatsoever.

Easy to take down, and easy to clean, fairly accurate inside of 20 yards, and not much recoil, although it does snap a little. A diminutive round like the .380 ACP can kick a little when it is coming out of a 9.4 ounce pistol.

All in all I was pretty impressed. I believe this is a great little gun for throwing in your back pocket or leaving in your vehicle.

Are We Duped?

2008-07-23T15:56:00.001+03:00

In his “Economic Consequences of the Peace” John Maynard Keynes wrote:

“Lenin is said to have declared that the best way to destroy the capitalist system was to debauch the currency. By a continuing process of inflation governments can confiscate, secretly and unobserved, an important part of the wealth of their citizens. By this method they not only confiscate, but they confiscate arbitrarily and, while the process impoverishes many, it enriches some. The sight of this arbitrary arrangement of riches strikes not only at security, but at confidence in the equity of distribution of wealth. Lenin was certainly right. There is no subtler, no surer means of overthrowing the existing order of society than debauching the currency. The process engages all the hidden forces of economic law on the side of destruction, and does it in a manner which not one man in a million is able to diagnose.”

OBAMA HAS LOST IT!!!!!!!!

2008-07-22T20:17:00.002+03:00

Obama said something very scary, and it is quoted in Chicago newspaper......

I can't believe this is not getting any attention....

"We cannot continue to rely only on our military in order to achieve the national security objectives that we've set," he said Wednesday. "We've got to have a civilian national security force that's just as powerful, just as strong, just as well-funded."

This has to be the most rediculous thing I have ever heard come from a politician. Somebody needs to figure out who this guy thinks he is before he gets elected and turns America into a very very bad place.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-obama-national-servicejul03,0,5754842.story

Gold is Too Expensive???

2008-07-15T15:32:00.000+03:00

The American Dollar is in a freefall again today as the world loses faith in the paper dollar. So let me ask, when the dollar loses value do prices have to go up? Do commodities actually cost more? Does Value change?
I am not an economist, but common sense would tell you that real value doesn't have to change for the price to go up. For real money (like gold and silver) the value is already there. What is changing is the dollar stupid!
So if you make a bet on gold or silver, or even gas for that matter, are you making a bet on gold, silvewr, or oil, or are you make a bet against the dollar?
I don't give investment advice to people, but good God.... Gold is not expensive; Oil is not expensive; Silver is not expensive; The US Dollar is freakin worthless.
It is amazing to me that the network news stations have been able to keep the general public on a leash. People have no clue what is going on. WEALTH IS DISSAPPEARING INTO THIN AIR!!!!
If you are going to save MONEY, now is not the time to save it in greenbacks. Store your money where people have trusted it for most of the last 4,000 years.
Remember.... even in the US, gold and silver was real money 75 years ago. So before you go calling a gold bug crazy pick up a book.
If you want to watch your wealth evaporate.... The best way to do it is in the NYSE, or as an alternative you could just burry some money in a coffee can.
Either way the transfer has begun.... Own gold, Own silver.... Not paper, Not certificates, Not broken promises.

Inflation... The Evil Flesh Eating Disease

2008-06-25T14:41:00.002+03:00

When you think about rising fuel prices, and the ever increasing burden upon your empty stomach; when you think about the plight of the consumer, and the pocketbook pillaging of the common man know who wages this war against you. Know that unfortunate events have not mistakenly fallen upon you. Know that flag toting wolves in patriot's clothing have stripped you of your livliehood. Know that nearly every man and woman gracing the halls of our Congress should be wearing a badge of shame for their mishandling of the principles for which they are sworn to uphold, and know that greed is the abismal epicenter from which this monster of mayhem has arisen.
First they passed the 16th Ammendment so they could take your money directly from you. Then they made you trade in your gold and silver money and wiped away the promise that your money was actually worth something. They sold off the wealth that was once America's and traded it for a fractional reserve banking system run by private bankers. They slowly debased your currency, and inflation made it pointless for you to save your money without "investing". Instead of buying things with money you have saved they decided to sell you your own dreams.
You were once an American, and now you are a pennyless fool.
Selling dreams is very profitable.... especially when you have the power to create the dream with a printing press, but this could only last so long. The manipulation of fiat money backed by nothing has a limit.
What happens now when people can't pay their bills? Uh... banks can't pay their bills.... When banks can't pay their bills they go bankrupt. When banks go bankrupt, they leave mountains of unpaid debt which only makes waves instead of ripples appear on the surface of the inflationary sea.
Buy Gold and silver while you still can!

Colour Calendar for MOSS/ WSSv3

2008-05-22T00:22:00.001+03:00

Travel on over to http://www.codeplex.com/ . There you will find many free open source projects. Colour Calendar by Mark Wilson is a cool addon for MOSS. This allows you the ability to color code Calendars with the use of added content types, a list, and a webpart. Thanks Mark of http://planetwilson.blogspot.com

Convert .dmg > .iso

2008-05-14T05:22:00.001+03:00

Helpful for creating images made on a MAC usable in Windows

hdiutil convert /path/to/filename.dmg -format UDTO -o /path/to/savefile.iso

Replace /path/to/filename.dmg with the path and name of the existing .DMG file, and replace /path/to/savefile.iso with the desired path and name for the converted image.

Ron Paul is Ronald Regan on Steroids

2007-11-30T20:25:00.000+03:00

In his book "The Age of Turbulence Adventures in a New World" on pg.93, Alan Greenspan quotes Ronald Regan Regan asking then Chairmen of the Fed Volcker, "I'm curious. People are asking why we need a Fed at all."

American Aporia, State of Confusion

2007-11-30T19:12:00.000+03:00

"wealth does not bring goodness, but goodness brings wealth and every other blessing, both to the individual and to the state" -Socrates

Could it be that the decline of the dollar, and the sub prime mess are directly related to a decrease in "goodness" both at the level of the state, and the individual? Citing sources or referencing science are irrelevant in a perceived level or amount of "goodness" considering the measure is objective. However; I think it is safe to say that the average American shares a growing sentiment of government distrust, and disgust of public figures who display their wretched hearts (and sometimes other parts), for all to see.

Just a thought....

http://www.paulunteer.com/images/PaulOwnsMcCain.gif

Gold Standard ??Ideas of a Radical??

2007-11-10T07:31:00.000+03:00

"Since your dollars have no intrinsic value, they are subject to currency market fluctuations and ruinous government policies, especially Fed inflationary policies. Every time new dollars are printed and the money supply increases, your income and savings are worth less. Even as you save for retirement, the Fed is working against you. Inflation is nothing more than government counterfeiting by the Fed printing presses. Inflation acts as a hidden tax levied disproportionately on the poor and fixed-income retirees, who find the buying power of their limited dollars steadily diminished. The corporations, bankers, and wealthy Americans suffer far less from this inflation, because they can take advantage of the credit expansion that immediately precedes each new round of currency devaluation." -Ron Paul

Just to entertain myself I looked up historical gold prices. For fun lets say in 1971 you paid $30,000.00 for a house. In 1971 the price of gold was $44.60/ once. Theoretically then the house could have been purchased with roughly 673 ounces of gold. Today 673 ounces of gold is worth $559,936.

Everyone knows that owning a home will bring some kind of wealth overtime, as long as the property can be used. People expect real estate to go up in value, so it makes sense that a house purchased in 1971 is worth so much more today.

However, if you look at this with a twist, it takes on new meaning. If you sold that home in 1971, put $30,000 in a coffee can, and buried it your backyard you would still only have $30,000. Compared to 1971 it would seem like less money when slated against it's actual buying power today. Now if you had taken 673 ounces of gold, and buried it in your back yard you would have a sizable amount of money compared to the value of the same paper money that could have been had for the house.

This example leaves a lot out of the equation. The house may be worth more, or less than the gold because it is real estate which follows a different market. The real point is that the value of the dollar is not stationary and, 36 years ago burying any amount of money would have been a terrible idea. If US dollars were backed by gold.... you would not have done so bad with the same philosophy.

I don't think it says anywhere in the Constitution that he government derives their money from the people. So who then has allowed the government the power to create money out of thin air, and loan it away as if it were something tangible? The way our money system works is likable to children drawing pictures, and then recounting "tall tales". They have imagined something, and put it in picture form to impress themselves and others. The only difference is the imaginations of children don't damage entire nations, and the future hopes of the people therein.

More often than not people put blame for abuses of power on the government, but I believe a fare share of that blame should be carried, and the pains of labor felt by the apathetic electorate.

The Revolution is alive, and the new awakening of the spirit of freedom makes itself known. My countrymen, do not forget the love of your country and her people when you take away the seats of your governors one by one with your ballot of liberty.

Ron Paul Crazy or Brave?

2007-11-09T03:05:00.000+03:00

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Politics/Vote2008/story?id=3839318&page=1

I love it when politicians and important people get tough questions. When they trivialize complex issues with statements like, "inflation only causes prices from imported goods to go up", I want to scream.
I do not consider myself a radical, nor do I consider Ron Paul a radical. What I think is radical is the Chairmen of the Fed answering a question like he is talking to a bunch of third graders on a playground. I'm no expert, but I'm no idiot either.
Many politicians do this. We all see it. They dodge, duck, and run away hiding their face. Everyone knows Bernanke is a smart guy. Everyone knows Greenspan was a smart guy. Why couldn't Greenspan answer the question, "Do you think we really need a Federal Reserve"?
This is not a conspiracy against the American people.... it is actually happening. It doesn't happen in the secret, in as much as we know rates and monetary supply change, it happens in the open.
Bankers know it, investors know it, THE CHINESE KNOW IT, why the hell can't people sitting in front of their TV's figure it out?
If the Chinese sell off our treasury bills (1.3 trillion), and diversify like they said they would yesterday how do you think investors in America will react?
Has anyone paid attention to the number of foreign currency ETF's that have sprung up in the last year? Do you know why they have sprung up? Because investment advisers everywhere have been advocating Asian, Canadian, and European currency. Consequently, someone is going to capitalize on the demand.
Why is it that Ron Paul is the only one that can ask, "how do you intend to curb inflation with more inflation"?
Ron Paul is really resonating with me. For a country whose government derives it's power from the governed it seems like that power is no longer REGULATED or KEPT IN CHECK by the people. Where are the poeple? Where are the throngs? Where are the charismatic heroes?
When will we thirst for freedom enough? Hopefully before he rivers run dry. Hopefully before hope is lost.
I'm not convinced that Ron Pual has a chance to become the next president for a few reasons. I'm not convinced that Americans are mad enough. I'm not convinced that enough people care or realize what is now happening. I am not convinced enough people are unsatisfied with the status quo. I'm not convinced enough people remember where we came from, or can envision where we are going. I'm not convinced that the fleecing of the American people has become criminal enough for honest men and women to be offended. Outrage is not ripe, and the time for real change has not reached critical mass. Personally I believe Americans know they have it good, and they don't really believe anyone can take it away from them. I think they are wrong. I think we are the subjects of unchecked power, and the victims of a lust for power. There is an ever growing arrogance among the ruling elite. Their sense of duty has been replaced by self righteousness.
I recently read an article about money and campaigns. This article described the science of being elected, and how the amount of money spent is in direct correlation with the odds of winning, I almost threw in the towel.
Ron Paul has made me realize their may be "Hope for America", but he has not convinced me that enough people love freedom the way he does. When the flag symbolizes freedom again, and I see it flying ubiquitous down the streets of America, when God is not a bad word, when the streets are lined with the little man, and when intelligent people can open their eyes to trickery, then we will know hope, love and freedom have been invited to return.

Appalachian Trail Memorial Day Weekend Pictures

2007-05-31T17:34:00.001+04:00

HEART OF STEEL

2007-05-11T18:04:00.000+04:00

I don’t claim to be a doctor man I don’t
claim to be real smart
I don’t claim to have all the answers but I know that
you can find them in your heart

It’s hard to tell the truth sometimes when your
scared of what the truth can do
It’s hard to find the answer to your tears when you
try to find the best excuse

growin up ain’t easy when your
cards are dealt face down
and never knowing what tomorrow brings makes to-
day an anxious frown

Its easy followin your parents lead into a
prison of your own devise But its a
sunny mountain miracle if you just
open up your eyes

so when ya look into the mirror for me don’t ya
tell no lies
and when ya walk out your door take off that
ulgy disguise

Cause I can’t believe
and I couldn’t conceive
what it must feel like to hate yourself
in a state of grief
no I can’t conceive
and I can’t believe
how you would ever be a happy man without
bein relieved

Know yourself and
find you a God
search every corner of that saddened soul and
show the world what you got

there’s couple things I learned from a
couple people I love
one day when your feelin down they might
just bring you up

I got in a little trouble one day
and I was gettin a pretty good slappin my uncle said
“Boy if you’d do good things
good things would happen
Son the world ain’t exactly fair
but if ya try to live by a code of honor
you won’t get caught in a snare”

Another time I was sad and cryin
My grandma came and sat down
she said
“There’s always someone else out there’s
gotta a bigger frown,
It ain’t that your problems don’t hurt
just don’t forget there’s somebody else feels a
little closer to dirt”

And then Jesus started to sing
“I can’t believe
and couldn’t conceive
that by doin what’s right
you won’t be relieved
and I can’t conceive
and couldn’t believe
that you got somethin stuck in your heart
I ain’t got in me”

You might not live on easy street you might just
have it real rough
But when they try to back you down you gotta
show those clowns you’re tough

Don’t give in
never lie to yourself and
don’t be afraid to
ask a friend for help

I don’t claim to be a doctor man but I
know one things for real
these are the things that I’ve learned through my struggles and
I got a heart of steel

Knock Knock, is Anybody Home?

2007-05-03T18:37:00.000+04:00

The military is cracking down on blogs. Which I think is a shame. Soldiers, sailors, marines, and airmen will have a hard time getting their voice heard, while the mainstream media paints a picture for the world.
The opinions of our men and women in uniform are important, and operational security rules and regulations can be followed by well trained individuals who blog.
I think if we are going to silence anyone it should be the doom and gloom reporters who fill our ears, eyes, and hearts with negativity. Furthermore, the media seems to give away more compartmented information than the entire military combined. From Stars and Stripes to Fox News we allow bombs to be dropped on our own front almost daily. Shoot.... even congressmen stealing secrets form the National Archives get a pass.
I guess silencing the troops is the best answer. You never know when haji is going to comb through blogger and myspace for the latest recounting of yesterday's firefight, or pick up a Stars and Stripes and read an article about the latest anti-IED system developed by "BIG CONTRACTOR", how it works, what units are using it, and a color picture to boot. Yeah.... cut off blogging for Joe, that will do the trick.
Please give someone another star on their collar before they come up with another great idea.

CLICK THE LINK BELOW TO READ THE WIRED.COM STORY

Army Squeezes Soldier Blogs, Maybe to Death

Run Away Run Away

2007-04-17T18:46:00.000+04:00

You cannot argue with someone who believes nothing is what it seems, and yet believes that to be the truth.

The idea is… nothing is black and white (i.e. things are dynamic based one’s perception). The train of thought is self destructive because the belief has to be true in order to believe it.

Some people want to deny all “order”. Without “order” however; One cannot even come to a conclusion. “There are no constants,” the same person will argue, without ever considering the multitude of constants required to complete their own thought. Another one is: All things are one, connected, or just energy. This is fine, but the “thought”, or the “knowledge” cannot negate that things are. The do exist regardless of how you say they exist, and no philosophy or mysticism can deny this without denying it’s own value, worth, or existence.

In my opinion, this nothingness, void, or enlightened view is itself void of any worth. It is also my opinion that this train of thought is destructive in nature because it allows a perceived view to be attached to any “thing” that does exist. For example a fetus becomes a soulless creature because a “holy man” who can see the souls of men says it does not have a soul. In fact it is a type of life that is the same life that later exists independently from the mother. I used to be a fetus, and so did you and your children. All examples might not be grim, but all examples would deny some part of reality, and once again in my opinion denying what is, is ignorant.

People can have valid arguments over what is true, and what is not. I have not met a single person who knew all truths; however, it is futile to argue over truth, or existence. In order to blot out truth and existence one must deny everything. The mental hurdle it takes to do this may be considered an achievement, but it is only an achievement of the mind, and only leads to a different “perception”.

You cannot deny what is because you do not know it to be. Existence is not dependent upon knowledge. Perception is dependent upon knowledge and changes based upon accumulated knowledge. For example if this article were printed on a piece of paper that was held in your hand, then something is in your hand, and there are markings on that something. If you can read those markings bring more meaning to the paper, and your perception changes because you have the knowledge to read. Therefore some knowledge may change your perception. You may see a thing different than someone else, but this whole perception started with perceiving a thing that existed, and that perception changed with knowledge. At no point in time, nor is it possible to for any of this to happen in reverse. For example, words were on the paper and had a potential to unlock more meaning if understood. Being able to read however; did not make the words what they were.

The point is, if existence were somehow dependent upon mankind, thinking, observation, perception, knowledge, or any other cognitive ability, then without thinking beings the thought would be that nothing is. This type of thought puts man and Earth at the center of importance for all things. With our accumulated knowledge we know this is not the case. We are merely specs in an area our minds cannot comprehend.

Its In Your Head

2006-10-27T06:36:00.000+03:00

Just aother beautiful girl

In a crazy world

That doesn’t know what she’s worth

Open your eyes

Open your heart

And you will find a price tag

You will find something that weighs much more

Than an idea inside the brain of a man

You will find a heart

An item to be cherished

A gem that is loved

You will find something different than you have found

Because you will not have looked where others have

And then you will wish that you had

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL
YOU ARE CHERISHED
YOU ARE WHAT YOU HAVE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE
YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL

Forevermore, forevermore

Under The Moonlight

2006-10-26T23:45:00.000+03:00

Shooting star in the desert of my life
Shooting star when I am down
To remind me what I’m like

Tonight’s a clear night not a lonely beer night
But I am standing in a place that has long been laid to waste
Thinking of the things I love and missing love that I can taste

I am the only one who’s been running from my dreams
Running straight into the bottom of the top of life it seems
Like I’m alone
Like I’m a falling star that’s far away from any place like home

But still I go further into darkness still I go
Plowing into fields of futuristic crops
I don’t know how to sow
And still I go
Like a falling star that falls but yet it doesn’t have a home
And still I go

Off in the distance of my mind I have seen beauty in the sky
And although it falls from heaven it still came from someplace high
That’s where I’ll go
That’s where I’ll go
Yes that’s where I’ll return to
When my love brings me home
That’s where I’ll go

I can see me singing somewhere high upon a hill
Dancing with you in the moonlight under stars that stay set still
But I’ll have to take you with me I can’t dance alone
Underneath the steady heaven, that’s where we’ll make our home

Not Missin the Iraq Scene

2006-10-20T10:47:00.000+03:00

MTB pictures

2006-08-29T16:59:00.000+04:00

Here are some pics I took riding my bike around the DC area.....

The Name of My Brother I Do Not Know, He Looks at Me in the Mirror

2006-07-26T06:06:00.000+04:00

I really hate the people in the world who kill indiscriminately in the name of their God, or whatever it is they believe. You have to wonder if they in some twisted way believe that me, and people like me are just as evil as the way I see them from the other side of the fence.

Why who where are you

In my world or another

Where little girls are crushed under your hatred

Where the sky rains blood

Where the morning sun brings nothing but the fear of death

Why who where are you

In my world or another

Where our Gods use us as instruments of destruction

Where we are the weapons of war

Do you think They are so helpless??

That they resort to us to fight each other

The cruel place where you live disgusts me

Your crimson dreams of a perfect world deplete the substance of my soul

Your ability to tear the flesh of man

Your self defense of divinity

Your messenger of God who is Death obligation weakens my brain

You make me less of a man because I am like you

You diminish my worth because we are one

You bring shame to my family because you are

My father cries because of His child

The heavens shake in agony

The world screams deep of pain

And there begins a flow of blood that comes before birth

Something new is born and I fear that it will consume us all while we live

Our transgression cries out to be redeemed

But we ask not for, and we do not want the Truth

We have turned our backs

We kneel to the father of lies

Our hearts beat in unison while we follow the path of a murderer

Dark veils cover our faces our eyes and our worldview

We are chained

We are governed

We are given over to

We submit to

We adhere to

We believe in

We stand behind

We support

We hate alike in so many ways

We cannot see we are the same

We stand on different islands

We abandoned our father

We accepted one who is not our own

We follow the same path

And there begins a flow of blood……

My father cries because of His child

Fishin Again

2006-06-23T16:43:00.000+04:00

If you are a carp in Baghdad, don't come close to the bank.

US Marine Lance Corporal Deals With Laptop

2006-06-23T15:53:00.000+04:00

When you can’t succeed, destroy. This US marine in Ramadi Iraq smashes his ThinkPad because he couldn’t figure out how to activate windows XP. Of coarse he was coerced with a twenty dollar bill. I’m sure Andrew Jackson would be proud.

To God and The People Who Don’t Know Me

2006-05-12T05:08:00.000+04:00

What do I want

I should bless it I’ve been told

But they also said that I’m a parked car

In no direction growing cold

I lack faith because the voices are not clear enough to hear

I ask “are they are voices if they never reach my ear”

Faith does not blindly lead

Unless it has become a whim

And less than anything concrete

May not come from Him

If you talk of fear I’ll be an honest man

I am afraid of what I’m not

And how I’ll get there in the end

Sometimes you need to know

What fate would beg of you

If fate so begs a man

Then let faith tell the truth

Then again I may be a rock

Lying sullen on the ground

Knowing nothing is my own

And wishing to be found

A rock driven into action

From ages sitting still

To become a giant castle

Merely sitting on a hill

Or maybe I could become a rolling stone

Leaving paths marked by my passing

On my long road to my home

But I say that they are all mistaken

Looking in from somewhere small

Not seeing the many directions

Of a life of lives like all others in it’s fall

It must rest when it reaches the top

And others see it not so

Because they have only lived in one direction

As they teeter to and fro

All I ask is for a word

Or a sentence if you please

And you’ll see this rock of quiet stillness

Fly before you like the breeze

I am a man of action

How did you think that I appeared

To those that are around me

Was it what I didn’t hear?

I have accomplished more than I thought I would

By standing where a coward could not have stood

By casting fear aside I have learned there’s more to fear

In the little things of life when love is nowhere near

I could travel all the word and wade my way through snares of death

But without love I am unmoving when it comes to finding rest

I will be the rock you hate until I find the words I need

To bring me back to home in adoration on my knees

More to Come..........

2006-05-06T02:46:00.000+04:00

Ok, so I haven’t wrote about anything in a while….. Pretty much because I haven’t had much time. Now I am in Ramadi, Iraq. Hopefully I can find some new things to talk about. Seeya in a few days.

BACK IN BIDNISS!!

2006-03-05T14:59:00.000+03:00

She Wants to Be an Oscar Mayer Wiener

2006-02-04T17:19:00.000+03:00

I have a friend who made a profound statement (see Title). Although her dream may never come true, there is a possibility that she could become the soul that personifies a giant wiener on wheels. Thereby allowing her to become as much like an Oscar Mayer wiener as humanly possible, without becoming processed food (an actual wiener).
Once again I have succeeded in helping someone else fulfill their life's dream. I should be a life coach to all those who struggle finding their inner dog. Peace Homies

The Lines are Disappearing

2006-02-03T20:45:00.000+03:00

We live in a confusing time. If you are reading this and you are not yet confused please read the following article to be completely and utterly hoodwinked by what the future holds:
Science Makes Sex Obsolete
Evolution never really made much sense to me, because it couldn't ever be proven %100. There have always been holes in the theory that leave too much up to speculation. Not to mention mathematicians and physicists have some pretty convincing numbers that weigh heavy on the side of doubt.
The problem is we have reached a level of intelligence and self direction that allows us to consciously evolve through modern medicine. Evolution is starting to make more sense to me now, but I think old Charlie would have to rewrite his little book.

How Can I Know You

2006-02-02T04:33:00.000+03:00

I cannot find You in a book

I cannot see You in a house

It seems no matter where I look

I do not know where I am going

Or where I’m coming from

If You would just appear to me

My journey would be done

I would like to believe the wind would lend a hand to me

And sing a happy song while it whistles through the leaves

Leading me to joyful places shining light on darkened spaces

Reinvigorating forgotten promises I broke but still want what is

Contained within the hollow walls of my heart

And yet the life left within me yearns to be a part

Of the voice that calls to me

The whispering barely audible summons to be free

A land so far away

A journey so much unknown

And yet I wish to be there if only gazing on Your throne

Is This What Your God Does to His Children?

2006-01-31T13:29:00.000+03:00

Jill Carroll makes a plea for her life.........

We live in a world where the true depravity, and wickedness of man lies prostrate in a courtroom for all to see. The accused (abused) offers her defense of innocence to a world that no longer acknowledges the truth. Right now she bears the weight of lies, hatred, fear, and ignorance brought about by a doctrine of evil. Do everything that you can to insure that you the jury defend what is worth defending. Do not fuel the monolithic mechanism of destruction that is being used to savagely eat at our hearts. Do not feed the monster that seeks to tear apart the very thing that binds us all. Do not offer even an inkling of rationale to their cause.

It is sickening to think that her captors find it respectful to clothe her to their own standards, and yet they threaten to let her blood flow as a final judgment for what she represents.

Next up in the Muslim world..... retaliation by Muslims in the Middle East for sanctions imposed on Iran. This will take place in the same courtroom. Our reaction to Iran's stance on Isreal, and it's nuclear ambitions will insight the rage of millions of Muslims across the world. The Western world will be declared the evil villain for exercising restraint, while Muslim males turn their humiliation and failure into hatred.

Our air strike that killed Al Qaeda members in Pakistan was received by the Muslim world with the same righteous injustice that we should learn to accept from a people who are content with protecting people and causes that only drive them deeper into the abyss where they choose to exist.

However bleak the outlook is we must never let ourselves be plagued by weapons being used against us. Do not hate, but also do not ignore the truth.

1 Corinthians 13 (words of wisdom)

1If I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love, I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

2If I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge; and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.

3And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing.

If You are Bird Flu COO COO, I think I wanna slap You

2005-12-06T05:57:00.000+03:00

Is anyone else getting sick hearing about the bird flu? I am, and I think people should know that the bird flu should be the least of your worries. However; if you are a chicken farmer in Asia that can't read English, then my advice would be to totally disregard this entire article. For everyone else, know that the bird flu ain't gonna be the end of us, not yet anyway.
OK the issue is not that the bird flu is not dangerous. In the last two years about 130 people have contracted the bird flu, and a little more than half died because of it. However, H5N1, the avian flu that everyone is so worried about rarely causes an infection in humans because it doesn't infect humans easily as it does birds. If you walk around and bob your head constantly you might have something serious to worry about and you will very likley get the bird flu the first time you come in contact with it.
In order for this virus to become a major threat to all of us non-bird chickens it needs to evolve or change so that it can easily spread from foul to Frank. So why is it then that the "Avian Flu" makes headlines all the time? Today it is carries the main attention on the FoxNews website. The picture made me kinda hungry but over all I was bored. In comparison, malaria kills over a million people a year and no one seems to give a crap at the major news media outlets.
Something else I would like to point out is that any dangerous virus could potentially "change" and become more dangerous than it already is. A whole bunch of people are pretty wound up about the bird flu though. I believe they are Coo Coo about the bird Flu, or they own stock in Tamiflu, one or the two. By the way if you think the bird flu is going to decimate the human population then you could make money by investing in Tamiflu because they stand to benefit bigtime from a bird flu outbreak, but I'm thinking that would be a dumb idea.
Anyways, I encourage people everywhere, including chicken farmers in Asia that can read English to enjoy a chicken sandwich, or maybe some soup. Feel free to respond and let me know how you feel after ingesting large amounts of chicken.
One last thing. I didn't link any info to sites that have real information about the bird flu, because I think you should find out the answers for yourself before you go buying into all the hype.
Oh yeah, and if for some reason you are one of the next 130 people, or if you believe for any reason that you have contracted the bird flu, stay the hell away from me. After all, I may not know what I am talking about, but I am not 100% stupid. Cluck.. Cluck.. Cluck..

In the words of Leeroy Jenkins, "At least I got chicken."

Pablo, You Still Doin Alright Man????

2005-11-22T16:12:00.000+03:00

I was just thinking earlier today that I regret not having more to write about on my blog. It seems like being stuck on this little base in the middle of nowhere Iraq has drained me of any worthwhile conversation. It also seems that every time I don't have any gems to verbally exhort to the world through my blog portal, I find one just waiting to be explained through the eyes of an "insider lookin out". Hopefully that last comment makes sense to you. Usually, I find myself to be the contrarian whether it be for the sake of my own amusement, or the true expression of a heartfelt conviction. However, after my latest astonishment by way of perusing the headlines I think I am going to side with the vast majority of rationalists who seek to save the helpless throng from stupidity. This is something I don't normally adhere to because while I love science, rules, boundaries, and the like, it always seems that there is something majestic about being human that defies the expectations of "smart people" and science alike even if it is only a smile.

Thankfully Mr. Pablo Falcon, with the help of National Geographic, has given me an idea to ponder for hours on end. Pablo is a ~~dope smokin space cadet~~ Native American healer who accepts cash money for his great spiritual advice and services. He caters to ~~desperate people who don’t know where to turn for real answers~~ all walks of life offering good health and a sound mind. Fortunately for Pablo the answer to the fountain of youth doesn’t have all the overhead costs of gadgets, gizmos, and creams, made in the coastal factories of China. Pablo doesn’t have to worry about resellers, global supply chains, and worker health benefits in order for his business to thrive. Why, you ask? The answer is you make the product in his business. That’s right, all you have to pay for is the spiritual consultation, and as soon as Pablo can convince you to drink you own urine you are AOK…… Pablo buddy, I’m just going to tell the people who read my blog that I think you are a JACKASS. Furthermore, the fact that National Geographic has given you a global platform only convinces me that science and those who support it are just as confused as the rest of us. Doesn’t National Geographic understand that you are a real world loony tune. This entire scenario could fit perfectly into an episode of South Park.

My heart really goes out to the two women in the video (click here to watch the video on National Geographic), that succumbed to drinking their own pee in front of a world audience. They will forever be known as buffoons to anyone who watched this video with a rational outlook on life. The only thing that I can give them credit for is defeating the intellectual pillar that excrement is unneeded by the human body, which by the way has been a long standing idea of great thinkers throughout the ages. One of the ladies being interviewed for the video on “urine therapy” even said, and I quote, “It is Mostly your head that gives you the problem”. The same woman also jokingly recited the old saying, “through the lips, and over the gums, watch out stomach, here I come”, before she imbibed her first dosage of golden nastiness.

In conclusion I will have to encourage the parents of college age kids to not worry too much about keg parties and all the drinking their children are probably doing. Look at it this way. Your kids are in college, learning, studying, and creating a better future for themselves. What you need to be thankful of is that someday your kids will grow out of their stupidity and assimilate to the world of adults. Hopefully; they will not regress to a state of intellectual retardedness that predates their infatuations with beer, otherwise they could end up turning their toilets into a fountain. But just in case I am wrong, which happens often, sorry Pablo for being such a jerk. I just had to go with my gut on this one.

Making the World Flat for Iraq

2005-11-07T19:54:00.000+03:00

The story of Coalition success in Iraq is not a very popular topic in part because it is highly debatable as to how much has actually been achieved, and then there is the whole WMD fiasco. Where you fall into the political spectrum should be inconsequential when you look at the present state of conditions in Iraq. Your approval of the president doesn’t matter to Iraqis living in a dangerous country where electricity, water, and safety are most likely the main concerns of the day. What Iraq needs is politic-free solutions to problems, and genuine concern for their future.

In the 1990’s the political systems and economies of China, India, Russia, Eastern Europe, Latin America, and Central Asia all began to open up to the rest of the world. There are all kinds of reasons why these countries and regions have improved so much in the recent past, but one of the main factors to improvement was technology. The most important thing to note is that people anywhere always have something to offer others if they have the tools to do so.

Does “Made in China” ring a bell? Many people try to avoid that statement whenever they buy merchandise, however; to do so is foolish in the name of saving American’s jobs (you may be doing just the opposite). The globalization of economic systems is already here, and just as “no man is an island”, neither is any nation. If outsourcing and off-shoring had no value to America and or Americans then American companies would have never started doing it.

Many of these countries have benefited from the needs of Western society. We are enormous consumers with a whole lot of money, and we are willing to part with if it makes our lives easier. Before you can offer something to someone you must first be able to communicate.

The point is Iraq can benefit from the needs of the world, but they must understand what is out there first. People say that knowledge is power. I say give power to the Iraqi people, not just politicians in Baghdad, by the way of information. You may laugh, but what they need is easy access to the rest of world through the internet. Granted Iraq has a long way to go, and the internet will not “fix” anything. However, having access to the rest of the world will open up business opportunities and new ideas.

Cell phones were a huge hit for the Iraqi people, and many companies have established networks here, but the internet is still a scarce commodity, and very expensive. In my opinion the internet has a way of letting average people everywhere see the world from a similar point of view. For example, I can buy new albums released the same day you can in the US even though I never leave my desk in Najaf, Iraq. Accountants and doctors in India can file your taxes, look at an X-ray of your broken arm, and then give them back to your accountant or Doctor before you even knew the world was vastly different than it was 15 years ago.

The thing is “terrorists” and “extremists” will find it much harder to survive in a world of innovative, well informed people armed with Johnny Cash, The Black Eyed Peas, Britney Spears, Lost, 24, Survivor, Google, Oracle, Microsoft, and all the obvious benefits the internet brings to the table.

Why Bill Gates Will Be Rich For a Long Time

2005-10-31T22:37:00.000+03:00

OK, so I thought I would take some time out of my monotonous toil to talk “super nerd” to all you people who read my blog. Here is the deal: Microsoft is a ravenous hog boasting overwhelming market share as an operating system on the home PC, and it still wears the crown in the server market as well. However; there are other choices out there, and you do not have to run Microsoft Windows on your home PC. The only problem is if you want to run Linux you have to subconsciously subscribe to virtual Communism, and spend lots of time performing arduous tasks without ever receiving great benefits. It’s a lot like performing surgery on brains and getting a loaf of bread as a reward.

I have been messing around with Linux for years simply because it poses a challenge to what normally would be a simple task, and using it kind of makes me feel like I’m part of an elite group of brain geeks that I otherwise would never be associated with. For most people computer use doesn’t amount to much more than browsing the web or creating a document, and these tasks would not be a problem under Linux. But I can’t satisfy myself just surfing the web. My most recent battle with Linux has stemmed from failed software on the Windows side of the world.

I bought a video camera and some fancy software that I could use to make movies; however, the software doesn’t capture the video off of the tape the way it is supposed to. Naturally, I’m not going to buy something else because I ‘m too perturbed that what I already paid for doesn’t do what I want it to. I decided to look to the open-source community to see if anything else was available. This in turn caused me to lose a lot of valuable time and energy fighting the Linux beast.

Open-Source is the subconscious communism I mentioned earlier. There are millions of people who write software for free as a part of a giant community. These people share what they have created with one another to support the authoring of any kind of program you can think of from MS Office clones to obscure networking tools. The point is they do it for free, and they do it very well. Something is wrong with that. For example, more than half of the web pages you visit on the internet are more than likely published to the web with an open-source web server called Apache. To make a long story short Linux, and most of the applications that work with it are built under the open-source ideology. Hence, Everything is free, and perfectly suited to nerdy college students with no money and lots of time.

The problem with the many flavors of Linux, and why none of them will be found on your desktop anytime soon is that simple tasks require lots of learning, patients, geekiness, more patients, relearning, and communism. Yes I know, every computer sold at Best Buy or wherever comes preinstalled with MS Windows so most people take it for granted that they are forced to use Windows. They think they are buying a desktop or a laptop, but they are also paying Microsnot for a copy of XP. The good part about this is that many people never do any type of hardware configuration, or driver installation. They just think MS Windows works, so they go about smiling thinking they are masters of the webiverse, and if they do have to install a driver for a piece of hardware it is not that hard to figure out. Imagine this: spending 8 hours searching through webpages, downloading files, configuring text files, and wanting to beat people because you are trying to make a wireless card work. I have done it without actually beating anyone, and it isn’t fun.

Escaping the tyrannical rule of Microsoft is hard work, and you end up treading in the marshes of free, software sharing, communist, hippy, techie, morons that are brainwashed by software despots of the open-source world. They think their open-source way is pure and unadulterated computing bliss. It makes me want to cuss furiously. Microsnot costs a fortune if you actually buy everything, Linux makes you see red, Apple OSX is for rich people who want to buy their way into intelligence, but some of us see past the MAC status thing. MACs are worthless, but they look cool... I get it. So I guess I will keep beating into Linux because it is a good alternative when all the options are weighed carefully.

Although Linux has come a long way, and I’m sure more and more people will become familiar with it, IT STILL SUCKS! I will however have to congratulate UBUNTU for sliding right onto my laptop alongside Windows complete with dual boot action, but Linux still makes me insanely pissed off.

OK, so I wanted to install one program called cinelerra. This program is video production software. It is advanced, thourough, and free. So I do a little reading knowing beforehand I’m not going to be able to download cinelerra, do a double click, and then video edit my way to stardom. I thought I could accomplish the task, but I was wrong. First I had to edit the sources.list file to tell apt where to go to get the software I was going to download. When that broke apt I had to figure out why. It was a “./” at the end of line 34 in the /etc/apt/sources.list file. Then I had to edit the gpg key so that I could have access to the ftp directory where some of the files I needed resided, but I had to find special commands to do this because debian uses a program called sudo that grants root access to individual users. After that I had to update apt before I could use it to install any programs or else my entries in the sources.list file would not work, look up some more commands for searching and installing packages through apt, and then found out the package dependencies could not be resolved because one of the dependent required package versions was not >,= (greater than or equal to) the version on the ftp server. I tried hard looking for another repository I could add to my sources, but to no avail. Basically if you understood any of what I just said you are ahead of the computing game. If it made you want to quit reading this post, then you are normal. The point is, Linux is so far away from user friendly that even a name like Breezy Badger is not going to score any points with Windows users. By the way, the version of Linux I installed was Ubuntu Breezy Badger. What the hell is that supposed to mean anyways?

I won’t give up, but if I get the chance to slap a Linux guru before I die you can take bets it's going to leave a mark.

UBUNTU BREEZY BADGER

Linux closing in on Microsoft market share, study says

It is Sanding Outside

2005-10-19T13:50:00.000+03:00

OK I took these pictures at 1:oo PM GMT +3. Basically, that means directly after stuffing my belly full of food. It was orange outside. Maybe God was watching the Sadam trial on T.V. and let out a big Doritos burp. Whatever is going on it is getting dirt everywhere.

The Infectious Ipod Plagues the Soul

2005-10-16T21:55:00.000+03:00

OK..... I can't decide which of the following is more rational to do: Pretend the Ipod didn't morph into another cooler being than it already was, pretend that I don't need a device on which to download T.V., music, podcasts, and audiobooks, or go to counseling for being a geek and thinking the ipod is cool in the first place. I had to leave out the "war with Apple" category for making me and other helpless morons spend money on a device that will probably keep getting better, and thereby pilfering more money from nerds who want their legal intelligent version of crack.
If you didn't already know you will soon be able to download TV shows legally through Itunes, and play them back on the new Ipod (shown above). That is a picture off the apple.com webpage. I hope posting it is legal. hmmm Anyways, does anyone out there understand any of this, or am I all alone in the world of geekdom?
This is gonna murder Tivo and cable companies too. I mean, in the long run all we are really going to need is a sick internet connection, some big HDTV's, lots of hard drive space, and ipods. Or better yet, as soon as they can fit all this crap into a cell phone its over.
You start thinking about what's going on here. We are being baited slowly but surely until electronics take over the world. All they have to do is entertain us into oblivion, and it's goodnight to the human race.
The Matrix is on the horizon. Pretty soon all these people pleasing computer devices are going to fool us into a whole separate reality. We are being used by a giant machine in the sky. That is why I have decided to move to the woods and start working on my manifesto. I wanna go buy a new Ipod first though.

Howl at the Moon

2005-09-25T10:53:00.000+04:00

I have recently been traveling around Iraq with a middle aged man suffering from weird digestion problems, and fermentation of the brain (a condition I felt the need to invent for this special case). I have never been around someone that burps, farts, wheezes, hiccups, snorts, and generally makes noises of discomfort so frequently. Obviously, ailments such as these make it hard for others like myself to sleep soundly. What’s even more nauseating is when the man isn’t sleeping he devotes his time to worthless conversation, and incessant psycho-babble. However, one of my goals in life is to be a supreme optimist. After careful consideration I have decided this man, who will remain unnamed, has given me deep insight into the animal kingdom, and I, the optimist, could not be more grateful for his donation of knowledge so kindly granted to me. After all, it is not often that our human spirits are likely to feel closely akin to that of the bear, the wolf, or the whale. I will however explain to you why I admire, or now understand more clearly some of the actions of our pea brained friends that rule the forest and the sea.

First off, the brown bear, Ursus arctos, usually lives its life as an individual except for a few weeks out of the year when it devotes a large amount of time to mating. It also eats voraciously to store up large amounts of fat to maintain health during its sixth month winter fiesta. How can you not admire the genius of a creature that surrenders itself to six months of peace? The brown bear puts up with all the bull-crap he/she can take, and then succumbs to a nap for half a year. I think if I were furry I would do the same. However, the human skin was not meant to go through the same type of drastic growth that Mr. Ursus arctos can endure. Can you imagine waking up after six months in a pile of skin folds and not being able to escape? Nevertheless, one must admire the bear’s unique outlook on dealing with stress.

The pilot whale, or Globicephala macrorhynchus is one of the aquatic mammals found beached the most especially along the Eastern cost of the United States. It is very sad that any great beast of the sea should find itself in such a hairy predicament, but I have discovered the cause. These animals have within their lengthy lifespan encountered many other creatures of the sea with displeasing bellows, hi pitched squeals, and low frequency moans. As a solution to this the ever present audible unrest that they are forced to endure they have hastily decided to become land dwellers in search of greater peace. Unfortunatley, only their courage survives the pilgrimage to a better habitat. I can’t really blame them for trying, and my heart goes out to all that went so far but couldn’t go any further.

Ahhh…. The animal I find myself a brother to, the animal who truly inspired the blues, I introduce you to Canis lupus, the Timberwolf, Eric Clapton with a cold wet nose, and a soft jacket. When times get tough the old timberwolf finds a place to be alone, plants his rear end on a nice surface, cocks his head back, and howls at the moon. This helps the bloodthirsty dog to release the negative energy he harbors deep within the soul. Not only is this artistic but it is a statesman like characteristic. The wolf doesn’t run or escape from the problems that weigh heavy on his heart, he merely expresses himself honestly, and in a fashion his peers can understand. The lone ranger of the animal kingdom is the timberwolf, and he greaves with fashion and beauty teaching us all a lesson that we must learn… And that my friends is what I have just completed. – The End

When are Stem Cells ok to Use?

2005-09-23T16:55:00.000+04:00

I guess I am a little ignorant about the whole moral dilemma of using stem cells. It seems to me that all kinds of great research happens, and there are many positive results that come from the research.

A recent article shows that human stem cells help to repair severed spinal cords in mice. If this can be done, then why all the fuss?

I really believe that something of monumental proportions such as this needs to be considered as morally "good". Two people do not need to conceive a child in order to obtain stem cells, and no one is going to die trying to get them.

I am a Republican, and a Christian. My belief is that fear in this case is stifling a major breakthrough. Religious zealots back in the day didn't want to admit the Earth was round. We forgot most of their names, but we remember Galileo and Aristotle. My final conclusion is when history is recorded, some will have a sinister label and regarded as religiously backward. However; I think people who believe in God should be at the forefront of technology and progress. The Earth, and all living creatures were given to us and entrusted to our care so why not use what we have to it's full potential?

You Won't Find Me Monkeying Around

2005-09-02T14:07:00.000+04:00

A recent article from National Geographic claims that human DNA is 96 percent similar to that of the chimpanzee.

"Despite the similarities in human and chimp genomes, the scientists
identified some 40 million differences among the three billion DNA
molecules, or nucleotides, in each genome." - National Geographic Magazine

I'm not a scientist, and to be honest I'm really not that smart in the first place, but I find this a little hard to swallow. Just think about the 40 million extra hairs a chimp has, or the last time you made breakfast with your feet. In fact, I can think of other human beings that I couldn't possibly share 4% of anything with. --haha

Something else that really perplexes me is that 3 billion divided by 40 million is 75. So where in the heck does the number 96 come from?

The last time I remember reading about the mapping of the human genome, all we could really do was map, and sometimes we could make sense out of where we were. The big problem is that we do not fully understand how differences in one strand of DNA effect the rest. So how in world do you claim that we are 96 percent similar?

I love animals, and I believe they deserve decency and respect because they are created by God just like me, but I also think they taste good. I don't think I'd have any problem eating a chimp with the right kind of sauces available. Would you eat it even if it said "96% LIKE ME", on the outside of the box?

I think there are too many people trying to erase the line between people and animals, and they are trying a little too hard. The article also claims that Charles Darwin didn't say enough when he said we were descended from chimps. But then again, Charles Darwin also claimed the the fossil record would have more intermediate specimens than it would of existing animals if his theory were true. So where are all the bones man? Where is my cousin Chimper Hogan? I haven't seen him layin around lately. I know according to the book gurus we have a massive family tree, but ask them to arrange it in chronological order and it doesn't make much sense all of the sudden.

My question to all you smart people is, How the heck does this prove that I came from a chimpanzee?

Has anybody been to a big city lately, taken a drive, flown across an ocean, built a house, turned on a laptop, or orbited the moon? None of these things were accomplished by being 96% human, and that monkey that went to space didn't get there herself.

I guess it just kind of bothers me that science tries to play connect the dots with our lives. I don't have any problem with being descended from an ape, but I just want someone to actually prove it. To me it's like the Ancient Egyptians telling people that they die and become a star. "Look it's Orion's Belt.... ooow". They had to connect a lot of dots to make people believe that too. The dots make sense when there are lines drawn between them. But don't forget someone has to draw the line themselves to make the picture come alive.

Banished to the Desert

2005-08-29T21:49:00.000+04:00

I do believe that watch of mine has slowed way down

Which tied my time in knots weaved all together and around

Well it’s the same day here it was about a week ago

And if I didn’t ask around I probably wouldn’t know

The heat echoes through the camp like an old war drum

Medicating souls and mocking what is already numb

We’re trapped up in a little universe and wrapped up in a wall

Like a discontented squad of angels banished in the fall

We got two dogs but they don’t bark or play or run

There’re just victims of the time while our job is still undone

I guess I’ll just lay around like a tired old dog…..

Lick the wounds that I don’t have and take another nap

I Watched "The Notebook".… Now I’m Gonna Steal Your Girl?

2005-08-28T16:46:00.000+04:00

I like to think of myself as an emotionally hardened individual in a certain sense. Not that I am without emotion, but rather as someone who is not guided by them. I do not want to be the type of person who sways to and fro constantly tossed about by the hidden things of my mind, and luckily I am definitely not that type of person.

There are however a few things that turn me into a whimpering pansy, and I am not afraid to admit it. I do believe I have made enough mistakes to stop crying about those. I will probably make many more, but I do have the assurance through past experience that life goes on, and things always have a way of working themselves out.

Soldiers dying in the line of duty is another thing I find hard to bear both in movies and real life. To me it seems their lives have been stolen by the senseless endeavors of humanity. Regardless of which country, religion, idea, or ruler is to blame one thing is for sure; the human race has not learned and probably never will learn the disgusting nature of what it is they harbor in their hearts. What is it that drives us and conquers our souls so that we slaughter each other without relent? It is this hidden thing within us that makes war a necessity. When one war ends, another begins on a different battlefield. War lives in everyone’s mind whether it’s a personal memory, a history book, or a movie. We all have put ourselves there one way or another and we will never stop going there until every last person on Earth has had a love or a friendship severed untimely by the monster of war.

Every once in great while (we’re talking vast expanses of time and space), a movie creeps up, grabs me in the back of the throat, and squeezes a couple of itty bitty tears drops out of my burly ego. I’ll have to say that other than the fact that the Notebook was a great movie, the only other good thing about me watching it was that I was alone. There were a couple of times I honestly felt like a softy schoolgirl that saw a dead bunny for the first time.

The truth that I found in this movie is that love is everlasting. Many times we think that we can walk away from love, but it haunts you. It tries to relive itself, and it is not put to sleep easily. The worst type of lost love is through death, and it cannot be healed totally. It forces people to deal with reality, and everyone will face it. The other type of lost love is romantic, and there is a solution if you are willing to find it. I am convinced the only way to make a sour love fade is to find something better. Some people may know this to be true, others may think it’s just crap in a girly movie, and some of you reading this may think I’m just a girly man. But I know because I loved and walked away. It’s not easy to come by again, and it doesn’t seem to work in different settings with different people, but like I said, there is always something better. So for all you guys (you know who you are), that walked out on marriage material, or vice versa stop whining and find something better. Oh and by the way, you better hope your girl ain’t the one for me cause I’m gonna nab her and introduce her to mamma.

Schroeder, you got that one girl’s email address, and phone number?… she’s looks like a real nice girl….Kathleen is it? The one in the middle.... I just love the big smile, and the life in her eyes.... plus I have a better last name and she would prolly like my family better because they all have the Hogan coolness.... It's a certain strand of DNA not many people have.... anyways she's hot and your not dog..... hehehehe ohhhh ahahahaha woooooooooooo

Treat it Like a Rorschach Test

2005-08-15T19:03:00.000+04:00

These pictures were taken by a soldier in Ramadi last month. One of my coworkers then gave the pictures to me.
Something interesting to note is what comes to your mind as soon as you see the picture of the snake biting the fence. For me two things came to mind.
Very dramatic flashbacks of a couple of ex-girfriends danced about in my head momentarily when it struck me. This photo makes me resent my parents. Although I had a very good upbringing, neither my mother, nor my father ever instructed me not to eat electric fences. I honestly feel short changed. It hasn't happened yet, but what if hunger drove me to consume metal wire pulsing with high amounts of voltage and current.
Furthermore, in my opinion, the manufacturers of the fence should have made a warning label that could also have been understood by snakes. THE SNAKE IS A VICTIM!! Somebody contact the ACLU please... I don't have their phone number.

Don't Hurt the Ladies

2005-08-09T14:50:00.000+04:00

I got all kinds of love for you if you read my blog, and I really appreciate when you respond. There are some very upstanding ladies who I happen to be related to, and friends with that read my blog as well. They are all very sweet and I would hate for them to stumble across perverted nonsense that someone posts as a reply to something I wrote. Please think about my little sisters, my mom, my step mom, my grammy, my aunts, and all of my friends who are women. I got love for them too, and I don't want them to read gross stuff. We must take care of the ladies, otherwise they might all disappear. I cannot begin to describe how much motivation I would loose if all the ladies disappeared. It reminds me of this episode of South Park that went terribly wrong. Lets do ourselves all a favor and keep the females happy. Plus, I don't want to have to delete any more posts.
Your Friend,
Ryan

2005-08-07T18:08:00.000+04:00

First day back from Basra, and the bassmaster master strikes again... It just wouldn't be cool to call myself the carp master

2005-08-07T18:05:00.000+04:00

Back in Action....

Western Ideals Don't Belong to Just Westerners Anymore

2005-08-03T21:36:00.000+04:00

Massive Afghan Weapons Cache Discovered
Click on the link above to read the FoxNews article about disrupting elections in Afghanistan

Muslim extremists are no longer targeting only imposing Westerners for their governments and morals. They are now also targeting sovereign nations struggling to become democracies who have embraced new morals.

There are those who have been a long time claiming that America and other Western Nations forcibly impose their way of life where it is unwanted. They will then use this claim as the reason why terrorists commit atrocities.

Iraq and Afghanistan obviously have some seriously disgruntled people within their borders; however, both countries have decided to govern their people by democratic rule. Maybe now we should all follow the argument of the illogical "free thinkers, and the professors who taught them to think freely", and blame the insurgency on the new democratic governments of the Middle East. After all, they are giving new rights to women, they quit torturing people, set up justice systems to uphold the law, they are rebuilding public infrastructure, and generally starting to govern for the purpose of the people. It really sounds as if these terrorists have a noble cause, right?

"The only problem is, ever since I got on the hate big bad America bandwagon I'm having a little trouble figuring out the logic behind who is to blame, and I really can't remember what it is that we are supposed have endowed to us by some Creator... or something like that. Actually, I kind of feel like I have forgotten an awful lot of important things. As a matter of fact, I have absolutely no idea how it came to be that I was born in a free nation, and to top it all off I think I'll start blaming my own heritage for the rest of the world's problems, that way everyone will know how smart I've become. I'm glad my bad ideas make sense to me, otherwise I might have to actually think about what it means to be an American. If I thought about that too long, a tear might come to my eye, but I'm way too tough for that too." -- Joe "free thinker"

2005-08-02T21:51:00.000+04:00

I'm off the map agian.... be back soon!

2005-08-02T20:07:00.000+04:00

Apple released a multi-button mouse. Wow! It's about time. I feel terrible for all those Mac addicts that suffered for all these years with a one button mouse.

Forget about Texas... Don't mess with Grammy

2005-07-31T22:43:00.000+04:00

Grammy had to get moved back up to the top because she is America's new secret weapon. If terrorists come into visual contact with Grammy, they immediately begin to behave like humans, and smile. If they do not comply, then she cooks food that smells really good, and takes them to church. If they still decide not to comply, then she beats the crap out of them.

My Grammy beats up terrorists

The Mundane, but Meaningful

2005-07-27T22:18:00.000+04:00

Nothing great is really going on. I really haven't had time to do much of anything lately. I was in Basra for a couple of days, and I will be going back again in a few days.

Me and a another guy I work with watched a helicopter go down not far from where we were walking. Luckily no one was hurt that I know of. They actually hit a steele cable in a no fly zone. The cable happens to be attached to an areostat that my company is contracted to work on.

More importantly I saw for the first time in a couple of years a very good friend of mine. He is married now and has a bunch of kids, which is great, and a heck of a lot better than prison... haha. We joked around about some of the crazy things we did in the Army. We had some laughs like we just saw eachother yesterday. Both of us are now out of the Army working for goverment contractors doing some of the same stuff.

I feel very fortunate to have friends in many places regardless of how much time has past. I always kind of hated moving from place to place, and leaving my entire life in the rear view mirror; however, sometimes my past stumbles right in front of me. It seems that everywhere I go I have a good friend, or make a new one.

Some things about Iraq are starting to wear on me. I am ready for my Christmas vacation NOW! I need a few nights of uninterrupted sleep. I'm tired of jogging around camp and wondering weather the last explosion was incoming or outgoing. I want to eat some good food, and go to a movie. I wanna take a cold shower, which is something I never really liked before, but there is no cold water here so now I want some. I want to go fishing with my grandpa, and play catch with my little brother. I don't want to sleep under a misquito net. I want to drive my car from Columbus to Lima without wearing SAPI plates, and a kevlar helmet. I want to see a pretty girl smile. I just want things to seem normal!!

Being over here makes me realize how much I've always taken for granted, and how truly great my counrty really is. It also brings to mind the importance of cherishing the life I have been aforded, because it is so lush compared to the depravity of what the citizens of Iraq experience daily, and the Coalition Forces for that matter.

You may be one who believes that the war in Iraq is unjustified. You may believe that America is ruled by nation building tyrants, and you are entitled to that belief, but if America gives to Iraq even a small amount of what we already have, then America has done a noble thing. I know that this is happening because I'm here. I know some of the guys that are giving back to the people what Sadam stole from them. I have flown in low flights over Iraqi cities at night and seen the streets full of cars. I know that Iraqis are enjoying many technologies that they could never buy before. I've been in buildings now used by the American military for offices that still have hooks in the cielings -- do you know what they used to be used for? I've seen the looks on Iraqi's faces when Sadam is talked about. I know that they have something to hope for now, and I also know that there are criminals who want to steal from these people much in the same way that Sadam did. My job over here has a very direct influence in finding these violent theives, and I plan to stay for as long as I can stand it, no matter what I want to enjoy in my own country.

She is so Smokin......

2005-07-20T01:03:00.000+04:00

I'm truly sorry that I left high school as a perfectly normal person, and then became a geek of monstrous proportions, but this is just amazing.

Toms Hardware Guide has announced that Verizon will be offering Broadband Internet at rates of 5 Mbit/2 Mbit , 15 Mbit/2 Mbit , and 30 Mbit/ 5 Mbit uplink/downlink. Do you know what this means? Do you have any idea how this will change the world? This is bigger than Doritos; bigger than Cinnamon Toast Crunch. Say goodbye to the cable guy because we are going to be downloading cheesburgers and french fries, or anything else for that matter. Hope you don't own any Time Warner stock!

I must admit, this brings a tear to my inner geek, but there is hope..... to harness my own "super-broadband". Muahahahaha

Dude, I'm Gettin a Earthship

2005-07-19T23:24:00.000+04:00

Why the heck would I wanna do that?
"Cause it's a biotechture, or something... yeah."

No really you gotta check out the Earthship. This is really cool. It may be even cooler if you're a hardcore hippy, but I wouldn't know because I'm not even quasi hippy. But if I was a hippy, I would quit wearing deodorant, and live in an Earthship.

An Earthship is "off the grid" sustainable housing for any climate. In other words you don't pay for utilities, or deodorant. Well maybe you'll still pay for deodorant because that's more of a personal decision.

Some of the Earthships are really nice, and others kinda look like a stinky armpit. I'll let you decide. Visit www.earthship.org.

Soldier vs. Contractor

2005-07-18T14:51:00.000+04:00

FOXNews.com Readers Respond to Contractor Series - here you will find personal opinions and links to articles on this subject

It is well known if you are a contractor in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom that some people resent the fact that you are well paid. In my experience most do not, or if they do, then they understand why.

As I am writing this blog I'm sitting in an office with my co-workers, all of whom are government contractors. Three are retired from the Army, one is an Army Reserve officer, one is a senior NCO in the Air Force Reserve, and the other two, myself included, were in the Army for one enlistment.

In my opoinion it is very careless for some to express themselves they way they did on FOXNews.com. Government contractors perform many necessities for soldiers, just as soldiers do for contractors, but both work for a common goal. To reduce either group to a set of stereotypes that can't be proven only shows the true character of the "label maker".

I'm tired of hearing complaints of any type that have their roots in money. If the haves and the have nots are eating away at you then maybe you need to do some introspection, or get a new job. The last time I checked we all have made choices, and the result of those choices is seen in the present.

As for the argument that "contractors don't deserve the amount of money they are paid" is purely ridiculous. If that were true, then it would also have to be true that the government is overpaying those who they employ (corporations). Contracts are bid on by the government, and the contract is almost always won by the lowest bidder. If the work can be done cheaper, then why aren't more companies offering a better price? Surely some company out there would take the business. The truth is whether you are civilian or military, that your skillset may be very valuable, and it is probably cheaper for the government if you are not in the military. A private company does not have all the expenses that the military does, therefore; they can offer better wages to their workers. You might want to look into how much it costs the Pentagon to employ a soldier. You will quickly find out that most of that money doesn't land in your pockets. But then again it is much easier to be angry at what we don't understand, so lets just hate contractors.

Another popular argument is that the military's job is more dangerous, and that contractors get paid more to do the same job in a safer environment. I can't speak for every person and situation, but I can speak for myself. My coworkers and I provide technical support to the military on various electronic computer and communication systems. These systems are spread out all over Iraq. So naturally we do a lot of traveling to make sure these systems are operational. I have been here since March of 05, and I have already been to most areas of Iraq. For the last 2 months I might have been at my home station for a total of 1 week. We travel on helicopters, convoys, and when we are lucky fixed wing aircraft. All this is done without a weapon. We might not be ground pounding through the streets of Baghdad, but it's definitely not the safest job. I don't remember the last time I talked to my mother, and she said she wasn't worried because I wasn't in the military. The truth is it's a very dangerous job, and most people wouldn't even think about doing it. The good majority of soldiers on large FOB's never leave the wire. So to say that contractors have it easy is to be unaware.

Furthermore; not all companies have people waiting in line to come over here. Companies that have a hard time finding people are those that employ people with a strictly military skillset, and security clearances. Often times the only people they can hire are those who performed a certain job in the military. One must wonder then why the military doesn't just have their own people do the job. Many of the units I have visited in Iraq have their guys and gals performing other duties that are not job specific. I'm sure there are many reasons why military personal can't do their actual MOS related work, however; someone needs to do the work. Sorry it has to be a well paid person, but that is the way it works. If you can't do something, you pay someone else to do it. Don't bad mouth the guy that landscapes your yard, or the little old lady that cleans your house, because over time they will become less helpful. Then you will be forced to do the things you don't want to do or can't do.

Thankfully I have not personally encountered any people like the ones broadly generalizing contractors in the FOXNews.com responses. Most of our guys are friends with our military counterparts. Don't forget that you might want a job someday, and you may need friends who can help you transition into civilian life. Don't hate, cooperate....

2005-07-17T22:47:00.000+04:00

New main picture move this post to start

Day 1 / part 2

2005-07-17T21:09:00.000+04:00

Sorry for all the pictures of me, but don't mess with the Gramster. She's a tough one! I was actually just kinda working out how to post pictures. I was confused for a minute, but luckily my geek brain smoothed everything out.

Wow! Making your own blog is too easy. The internet rocks, and to top it all off it's free. If you want to make your own blog, do what I did. Go to www.blogspot.com and sign up. For easy posting of pictures to your blog don't forget to checkout www.hello.com.

I'm really amazed how easy this is. It does help to know a little bit of html, but other than that it's all cake. I have done everything up to this post in a little over an hour, and most of that time was spent messing around with hello which is an app that lets you post pics to your blog. Once I figured out that you need a caption to publish I was no longer confused.

I just got back to Bagdhad from Balad a couple days ago. I went to Balad en route to FOB Warhorse (Baquabah, Iraq). After a few days at Warhorse I took a convoy down "IED Alley" to get back to Balad. It was a very uncomfortable ride because of all the massive holes in the road from previous IED's that exploded.

I really wish I would have taken a picture of the "Wall of Honor" in Baquabah. This wall was dedicated to service members who have died in that AO. There are about a hundred names on it, and it sets on one of the only patches of grass that I have seen in Iraq.

Later that day after getting off the convoy I realized that I had lost a bunch of clothes. It only took a few minutes for me to remember the wall, and everything was back in perspective. Loosing clothes is a small price to pay in this country.

My heart goes out to every name on that wall.

2005-07-17T19:43:00.000+04:00

Me on a Blackhawk

Day 1

2005-07-17T18:38:00.000+04:00

I thought about buying some namespace and making my own website, however; I am not exactly the best web designer in the world. As I learn more I will probably migrate this to my own URL.

I thought this would be a great way to document my time spent in Iraq, and beyond. I'll probably be posting mostly personal events, occasional political ramblings, along with some geeky tech related stuff.

Hope you enjoy!