Monday, January 16, 2012

Monday,Monday

Its 11:23 am

   I think if Martin Luther King was alive today,he would be heartbroken at the results of what and other civil rights leaders fought for. For all the progress that Dr. King gained for his fellow black Americans,so much poison  and lost potential has also entrenched itself in the culture,slavery no longer lies at the hand of the white plantation owner but instead it lies in drug dealers,gangbangers,terrible school systems and a new breed of "leaders" that care more about being on MSNBC or playing with Pokemon cards then continuing Dr King's message.
Its sad but its true....

  Day 19 of radiation is today and I couldn't go because Lori's company is having a regional meeting in Troy. I wish she could have sent another person in her place but since it was a store manager meeting,she had to go. Its going to be a long day and now with her experiencing a lot of the side effects that we warned about,its making it a much rougher patch then we have faced before.
  The good news is we are almost done and also will be able to see Dr. Johnston on the 27th. This mostly will consist of a examination plus scheduling a PET scan in mid to late March as radiation will continue to fight the cancer for up to 2 months after the last treatment.
  Yesterday saw Lori getting a haircut while I hit the gym. We still haven't made it to the DIA yet but we are aiming for this Thursday as the weekend showings for the Rembrandt show were sold out. Its starting to weigh on us to get there as the show is ending on the 12th of February. By the way the tickets are being sold,its been a major hit for the DIA  and that is always welcome news since a lot of area's cultural attractions are taking a beating what with the Children's Science Museum closing along several libraries are also facing closure. Add this to the slow loss of Belle Island and not only are people leaving,so are the places that will attract people to come to metro area.
  But Sunday wasn't a total loss,we got a rare invite to have dinner at our friend Cheryl March's new house. They had moved from a big 2 story home in Plymouth to a smaller ranch house in Belleville. The new house was beaten up on the inside but has a wonderful backyard that came with a small pond and a turtle. We had cat-sitted for them during Labor Day and hadn't seen the house since then.
  Have to say,the house looks amazing...the Marches have really worked very hard at making their place look very stylish and warm. While its a little away from major shopping and entertainment centers,the peacefulness is a fair exchange. They have completely remodeled the kitchen and her piano room is top draw.
  Add that Autumn,their beautiful kitty came out and was very playful was a added treat. We had a nice dinner and Lori made homemade cupcakes for desert that were a big hit.
  Still trying to attract people to the new blog site. I am a little amused that I have had more visitors from Russia ("lo,comrades!) then from my IC group on FB. But I am still feeling my way around here and trying to hit a stride to attract more readers.
  I love reading good blogs,I think if a person takes the time to sit and just write about a normal life...its pretty cool. One of my favorites by far is my buddy Aaron "Scorpion" Child's blog,"As My Stomach Turns". Aaron has come up with a great concept that works because his readers all contribute (sometimes unknowingly) be it a joke,short story or a email. He sprinkles his own happenings between his loyal readers nuggets and it makes for a fun read. Some of his experiences have become legendary such as his famous bat story that we ask him to repeat every October that happened many years ago.
 I was very touched when I found out he was reposting my medical update blog as to raise awareness of what was happening with Lori and I. It felt good knowing that someone cared enough to help spread the word a bit. I have added Aaron's blog to the "Blogs I Follow" list on the right hand side of this blog.
  That is now 3 people who have encouraged me to repost on their page when I have a new blog up. So very grateful to all of you for your kindness.
   Watched a little of the Broncos-Pats game on Saturday,heard people pop off saying Tim Tebow was no match for Tom Brady. Quite honestly,the way the Patriots were playing,not very teams would have beaten them,I think the Pats had a great deal of respect for a team that not gave them a good tussle in the regular season but also stopped the Steelers,the same Steelers that routed the Patriots during the regular season. Yeah,I know the score was 45-10 but just like Detroit Lions,the Bronco's better days are still ahead of them.

  And lastly....the big news this week is the story of some US Marines pissing on some dead Taliban fighters.
The debate is raging hot for these soldiers to be punished for this,that we as Americans are "better" then this.
Really? We are really going to go after these kids who are seeing frontline combat for multiple rotations and perhaps may have seen some of their fellow Marines get killed and wounded and decided to piss on those who killed them?
  What hell is that all about? We kill these enemy soldiers with advanced weaponry,fast jets and drones packed with Hellfire missiles. How exactly are our troops supposed to act? "Excuse me,I am going to do my best to blow the shit outta you and fellow Taliban pals,don't take personal".
  And the Pentagon and the media want these guys "punished"? When the Bush regime encouraged and executed many missions of torture and secret CIA bases around the world where these acts were carried out and yet we supposed to punish these Marines?
  That makes as much sense as punishing those soldiers in Iraq who were at Abu Ghraib prison who recieved NO formal training on how to treat POWs because the Pentagon hadn't passed any directives on conduct because Bush has suspended the Geneva Convention RoC when it came to Iraq and Afganistan. If you want to punish anyone,then look to punish those who condoned this type of action in the first place...right?

2 comments:

  1. The only reason and I do mean the ONLY reason I think the soldiers should be punished is if they violated the laws of the UCMJ which they did, if nothing else, in article 134. I don't want to see them punished because they pissed off a bunch of politicians or because of what the rest of the world thinks. You know that soldiers/sailors are held to a higher standard than civilians, hell we could get busted for things that seemed utterly ridiculous. I was once threatened with a page 7 because I got a sunburn that hurt so bad it made doing some parts of my job a little hard for a few days. No page 7 in my record for that but...as you can see...when you sign up you belong to the government.

    Our actions have consequences. Frankly I can't blame these soldiers for WANTING to do what they did, look at where they are, what they have to deal with every single day over there, but that doesn't mean I think they should have done it or that they shouldn't be punished.

    I just don't want them to become political pawns, which sadly I have feeling they have already become....

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  2. Totally agree with you 100%. And after reading General Sanchez's "Wiser in Battle",it put the abuses at Abu Ghraib in a totally new light as well....those soldiers convicted were political scapegoats as well...

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