There actually were heroes in Hollywood. At one time.

And read Bjorn Staerk's post on Islam and all of the comments.

Posted by: Sarah at 07:38 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Some people can find racism in anything.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:11 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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My co-worker said that the German radio is announcing the base closures and that our European-based soldiers are not even returning from Iraq, but instead are heading directly back to the States and all family members will follow them and bases will close. For almost a year, we've been hearing that this absolutely will not be happening, and GEN B.B. Bell even made a series of commercials assuring family members that their soldiers would be coming back to Germany. Weird that the Germans are announcing something totally different than what the President said.

Developing, as Drudge says...

MORE:

Just to make sure we're all on the same page: I believe GEN Bell ten thousand times more than I believe the German radio. I think what they're putting out is ridiculous misinformation. I'd love to beat your two weeks for outprocessing, Deskmerc, but I know it ain't gonna happen.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:29 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Another reason why I, as a military wife, don't want to vote Kerry: I want to go home.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:29 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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1 Some are already 'questioning the timing' of this announcement (that has been in the works for the last three years)... unbelievable!!!

Posted by: Madfish Willie at August 16, 2004 07:58 PM (S/EPF)

2 There are some that would question the timing of a beautiful sunset if it helps Bush.

Posted by: John at August 17, 2004 12:44 PM (+Ysxp)

3 John, Those blasted Republicans at NASA must be messing with the sun! No wonder we're suffering from global warming!

Posted by: Amritas at August 17, 2004 01:17 PM (b8rMZ)

4 Then vote for Bush. Early and often

Posted by: Tom at August 18, 2004 02:03 PM (kmiNS)

5 You know, it's getting just a little bit tiring how everytime Kerry takes a firm stand on an issue, the right-wing attack machine immediately finds something Kerry said ten minutes ago that totally contradicts it. What's the big deal? Just because Kerry tackles an issue as decisively as a woman moving furniture around her living room, it doesn't mean he can't lead. Get off your high horses, people!

Posted by: Liberal Larry at August 19, 2004 02:25 AM (TRrnq)

6 "as decisively as a woman moving furniture around her living room" I'm shocked, Liberal Larry, shocked. How can you be so sexist? I'm calling the PC police. Men can be indecisive about furniture too!

Posted by: Amritas at August 19, 2004 07:27 AM (ZpAcY)

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Tim mis-labeled his blog when he called CPT Patti the "sweetest woman on the planet"; he should have called her the sweetest and best smelling woman on the planet. I don't know if she's taken a billion showers after leaving Iraq, but the first thing I noticed about her was how downright delicious she smelled. And then it was her radiant smile.

Tim and CPT Patti stopped here on their way home from leave in Italy. I originally thought nothing could've been nicer than my trip to Frankfurt to meet Tim, but the addition of Patti was nothing short of heavenly. She was personable and interesting and genuine and just plain great. And of course Tim was the Tim we know and love. They were just excellent together, and it was the best lunch I've had in a long time. I could've talked to them for two days instead of two hours, and I'm humbled that they drove out of the way just to see me.

And I told Tim that if he ever gets the itch, he's welcome to write a guest post here whenever he wants.

Posted by: Sarah at 12:31 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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This is a trip: here's what happens when a scientist meets a journalist.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:20 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I just watched A Few Good Men for the first time since I learned anything about the military. It's not sitting well with me. The moral dilemma is disconcerting, it's a lose-lose situation, and in the end I have no idea what I think. What do you do if you're a servicemember who's given an unlawful order? If you disobey, you may be punished. If you obey, you may be punished. That's a frightening dilemma. Sometimes there's what's right and what's right, and never the twain shall meet.

Posted by: Sarah at 04:29 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Blackfive posts some humorous Rules for Non-Military Personnel.

Posted by: Sarah at 06:02 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I've come up with a few questions that I'd like to pose to military wives who think voting Kerry is in their best interest.

1. Kerry has recently been talking about reducing the number of troops in Iraq as soon as he gets into office. Would you support this measure, knowing that it might mean that your husband could be stretched even thinner and have less support and back-up on his missions?

2. Kerry has also said that the reduction of American troops will be made possible by the addition of foreign, especially Arab, troops. This question is rather hypothetical, given that to date no additional nations have agreed to send troops if Kerry were elected, but would you rather have your husband fighting alongside Arab soldiers instead of other Americans?

3. Kerry recently spoke out against the genocide in Sudan and said, "we must also start planning now for the possibility that the international community, acting through the United Nations, will be forced to intervene urgently to save the lives of the innocent." There's no question that the situation in Sudan is horrible, but would you want your husband to deploy there as part of a UN-led peacekeeping mission?

Yep, they're loaded questions. But the problem is that many wives hear the words "Kerry's gonna reduce the number of troops in Iraq" and they don't think about the fine print. A premature reduction of troops means less stability and more strain for those who are left there. Do we really want to vote for that?

Posted by: Sarah at 05:56 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Links to keep you busy:

On Loathing Bush, by Victor Davis Hanson

"Journalists are our brothers," says a spokesman for al-Sadr. You don't say?

Bunker writes on altruism.

Now this is a cool photo.

Avery writes about ebonics.

And isn't the timing of the FL hurricanes just a little too...convenient?

Posted by: Sarah at 05:27 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Kathleen A said that I don't take myself too seriously. I think that can be my focus for a while: until I find something I want to write about, I can just keep not taking myself seriously.

So without further ado...one of those stupid email forward things:

The Last...

Last cigarette: Never. I've never smoked in my life. I just don't get it.

Last alcoholic drink: A radler at dinner last night: Germans mix half beer and half lemonade, which I thought was disgusting when I first got here. It's grown on me though.

Last car ride: Last night, home from dinner with other wives, a British major, and a captain on R&R

Last kiss: Exactly six months ago today, when Blue 6 left

Last good cry: Two nights ago when I felt I had let LT A down by not visiting him at Landstuhl

Last library book: I'm too much of an "owner" to use the library -- I prefer to buy books so I can keep them forever. The last book I borrowed from a library would have to have been over two years ago in grad school.

Last book bought: Aztec, as a gift for one of my favorite old students (the one with the puppy) who is interested in the Aztecs and will be deploying soon for his second fun-filled year in Iraq.

Last book read: I just finished Dark Star Safari, which I may write about later.

Last movie seen in theaters: tried to go see Spiderman 2, but it was sold out. Before that...??? Starsky and Hutch, I think. It's been a while.

Last movie rented: Euro Trip, with friends. Silly, silly movie.

Last cuss word uttered: I have no idea. I haven't actually spoken a single word today, so I know it wasn't anything I said this morning.

Last beverage drank: apple juice

Last food consumed: honey nut cheerios

Last crush: I've been accused by Blue 6 of having a crush on nearly every Soldier I meet. They're all so wonderful.

Last phone call: my mother-in-law: we both got phone calls from my husband yesterday.

Last TV show watched: Happy Days, of course. That's all I watch on TV here.

Last time showered: as of now? yesterday morning. Soon to be repeated.

Last shoes worn: rainbow flip flops

Last CD played: the mix I made for Tim when I went to visit him in Frankfurt

Last item bought: a get-well card for LT A. Actually, not a get-well card, because all of them suck. They're all like "ah, you have a cold? You'll be better in no time" and are completely inappropriate. I had to buy a card that was actually listed under Miss You -- Kids. There is a line of military greeting cards here, but they only have "congrats on your promotion" and "you're retiring"; they need to branch out.

Last download: some new security update for Yahoo messenger

Last annoyance: Yesterday at work was like the Day of Bad Customers. People who want you to fill all of their paperwork out for you because they're too lazy to do it alone. People who show up right at closing time and make me stay 30 min late. People who never turned in financial aid paperwork and then expect a Pell Grant to materialize out of thin air when they register. All sorts of problems and drama.

Last disappointment: Thursday my husband was online and I missed him by six minutes.

Last soda drank: Pepsi One at work yesterday

Last thing written: my Friday Iraq Letters: Blue 6, Red 6, LT A, my brother-in-law, and my friend's husband

Last words spoken: Like I said, I haven't said anything today. It would've been saying goodbye when I got off the phone with my mother-in-law last night.

Last ice cream eaten: one of those mini Snickers bar ice cream treats

Last chair sat in: our brand new computer chair that I bought for my husband for his birthday

Last webpage visited: heh. The Iraq War Was Wrong site linked from LGF, where I found this list. I have no idea what it has to do with the Iraq war though. (And I really can't believe this person compared invading Iraq to hacky-sacking indoors. That site has to be a joke, right?)

Posted by: Sarah at 04:57 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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1 Sarah - welcome back for me...Last Webpage visited: Trying to Grok by Sarah brave wife of a soldier who keeps our spirits high and our pride higher...

Posted by: Kathleen A at August 14, 2004 10:23 AM (vnAYT)

2 Hey! Why is the American a Captain and my husband is a Brit soldier? We, er, he worked HARD to make Major. Please note it in the future or I will return to taunt you a second time. Pffft! (Great seeing you last night at dinner, by the way.)

Posted by: Oda Mae at August 14, 2004 12:41 PM (3dMjX)

3 Heh. Sorry, Oda Mae...humbly making the change now.

Posted by: Sarah at August 14, 2004 03:35 PM (a8bUi)

4 I have some Skechers rainbow flip flops - very comfortable. I call them my gay feet :-) I looked for Aztec at the library but it was checked out, I'll look again when I return my current books. I like the library, it gives me a chance to buy books I'm not interested in enough to buy, but need something to read to fill the time.

Posted by: beth at August 14, 2004 05:28 PM (OAw2i)

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When I blog, I blog off the cuff. I type, I finish, I post. Which is why the fact that I've started several posts in the past few days and just erased them or saved them as drafts because I know they're garbage is startling. I don't have anything good to say. I'm stumped and I'm down on myself because I feel worthless.

And then the phone rang and I found out LT A will likely be in the hospital for up to six months. And I lost it.

There I was, carrying on because my blogging is not up to par, and then people with actual problems called and reminded me that "gaping shrapnel wounds" are more important than "feelings of inadequacy due to insufficient blog material". I don't think I've ever felt like a bigger idiot.

I'm not blogging anymore for a while, at least not until I have something to say.

Posted by: Sarah at 03:08 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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1 Sarah, check your email.

Posted by: Carla at August 13, 2004 10:40 AM (r5M6F)

2 Prayers for Lt. A. And you do have something to say. I think summertime is slump time for blogging; all that heat.Don't worry, just keep writing.

Posted by: Rachel Ann at August 13, 2004 11:59 AM (+fHyg)

3 Sarah the point you're missing is that people who are suffering through what your friend is need to forget sometimes and your great blogging provides that to them (and all of us). Your insights are refreshing and you don't take yourself too seriously. I think you have important things to say - even if they are unrelated to the horrors of war. We blog to escape and to debate. Please continue blogging. We need your ideas.

Posted by: Kathleen A at August 13, 2004 01:09 PM (vnAYT)

4 Sarah, If you quit blogging, you quit reaching out to hundreds of people. There may only be one person that you help each day, but you may make a difference in that one person's life by making them laugh, making them think, making them aware, making them care, and most important of all, making them connect with another human being. You are too critical of yourself. Accept your blogging as your contribution to this crazy, mixed up world, and be thankful God has given you the gift of writing your thoughts on the internet. Keep your chin up. You're entitled to a bad day now and then. Overall, count your blessings and make a difference! I love you! Your mama

Posted by: Nancy at August 13, 2004 01:25 PM (+jEfD)

5 Prayers for Lt. A.

Posted by: OkieMinnie at August 13, 2004 03:42 PM (yozcs)

6 Prayers for Lt A, for sure. And comfort your way, too. Recharge and then come back to us.

Posted by: Princess Jami at August 13, 2004 06:41 PM (0gPLe)

7 If I may be so presumptious, I ditto your mom. I check in on you EVERY DAY, although I rarely comment. If you don't feel like commentating, at least link, please. You have a better line on what's going on, and link to things I like to see. I understand if you're getting a little burned out. (Even SDB, Whittle, Rachel Lucas, etc. do too. Don't dog yourself if you need a break.) I'm a loyal fan, take some time if you need it. We'll still be here when you come back. You and Blue6 are in my prayers.

Posted by: MargeinMI at August 13, 2004 06:56 PM (a5xWF)

8 I believe in the message that if we keep positive and treat people well, making them laugh or feel better about themselves we are helping. Sometimes we have no idea we have helped someone and then can learn years later you did and you grow stronger from that. Still, sometimes it is hard to see this and we need time to get in contact with what brings us our good spirits. Take your time. rest, think, go to a funny movie, eat candy, read a encouraging book, get in touch with friends and talk about this. The folks that have written the above comments seem to care about you alot, they will wait for you and I will bookmark your site so I can come back and see you are spreading your cheer as only you can. My prayers are with you and the person hurt who will get well.

Posted by: cjg at August 13, 2004 11:33 PM (X0vnb)

9 My best to Lt. A, and hearty thanks as well. As far as your blogging goes (from a first time visitor) you're doing fine. Even the parts where you second guess your skill are readable and interesting, and isn't it ironic? don't you think? Hang in there, kiddo. cheers, M@

Posted by: M@ at August 14, 2004 06:24 PM (W/NM6)

10 Take time off whenever you feel like it, this isn't a job, and we'll all still be around in if you don't post for a few days. Heck, I take months off at a time.

Posted by: John at August 14, 2004 07:10 PM (+Ysxp)

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I finally heard an update on LT A last night. He's improving, and they're probably going to move him home to the hospital at Fort Lewis in the near future. However, he still has a long recovery ahead of him. But at least he is awake and he knows everyone is pulling for him.

Posted by: Sarah at 01:37 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I was just trying to find something back on my old Blogspot site.
I had a realization:
I think I was a better blogger back in November than I am now.
Hmmm...that's not good.

Posted by: Sarah at 09:46 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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A funny joke, via CavX.

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Stephen Green's Game Plan is a good read. I didn't even want to pull a passage out because the whole thing has to be read as one whole. But I gasped when I read this:

We fought at Bull Run, too. And we fought at Kasserine Pass, and Manila, and Bastogne, and Hue, and on Flight 93. We even won at a couple of those places, even though the cause seemed lost.

But we fought.

I've written about both Bastogne and Flight 93 before; both of them give me chills, but it wasn't until I saw them juxtaposed like this that I realized how they're related. In both cases, Americans fought even when they knew the odds were overwhelmingly against them. And they succeeded.

They fought anyway. That's an American value.

Posted by: Sarah at 05:45 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Maybe I could use my French in Tunisia!

Posted by: Sarah at 05:18 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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To be honest, this is what I fear most. I don't even want to think about an assassination.

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What a crock: ABC didn't call me either, or they'd have found someone who voted Gore in 2000 and will vote Bush in 2004. It seems a tad ridiculous that they can't find anyone in that category. Perhaps they're just not looking hard enough and are instead spending their time crafting over-the-top statements that look like fact but are indeed garbage.

Of course, I voted Gore in 2000 because I was woefully uninformed. I knew that I stood by the Republicans in almost all the issues, but I just didn't think that Bush had the experience to be president. I never thought he was stupid; I just thought he was too...simple.

Thank god I was right. That simplisme is now one of his greatest qualities.

MORE TO GROK:

I digested this for a while and decided I have more to say about it.

The last election was while I was in grad school. I'm ashamed to say that I don't think I read a single newspaper or watched a single debate. I honestly think I got my political news from Saturday Night Live. Embarrassing, I know, but I think it's pretty typical. Most young people just vote based on a hunch or on what they think the parties represent, whether it's true or not.

I'm going to write ABC now.

Posted by: Sarah at 02:43 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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What started out as a humorous post has turned into a debate about our military wounded. Interested in joining this comments section?

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