And I totally snorted when I saw at the end of the video that the opinions expressed herein do not necessarily represent the views of University of California, Berkeley. Heh. No joke.
1
But...but...UC Berkeley is well known as a hot bed
of conservatism!
Posted by: MaryIndiana at February 28, 2009 12:30 PM (bRTJt)
2
It is, cOmrade Mary! Real radicals go to Sovereign Kingdom University and learn from true revolutionaries like us! We are the true heirs of Patrice Lumumba Peoples' Friendship University (now conquered by capitalists - sob), not the campus once contaminated by the likes of Vince Sarich!
Did you know Chomsky was just a military tool?
[Chomskyan linguistic] advocates may have in fact abandoned even their supposed anti-establishment bias by regularly and routinely accepting funding from the Army, the Department of Defense, and elements of the US intelligence apparatus. As Peter T. Daniels recently observed on the USENET newsgroup "sci.lang" (in a message thread humorously entitled "Wither Linguistics?"): "Perhaps you need your hearing checked. For fifty years now, this professor has been funded almost entirely by the US Department of Defense. He looks on this as an amusing irony; I look on it as insufferable hypocrisy."
Omericans don't know what real Leftism is, but Porkulus and pals will teach them! You're gonna miss Carter and Clinton when we're done with the USSA.
Posted by: kevin at February 28, 2009 01:50 PM (Wxe3L)
3
I'm so glad you pointed out the Steyn video to me. As you know, I am normally audiovisually averse (AVerse?) but I momentarily overcame that to listen to him. I'll have to listen to the others. And although I didn't tell you at the time, I was surprised by the Berkeley connection. I haven't seen the clock tower pictured at the beginning in 17 years! I left the Left, and never went back.
Posted by: Amritas at February 28, 2009 02:04 PM (Wxe3L)
4
One of your favorite people was NOT happy that I hung up with you prior to him being about to say, "hello." Hubs said to tell you he will miss you.
I'm sorry I missed the programs you had a chance to see!! I'm sure I will be DVR-ing lots of stuff in the coming days for when I can't sleep.
Posted by: Guard Wife at February 28, 2009 06:10 PM (i0ZCx)
BOOK LIST
I'm going to post short reviews of all the books I'm reading for my George Bush 2009 Reading Challenge. I thought I'd break it up and do ten books at a time. And I've just finished my tenth.
FEBRUARY
10) Economics In One Lesson (Henry Hazlitt)
I got this book because it was mentioned in the article Why The New Deal Failed. It was originally written in 1946, which makes its lesson even more frustrating than when I read Milton Friedman. 63 years ago he warned us of everything that President Obama and Congress are doing right now. And the most depressing part was the last page, when he talks about hope for the future:
In addition, there are marked signs of a shift in the intellectual winds of doctrine. Keynesians and New Dealers seem to be in slow retreat.
Thank heavens Henry Hazlitt has passed away, for I would hate for him to see what has become of his Hope.
9) Animal Farm (George Orwell)
I told you I was gonna read this book! And it only took one day. I hadn't read it since high school, so it was nice to revisit it.
Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett)
AirForceWife lent this book to me, and it was pretty funny. I read I, Lucifer last year, and it was funny to read another book of the same genre. My absolute favorite part was when four bikers wanted to be additional Horsemen of the Apocalypse. That part had me laughing out loud.
7) The Gun Digest Book of Combat Handgunnery (Massad Ayoob)
A Christmas present from CaliValleyGirl, in lieu of another knitting book. I learned a lot of interesting facts from this book, such as why most policemen carry Glocks, and I was reminded of other things, like the racist origin of gun control laws. My only complaint is that it's not exactly written for true beginners. Ayoob doesn't define his terms at all. For example, in the chapter Point Shooting vs Aimed Fire, I didn't know the difference between the two and had to read the entire chapter and use a little deductive reasoning to figure out what the heck each one of those terms means based on how they were contrasted with each other. A one-line definition at the beginning of the chapter would've been much appreciated. But overall it was an interesting and helpful book.
6) The Bookseller of Kabul (Åsne Seierstad)
My husband gave me this book for Christmas. I recommend this book and also The Places In Between for a look at Afghanistan. But it's bleak. I just found myself so thankful throughout this book that I was not born a woman in the Middle East.
JANUARY
4) A Personal Odyssey (Thomas Sowell)
I got this book as a Christmas present from Amritas. I had no idea Sowell was so old! It was fascinating to read about his life in the 30s and 40s. And you'd never know by reading him today that he used to be a Marxist! Very good autobiography. I basically read the whole book while waiting at the emergency room.
3) You're Wearing That?: Understanding Mothers and Daughters in Conversation (Deborah Tannen)
I always enjoy Tannen's books, and when I saw this one, I bought it for my mother but wanted to read it before I gave it to her. I really enjoyed it and learned two things: 1) My mother and I get along better than I thought we did and 2) maybe having a girl wouldn't be so bad...
2) The Night of the Hunter (Davis Grubb)
Everyone knows the image of the prisoner with LOVE and HATE tattooed on his hands, but I never knew where this image came from. Boy, that Preacher was one scary villain! Worse than Bruce Dern in The Cowboys.
1) Liberal Fascism (Jonah Goldberg)
I learned a lot about WWI-era politics. I also knew very little about Mussolini and Woodrow Wilson before this book. Quite worthwhile.
1
Good Omens was the first Gaiman book I read. Love it!! It's cost me a lot of money - because then I bought all of the Sandman series, plus his novels.
Agree about Liberal Fascism!
Posted by: Beth at February 28, 2009 09:04 AM (qkeSl)
Posted by: Amritas at March 01, 2009 09:23 AM (Wxe3L)
3
I just love Thomas Sowell's A Personal Odyssey.
I have made each of my children read his description of how he got where he is, through all the difficulties and odd circumstances. Its like a Jason Nesmith quote from Galaxy Quest: "Never give up. Never surrender."
I also like the comments he makes about how he is more respected for having come in through the "front door" rather than affirmative action.
Posted by: The Thomas at March 02, 2009 12:44 PM (PRm1Y)
ANNOYING
OK, so I love my husband a little less right now.
I need something on his laptop. It is turned off. It is password protected.
I figured I could guess it. My husband is the only person in the world who could know my password based on the prompt question, but he would know it instantly.
My husband's prompt question is absurd. I have no idea what the answer is.
1
OK, so I love my husband a little less right now.
1% less of infinity is still infinity:
Pūrṇam adaḥ pūrṇam idam
Pūrṇāt pūrṇam udacyate
Pūrṇasya pūrṇam ādāya
Pūrṇam eva avaśiṣyate
That is whole, this is whole
From the whole, the whole arises
When the whole is taken from the whole
The whole still will remain
- Isha Upanishad
(Pūrṇa literally means 'full' and is cognate to 'full'.)
Is the question in Persian? That wouldn't help.
Posted by: Amritas at February 27, 2009 07:36 AM (+nV09)
2
The title of this post also describes the struggle to post comments here!
I must see this message at least a dozen times per day - if not per comment!
Due to high levels of comment spam, commenting at mu.nu has been suspended for a brief period. You will be able to comment again as soon as the flood of spam abates somewhat. Please try again in a minute or two.
We apologise for this, and believe us, we hate spammers even more than you do.
Yeah, yeah, I know ...
Posted by: Amritas at February 27, 2009 07:54 AM (+nV09)
HA
A good article about left-wing symbols like Che Guevara shirts:
These T-shirts send a message, which effectively boils down to this: I have vague left-wing sympathies but don't read history. I am educated enough to want nonconformity but not intelligent enough to avoid conformity.
Posted by: Sarah at
03:51 AM
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HOW MUCH I LOVE MY HUSBAND
Last night I dreamt I ran into my husband on post. Not very likely or realistic during SERE school, but OK. We stood there and talked for a few moments before we had to say goodbye. And a voice in my head was saying, "Tell him you're pregnant! Tell him!"
I didn't.
As I walked away from him, I had the urge to turn around and blurt the news to him. It would be so easy, to just tell him. But I held myself back for two very practical reasons: 1) he needs to focus on SERE and not be distracted and 2) I am not at all confident that the pregnancy will last and I hate to get his hopes up.
As bad as it got last night -- and it was bad, and painful, and confidence-shattering -- I know it's not nearly as bad as my husband has it right now. I can bear this burden alone while he bears his. I wouldn't tell him right now even if I could.
That's how much I love my husband.
I wonder how he's doing...he should be heading into the nasty part...
It's coincidental that she sent me this today, because my jaw hit the floor when I read this article this morning:
Tens of thousands of boxcars are sitting idle all over the country, parked indefinitely by railroads whose freight volumes have plummeted along with the economy.
[...]
The nation's five largest railroads have put more than 30% of their boxcars -- 206,000 in all -- into storage, according to the Association of American Railroads.
Now if that doesn't make you think life is imitating art, I don't know what will.
1
Yep - definitely. I'm waiting to hear back from the Foundation for Economic Education (fee.org) about quantity pricing on copies of Bastiat's The Law... I'm thinking they'll make great St. Patty's Day gifts for friends & family.
Posted by: kannie at February 26, 2009 09:27 AM (iT8dn)
2
Those companies are thinking ahead. We won't need any trains after Year Zero!
St. Patty's Day, Kannie? Enjoy your Europpressive religious traditions while you can!
Posted by: kevin at February 26, 2009 09:43 AM (+nV09)
3
IIRC, in the book the freight car crisis happened because the whole American car fleet had been allocated to some bizarre soybean-raising project...I can picture the same thing happening in our world, but with some biofuel crop which turns out to be basically worthless...
Posted by: david foster at February 26, 2009 11:27 AM (ke+yX)
Posted by: Amritas at February 26, 2009 12:57 PM (+nV09)
5
It's only a minor point, but I'm sure these 206,000 rail cars aren't all *boxcars*...I'd bet that at least 80% of them are cars of other types. A boxcar is a specific type of car, not a generic term for a freight car.
Why is it so difficult for the media to write about *anything* without making obvious mistakes? And this is the Wall Street Journal!
Posted by: david foster at February 26, 2009 01:56 PM (ke+yX)
PUPDATE, LUCAS STYLE
In dog news, Charlie has decided that he wants to be Charlie Bronson and make a Great Escape.
Our backyard is a disaster, with dirt on one side and sand on the other. It's like a spectrum running from Mildly Crappy to Completely Worthless. Charlie recently discovered that sand is easy to dig and wriggle through. Thus, he keeps escaping. I bought those cheapy wire garden dividers, and I even strategically placed an old flowerpot so he couldn't get out again.
He can still manage to squeeze out of that space. This means he can't have unsupervised backyard time, which is a real pain in the neck.
Very annoying. I will have to go steal some dirt from the construction site in our neighborhood to put on top of that sand to keep the danged dog in the yard.
1
aw....
We had that yard before moving on base. Mark rented one of those dohicks from home depot and tilled it and planted seed. And watered and watered and watered and watered and watered the stuff so it would grow. It still looked like crap. And we had to pay for his excessive watering. Yeah!
Posted by: wifeunit at February 26, 2009 04:37 AM (t5K2U)
2
He is so cute. He needs a puppy playdate. So does my new puppy. I have to wrestle with her and my old arms scratch so easy they are beginning to look like my mothers when she got old. But it's so much fun.
Posted by: Ruth H at February 26, 2009 05:42 AM (4u82p)
3
Thanks for the photos - and the arrows and text! More, please! Apart from the grey grass and Charlie's priceless expression, this is exactly what I envisioned!
Posted by: Amritas at February 26, 2009 07:14 AM (+nV09)
4
Hi,
Delurking to tell you I have had the same issue with my dog. I got a ton of those wire things you are using and doubled and tripled them up. He could get under one but couldn't get under the rest. Might be worth a try.
Good luck!
Stephanie
Posted by: Stephanie at February 26, 2009 08:56 AM (pdrUe)
5
Stephanie -- I may definitely have to try that. CVG also suggested paving stones
Posted by: Sarah at February 26, 2009 09:06 AM (TWet1)
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cOmrades, have you forgotten the Berlin Wall? Put up a new one - but without Checkpoint Charlie!
Posted by: kevin at February 26, 2009 09:54 AM (+nV09)
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You can see that he's hashing a plan. It's his eyes... their shiffty!
Posted by: the mrs. at February 26, 2009 11:19 AM (NJQf+)
UPDATE
I figured I should give you a small update re: baby.
So here's the deal: You take women who are extremely freaked out about miscarriage and you give them a medicine which prevents miscarriage but which also has the absurd side effect of irritating your cervix and making you bleed.
(I'm reminded of the scene in Futurama when Fry says he can't swallow a pill that size, and the professor says "Well then good news!" because you don't swallow it. Ahem. Oh, and they're refrigerated.)
So basically now it's just a waiting game until I go for my ultrasound in two weeks. I won't know anything until then, but even then I won't feel great: the last time, you'll remember, we managed to become one of the 5% of people whose baby has a heartbeat and then subsequently dies.
I may be a while before I feel confident. Please don't try to convince me I should get that way right now. I won't breathe easily until I make it to a milestone that I haven't reached in the past. Like seeing a doctor. I've never even done that yet.
1
My heart goes out to you. I have some idea of what your feeling. I had a miscarriage a few months ago and even though I'm now 13 wks pregnant I feel like I cant exhale yet. The fear of losing again, feeling that pain, that emptyness, is a powerful one. Hang in there and my prayers are with you.
Posted by: the mrs. at February 26, 2009 03:18 AM (NJQf+)
2
*hugs* Thanks for the update, Sarah. I will be thinking of you and keeping you in my prayers.
Posted by: Leofwende at February 26, 2009 03:47 AM (28CBm)
3
Thank you for the update. Glad you are plugging along and wishing you all the best.
I am surprised your clinic is making you wait two weeks. That was not my experience and seriously I am mad at them for doing that.
Posted by: wifeunit at February 26, 2009 03:58 AM (t5K2U)
4
You have me, my dad, my sister, and all the girls on my wing praying for you, even though they have no idea who you are. Plus whoever else happened to get the word.
Posted by: TW at February 26, 2009 04:04 AM (ZfS8j)
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"because you don't swallow it"
So...it's like what Pres. Obama is doing to us.
Posted by: tim at February 26, 2009 04:06 AM (nno0f)
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Thinking of you sarah, esp over the next few week while your husband is away and you wait. Saying a prayer.
Posted by: keri at February 26, 2009 04:24 AM (HXpRG)
7
Hang in there Sarah - I know it's easier said then done. You and Russ are in my prayers. And so is Charlie for him to stay in the yard!
Posted by: BigD78 at February 26, 2009 05:15 AM (W3XUk)
8
That is the WORST side effect I've ever heard!
I didn't realize that was a side effect. I thought it was ... something worse. I actually feel a bit relieved now.
That doesn't mean I feel confident. I am used to admitting I just don't know. And I can't forget what Leofwende said: "there is no point that is truly 'safe'".
Posted by: Amritas at February 26, 2009 06:11 AM (+nV09)
9
Just wanted to let you know that I've been thinking about you.
Posted by: dutchgirl at February 26, 2009 06:24 AM (Sj3hy)
10
I guess you could say I'm relieved your cervix is irritated.
And I will continue to keep the fingers I can cross, crossed.
Carren and I are thinking about you.
Also, I've a sure-fire way to keep the dog in the yard, but it may be more work than you're willing to do...
Posted by: Chuck at February 26, 2009 07:07 AM (bQVIy)
11
Oh, yeah, that's a HORRID "side effect" ...
I promise you won't hear any "be confident!!!" advice from me, but lots of hugs & hope are continuing your way! :-)
Posted by: kannie at February 26, 2009 07:54 AM (iT8dn)
12
I'm waiting along with you... and ever since you said you were pregnant, I've been having trouble breathing, too. *hugs*
Posted by: FbL at February 26, 2009 09:51 AM (HwqvF)
Posted by: Reasa at February 26, 2009 02:22 PM (2W7Iu)
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Im' soorry you are having a rough time. We didn't tell a soul until our son hit 12 weeks. Looks like a good group of people are waiting with you though.
HH6
Posted by: Household6 at February 28, 2009 12:45 PM (V86CJ)
1
Thanks for the reminder. I noticed that tagline when I read the comments to that story on Monday (thanks to AWTM!). Unfortunately, I failed to put it in my quotes file. I'm adding it now.
Posted by: Amritas at February 25, 2009 03:11 PM (Wxe3L)
2
Ugh, how much more haram can you get!? The first is un-Islamic, Muhammad would hate the second if he were here today, and the third should only be issued to responsible jihadis!
Posted by: kevin at February 26, 2009 07:20 AM (+nV09)
UNSETTLED
I'll admit that I've been watching too much Glenn Beck lately, but I have worked myself up pretty good this afternoon over the future of my country and the world. Hugo Chavez cancelled Valentine's Day, China said flat-out that they hate us, and Iran and Russia are testing nukes together.
1
You know my fondness for China, so I immediately clicked on that link and have to say that I agree with the guy...I don't think he means that China hates the US, but he hates it that the dollar has become such a poor investment, because of decisions by our government. Yes, it came out poorly, but I think this is similar to Rush saying he wants Obama to fail. I think Luo meant he hates it that we are cheapening things like this, because the dollar used to be the mighty dollar and now it's not. I don't know, but I read it that way...?
Posted by: CaliValleyGirl at February 25, 2009 12:52 PM (irIko)
2
CVG -- I'm not shocked that he means it, I'm just shocked that he said it out loud, so blatantly...and what it means for the world economy.
Posted by: Sarah at February 25, 2009 12:56 PM (TWet1)
3
OMG in a dorky way. I was watching him and thinking of you! I bet you like that planetarium coming to IL. So bizarre ... the state of things.
Posted by: wifeunit at February 25, 2009 01:18 PM (t5K2U)
4
I agree with CVG about Luo Ping. I was expecting a lot worse. Marg bar Amrika-worse. I'd rather have him say what he really feels than pretend to be our friend.
And I do share your fear about the world economy. When America falls, it will take the world down with it. The Chinese are not the superpower some have made them out to be. Luo may realize how dependent China really is.
Posted by: Amritas at February 25, 2009 03:04 PM (Wxe3L)
Posted by: wifeunit at February 24, 2009 05:02 AM (t5K2U)
2
I often get falsely mistaken as a hippie because (aside from the clothes and the penchant for attending protests) my son didn't get his shots until he was two.
Even the doctors didn't argue with my reason, though! The boy had a reaction to his first set of shots - a very nasty one.
And while I don't think all shots are necessary, I'm all for the vast majority of them. There's some nasty stuff out there!
Posted by: airforcewife at February 24, 2009 08:36 AM (Fb2PC)
3
My fellow Americans,
Having just been handed the latest estimate from the N.I.E. on the number of civilian casualties in Iraq, 90 to 99 thousand, I feel the time is now to examine the war that is currently being waged in Iraq.
Like never before, except perhaps before it began, we need to discuss the situation.
The war in Iraq was begun in a manner of illegality that betrays our core American values of independence, sovereignty and a respect for the Geneva Conventions. Past generations of Americans fought and suffered to establish the Geneva Conventions. They protect us as much as they protect human rights. But recent leaders of this country, who dictated the use of torture against an innocent people, are, under the rule of law, international war criminals, and I encourage the Department of Justice to prosecute the perpetrators in a manner they see fit, and to restore a sense of legitimacy to American power.
The war in Iraq is an example of a war against a minor country from an over-reaching superpower. It has costs lives and it has cost trillions of American dollars. Let it be forever known that empire building is not an efficient or rewarding process. It is, in fact, the inevitable end to many fine, otherwise powerful nations.
America must get out of the business of war now. In the current economic crises, it is time to bring our troops home and turn to other industries that can rebuild this country, and in my greatest hope, the nation of Iraq as well.
As a nation, we must turn our attention to the production of goods, services and technologies, of which the end product is more than just a bomb, waiting to be exploded. The end product must be something lasting, that has empirical value.
In this time of economic crises, we must commit ourselves to the creation of value, not the destruction of currency and our own moral fibre.
Good night, and God bless America.
-POTUS
02/24/09
--rush transcript of barack obama's speech--
Posted by: Will at February 24, 2009 11:57 AM (+dpft)
4
Awesome... I thought Cracked danced around the carbon offset scheme rather nicely while explaining it - it's a corporate plan to siphon even more money and enrich... strangely enough... Al Gore and others of his ilk.
And an ABSOLUTE ditto to you "GO, STATES, GO!!!" I hope Idaho's close; Gov. Otter wasn't the first to jump on the "we might not take your stimulus money" idea, either, but it sounds like something we (and he) would do. Same heartwarming reaction here! :-) GO, STATES, GO!!! (Now to put that in some catchy cheer...)
Posted by: kannie at February 25, 2009 07:02 AM (iT8dn)
5
I loved the old print version of Cracked when I was a kid. Yeah, it was a clone of Mad, but it had the great photorealistic art of John Severin. Severin is long gone from Cracked, but the online version has its own appeal - a subversive edge absent from the original. Thanks for linking to it!
Posted by: Amritas at February 28, 2009 09:55 AM (Wxe3L)
UPDATE
I had a little bleeding today, which sufficiently destroyed my enthusiasm and optimism.
I won't be blogging about it anymore for quite a while, at least not until I know something one way or the other.
I am OK, but I would prefer not to talk about it, so no need to phone.
"Just the fact that they put a monkey with gunshot wounds in his chest, it gives the idea of an assassination," said Peter Aviles, 48, a building superintendent.
I sure hope Peter Aviles was sufficiently outraged when Death Of a President came out. You know, the movie about assassinating George Bush, not just a drawing of a monkey that some people think was meant to be Obama. (Which I think was a lame cartoon, but not a depiction of Pres. Obama.)
If the President is a Republican, it's fine to call him a "chimp." In fact, it's morally superior. But if the President is a Democrat, you can't call a chimpanzee a chimp lest someone think you might have been referring to the President.
1
I am so sick of this moronic cartoon. If any other animal had gone berserk and been shot, the cartoon would have depicted that animal instead. Would Sharpton be complaining if a lion were shot? Probably.
Posted by: Amritas at February 20, 2009 12:36 PM (+nV09)
2
I always have to do my deep breathing exercises to lower my blood pressure after reading these posts. The disconnect is. so. *frust*rating.
Posted by: Lucy at February 20, 2009 07:04 PM (HGFog)
3
So then following that logic I would say that comparing President Obama to Lincoln and JFK gives the IDEA of assasination.
All I can say is WTF? Srsly?
Posted by: Mare at February 21, 2009 03:15 AM (APbbU)
4
Mare,
All comparisons of the One with others are an insult to Him because they violate tawhid. Like Allah, Obama is
... a thing, but he is not like other things; he is omniscient, all-powerful, but his omniscience and his all-mightiness cannot be compared to anything created.
His uniqueness makes me feel thrills up both my legs!
Posted by: kevin at February 21, 2009 06:53 AM (Wxe3L)
Breaking News: Late-night comedy shows make fun of Pres. Obama
The clip of The Daily Show is funny, but isn't it interesting how Jon Stewart makes fun of Obama for being slow and boring and then makes fun of O'Reilly for saying that Obama is slow and boring?
1
"...isn't it interesting how Jon Stewart makes fun of Obama for being slow and boring and then makes fun of O'Reilly for saying that Obama is slow and boring?"
Good catch. I love the unintended self parody.
Posted by: tim at February 18, 2009 07:35 AM (nno0f)
2
Can you do me a favor, Sarah? Can you claim the domain name 'trying to gork' and just have that redirected here? For some reason, i type that more often than not & it would really make visiting you via 'teh internets' easier if all roads pointed here.
Posted by: Guard Wife at February 18, 2009 02:53 PM (i0ZCx)
BUSY
Real life superseded blogging life today and will continue to do so for a few days as I make my way to visit CaliValleyGirl. I will try to throw up a link or two if I can, but I will be out of the loop for a bit.
Posted by: Sarah at
03:26 PM
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GONE AGAIN
I dropped my husband off for SERE school this morning. I was cold just sitting in the car for 30 minutes; I shudder to think how cold it will be for them outside during the escape and evade parts.
Yesterday, a friend asked me what in the heck SERE even is. There was a CNN Presents about it some years back. From the article:
What goes on at the school is three weeks of "stress inoculation" via a course the Army calls Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape, or SERE. The school provides a realistic setting for soldiers to learn how to live off the land if they are cut off from friendly forces. Students also learn how to evade the enemy and escape if hunted down and finally how to resist if captured, imprisoned and tortured.
[...]
Much of the school's training is classified. But Chief Warrant Officer Mike Durant credits the training for helping him survive 10 days in captivity in 1993 when the Black Hawk helicopter he was piloting was shot down in Mogadishu, Somalia.
To prepare commandos who are at high risk of capture, the course includes sleep deprivation and food deprivation -- severe enough that, over the course of survival school, a student typically drops 15 pounds.
The article has photos of guys eating worms and being taken prisoner. The last photo breaks my heart.
I can hardly bear the thought of someone hurting my husband, even in training. This is going to be a long three weeks for my heart...and his poor body.
He got out of the car and loaded himself up with at least 50 lbs of gear. And as I looked at him, "three words went through my mind endlessly, repeating themselves like a broken record: 'You're so cool. You're so cool. You're so cool.'"
It was harder for me to let him go this morning than it was last year when he deployed.
1
Don't forget Scott O'Grady in 1995. He was shot
down over Bosnia and had to eat bugs for 6 days
before getting rescued. But they didn't capture
him and he had his training to thank.
I will keep a good thought for you and your DH as he goes through this..
Posted by: MaryIndiana at February 16, 2009 03:26 AM (alEvL)
2
sarah - thinking of you and your husband. When I was in college, I dated someone going thru ranger school and wow that was really hard on him (and me)
Posted by: Keri at February 16, 2009 05:29 AM (HXpRG)
3
I know I shouldn't say I'm excited for you guys. But I am. Mostly for him. He'll hate it and be glad he did it.
But I'm weird that way. (and a former jarhead)
Posted by: Meadowlark at February 16, 2009 08:34 AM (SXBsQ)
4
Wow...that is crazy stuff...I will be thinking of you and your husband over the next three weeks. I can imagine it was pretty tough to say goodbye to him. I appreciate both you and your husband and what you both go through to help keep the rest of us safe.
Posted by: Stacy at February 16, 2009 08:54 AM (d3Lw1)
5
Eek. As valuable as that training is, my heart hurts for you to have to allow him to go through it. Makes me feel like a wimp for feeling the same way just sending Hubby off to BMT... *hugs*
Posted by: kannie at February 16, 2009 10:33 AM (iT8dn)
6
We watched this show a while back http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/09/military_survival_090108/ it was pretty cool - not sure if it's on DVD.
Good luck with the next few weeks!!
Posted by: Beth at February 16, 2009 01:19 PM (HLKMP)
Posted by: deskmerc at February 16, 2009 11:30 PM (o/QXM)
10
My husband did SERE back when he was a Marine. He said that despite being hungry and cold, he really enjoyed the training and learned quite a bit from it. The experience made him a fantastic navigator, and gave him a ton of skills that have come in handy even in just his everyday training.
So even though it's hard now, I think a lot of the guys come out of it grateful for the experience. Hang in there.
Posted by: Leofwende at February 17, 2009 07:09 AM (jAos7)
11
My husband did SERE back when he was a Marine. He said that despite being hungry and cold, he really enjoyed the training and learned quite a bit from it. The experience made him a fantastic navigator, and gave him a ton of skills that have come in handy even in just his everyday training.
So even though it's hard now, I think a lot of the guys come out of it grateful for the experience. Hang in there.
Posted by: Leofwende at February 17, 2009 07:09 AM (jAos7)
12
My husband did SERE back when he was a Marine. He said that despite being hungry and cold, he really enjoyed the training and learned quite a bit from it. The experience made him a fantastic navigator, and gave him a ton of skills that have come in handy even in just his everyday training.
So even though it's hard now, I think a lot of the guys come out of it grateful for the experience. Hang in there.
Posted by: Leofwende at February 17, 2009 07:09 AM (jAos7)
13
I'm not sure if the Army school is the same one that the Marines go too, I'm sure they are the same but different sort of thing. But if its any comfort my husband went thru the school and LOVED it. I mean he was black and blue when I saw him after and said they did do some not so nice things and ate some not so yummy stuff (I'm comforting you arent I?) but he wishes he could do it again. Really, he loved it. Hmmm maybe this doesnt paint my husband in the best light?
Good luck getting thru the next couple weeks, its always harder on the ones at home. : )
Posted by: the mrs. at February 17, 2009 09:00 AM (NJQf+)
14
It sounds brutal – but something my husband would probably love to do, too.
Heck, I would think it was fun, too, if I were in better shape.
Praying for you, Sarah. I would be a ball of stress, too. *Hugs!*
Posted by: Deltasierra at February 17, 2009 09:34 AM (fPHZv)
15
Oh the stories I could tell you about SERE. He does get to eat a bunny
don't worry ... they can't do any physcial permanent damage. He's a trooper! You'll do great! *hugs*
Posted by: Darla at February 17, 2009 02:27 PM (LP4DK)
MEETING OUR FUTURE
Yesterday I had to work at a demonstration of various science kits you can buy at the store. I was kinda dreading it because it was going to be a huge mess, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Most kids just wanted to get their hands dirty and sticky. But one family made it totally worthwhile.
A mother and two sons showed up specifically for the science demonstration. I was just getting to the end of mixing "quicksand": cornstarch and water. I filled the pan and showed the older boy (probably 9 years old) how your hand sinks in and it's hard to pull out. The boy looked at me and said, "Well, that's neat, but what's the science behind it?" Awesome. So I pulled out the paperwork that came with the kit, and we had a discussion of non-Newtonian fluids and the Law of Viscosity. And then we demonstrated together how the viscosity could be changed by applying pressure. He learned some science, and heck, so did I!
When I start to despair for the world, I am going to remember that kid and how I am sure there are others like him out there, kids who will be the pillars of our society in the future.
I needed to meet that boy. I'm glad I did.
And I am also glad that I have a monkey's job where I get to learn about non-Newtonian fluids.
1
Ah, the Children™.
The truly smart little ones will realize science is a waste of time, and that pretty words are the true keys to power. Lie, and the peOple will love you forever. Obama doesn't have to know anything about science to be the most powerful man in the world. Who needs real knowledge, when you can use what Ayn Rand called "big vague words" like "The Dictatorship of the Proletariat"? Or a favorite of the Khmer Rouge, "Independence-Sovereignty"? Multisyllabic slogans mesmerize the mindless masses.
All peOple are cows, and some cows are more useful than others. We, the Great Leaders, regard scientists as "valuable livestock," in the words of Robert Conquest and Jon Manchip White. (Read their book to understand our plans for you.) Let the lab rats worry about "non-Newtonian fluids and the Law of Viscosity," whatever those are. We have far greater things on our minds, like global domination. Even PhDs in quantum physics will still have to wear our pins and worship us. Now that's what we call ikwo.
Posted by: kevin at February 15, 2009 07:35 AM (Wxe3L)
2
Great story! I have to ask, though...are any *schools* buying these kits? Actually *using* them?
See Shannon Love's rather bleak post about the declining interest in science, technology, and commerce in our society.
Posted by: david foster at February 15, 2009 09:03 AM (ke+yX)
3
Good questions, David.
Even if the schools aren't buying the kits - or, more importantly, using them - I think the fact that individuals are buying them is a good sign. The presence of the kits in Sarah's store signifies demand. If parents have to introduce their children to science, that's better than no introduction at all. I see education as becoming increasingly grassroots in the future; those who want to learn will find a way to learn, with or without government assistance.
Thanks for the link. Why do "[o]ur best and brightest dream of going into politics or 'non-profits' that exist largely to suppress commerce and invention"? Because they value power over true progress. Suppression is power.
Studying the biographies of Great Leaders, I am struck by how totally ignorant they were. The only thing they understood was power - the manipulation of millions, including scientists. Why be manipulated when you can be the manipulator? A know-nothing whose minions will do anything for you?
Love calls our civilization "leaderless." I say our civilization is poisoned by the cult of "leaders."
Posted by: Amritas at February 15, 2009 09:55 AM (Wxe3L)
4
Sarah, I bet you'd make a great teacher...your creativity & enthusiasm would be wonderful for kids. I'm curious as to whether you've ever considered teaching & if so, why you decided against it.
I *think* I have a good understanding of some of the factors that keep many talented people out of teaching...love to hear your thoughts & also those of other people.
Posted by: david foster at February 16, 2009 06:54 AM (ke+yX)
5
That is AWESOME!!! Do you get the MindWare catalog? It's like a playground for your brain - highly recommend it, even if it's just for perusing (since the $$$ adds up fast, LOL)!
Posted by: kannie at February 16, 2009 10:35 AM (iT8dn)
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There is neither happiness nor misery in the world; there is only the comparison of one state with another, nothing more. He who has felt the deepest grief is best able to experience supreme happiness. We must have felt what it is to die, Morrel, that we may appreciate the enjoyments of living. --The Count of Monte Cristo--
While our troops go out to defend our country, it is incumbent upon us to make the country worth defending. --Deskmerc--
Contrary to what you've just seen, war is neither glamorous nor fun. There are no winners, only losers. There are no good wars, with the following exceptions: The American Revolution, WWII, and the Star Wars Trilogy. --Bart Simpson--
If you want to be a peacemaker, you've gotta learn to kick ass. --Sheriff of East Houston, Superman II--
Going to war without France is like going deer hunting without an accordion. You just leave a lot of useless noisy baggage behind. --Jed Babbin--
Dante once said that the hottest places in hell are reserved for those who in a period of moral crisis maintain their neutrality. --President John F. Kennedy--
War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours. --General Patton--
We've gotta keep our heads until this peace craze blows over. --Full Metal Jacket--
Those who threaten us and kill innocents around the world do not need to be treated more sensitively. They need to be destroyed. --Dick Cheney--
The Flag has to come first if freedom is to survive. --Col Steven Arrington--
The purpose of diplomacy isn't to make us feel good about Eurocentric diplomatic skills, and having countries from the axis of chocolate tie our shoelaces together does nothing to advance our infantry. --Sir George--
I just don't care about the criticism I receive every day, because I know the cause I defend is right. --Oriol--
It's days like this when we're reminded that freedom isn't free. --Chaplain Jacob--
Bumper stickers aren't going to accomplish some of the missions this country is going to face. --David Smith--
The success of multilateralism is measured not merely by following a process, but by achieving results. --President Bush--
Live and act within the limit of your knowledge and keep expanding it to the limit of your life.
--John Galt--
First, go buy a six pack and swig it all down. Then, watch Ace Ventura. And after that, buy a Hard Rock Cafe shirt and come talk to me. You really need to lighten up, man.
--Sminklemeyer--
You've got to kill people, and when you've killed enough they stop fighting --General Curtis Lemay--
If we wish to be free, if we mean to preserve inviolate those inestimable privileges for which we have been so long contending, if we mean not basely to abandon the noble struggle in which we have been so long engaged, and which we have pledged ourselves never to abandon until the glorious object of our contest shall be obtained -- we must fight! --Patrick Henry--
America has never been united by blood or birth or soil. We are bound by ideals that move us beyond our backgrounds, lift us above our interests and teach us what it means to be citizens. Every child must be taught these principles. Every citizen must uphold them. And every immigrant, by embracing these ideals, makes our country more, not less, American. --President George W. Bush--
are usually just cheerleading sessions, full of sound and fury and signifying nothing but a soothing reduction in blood pressure brought about by the narcotic high of being agreed with. --Bill Whittle
War is an ugly thing, but not the ugliest of things. The decayed and degraded state of moral and patriotic feeling which thinks that nothing is worth war is much worse. The person who has nothing for which he is willing to fight, nothing which is more important than his own personal safety, is a miserable creature and has no chance of being free unless made and kept so by the exertions of better men than himself.
--John Stuart Mill--
We are determined that before the sun sets on this terrible struggle, our flag will be recognized throughout the world as a symbol of freedom on the one hand and of overwhelming force on the other. --General George Marshall--
We can continue to try and clean up the gutters all over the world and spend all of our resources looking at just the dirty spots and trying to make them clean. Or we can lift our eyes up and look into the skies and move forward in an evolutionary way.
--Buzz Aldrin--
America is the greatest, freest and most decent society in existence. It is an oasis of goodness in a desert of cynicism and barbarism. This country, once an experiment unique in the world, is now the last best hope for the world.
--Dinesh D'Souza--
Recent anti-Israel protests remind us again of our era's peculiar alliance: the most violent, intolerant, militantly religious movement in modern times has the peace movement on its side. --James Lileks--
As a wise man once said: we will pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, in order to assure the survival and the success of liberty.
Unless the price is too high, the burden too great, the hardship too hard, the friend acts disproportionately, and the foe fights back. In which case, we need a timetable.
--James Lileks--
I am not willing to kill a man so that he will agree with my faith, but I am prepared to kill a man so that he cannot force my compatriots to submit to his.
--Froggy--
You can say what you want about President Bush; but the truth is that he can take a punch. The man has taken a swift kick in the crotch for breakfast every day for 6 years and he keeps getting up with a smile in his heart and a sense of swift determination to see the job through to the best of his abilties.
--Varifrank--
In a perfect world, We'd live in peace and love and harmony with each oither and the world, but then, in a perfect world, Yoko would have taken the bullet.
--SarahBellum--
Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn't pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children's children what it was once like in the United States where men were free. --Ronald Reagan--
America is rather like life. You can usually find in it what you look for. It will probably be interesting, and it is sure to be large. --E.M. Forster--
Do not fear the enemy, for your enemy can only take your life. It is far better that you fear the media, for they will steal your HONOR. That awful power, the public opinion of a nation, is created in America by a horde of ignorant, self-complacent simpletons who failed at ditching and shoemaking and fetched up in journalism on their way to the poorhouse. --Mark Twain--
The Enlightenment was followed by the French Revolution and the Napoleonic wars, which touched every European state, sparked vicious guerrilla conflicts across the Continent and killed millions. Then, things really turned ugly after the invention of soccer. --Iowahawk--
Every time I meet an Iraqi Army Soldier or Policeman that I haven't met before, I shake his hand and thank him for his service. Many times I am thanked for being here and helping his country. I always tell them that free people help each other and that those that truly value freedom help those seeking it no matter the cost. --Jack Army--
Right, left - the terms are useless nowadays anyway. There are statists, and there are individualists. There are pessimists, and optimists. There are people who look backwards and trust in the West, and those who look forward and trust in The World. Those are the continuums that seem to matter the most right now. --Lileks--
The best argument against democracy is a five-minute conversation with the average voter.
--Winston Churchill--
A man or a nation is not placed upon this earth to do merely what is pleasant and what is profitable. It is often called upon to carry out what is both unpleasant and unprofitable, but if it is obviously right it is mere shirking not to undertake it. --Arthur Conan Doyle--
A man who has nothing which he cares about more than he does about his personal safety is a miserable creature who has no chance of being free, unless made and kept so by the existing of better men than himself. --John Stuart Mill--
After the attacks on September 11, 2001, most of the sheep, that is, most citizens in America said, "Thank God I wasn't on one of those planes." The sheepdogs, the warriors, said, "Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference." --Dave Grossman--
At heart I’m a cowboy; my attitude is if they’re not going to stand up and fight for what they believe in then they can go pound sand. --Bill Whittle--
A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship. --Alexander Tyler--
By that time a village half-wit could see what generations of professors had pretended not to notice. --Atlas Shrugged--
I kept asking Clarence why our world seemed to be collapsing and everything seemed so shitty. And he'd say, "That's the way it goes, but don't forget, it goes the other way too." --Alabama Worley--
So Bush is history, and we have a new president who promises to heal the planet, and yet the jihadists don’t seem to have got the Obama message that there are no enemies, just friends we haven’t yet held talks without preconditions with.
--Mark Steyn--
"I had started alone in this journey called life, people started
gathering up on the way, and the caravan got bigger everyday." --Urdu couplet
The book and the sword are the two things that control the world. We either gonna control them through knowledge and influence their minds, or we gonna bring the sword and take their heads off. --RZA--
It's a daily game of public Frogger, hopping frantically to avoid being crushed under the weight of your own narcissism, banality, and plain old stupidity. --Mary Katharine Ham--
There are more instances of the abridgment of freedoms
of the people by gradual and silent encroachment of those in power than by violent and sudden usurpations. --James Madison--
It is in the heat of emotion that good people must remember to stand on principle. --Larry Elder--
Please show this to the president and ask him to remember the wishes of the forgotten man, that is, the one who dared to vote against him. We expect to be tramped on but we do wish the stepping would be a little less hard. --from a letter to Eleanor Roosevelt--
The world economy depends every day on some engineer, farmer, architect, radiator shop owner, truck driver or plumber getting up at 5AM, going to work, toiling hard, and producing real wealth so that an array of bureaucrats, regulators, and redistributors can manage the proper allotment of much of the natural largess produced. --VDH--
Parents are often so busy with the physical rearing of children that they miss the glory of parenthood, just as the grandeur of the trees is lost when raking leaves. --Marcelene Cox--
I'm sorry I missed the programs you had a chance to see!! I'm sure I will be DVR-ing lots of stuff in the coming days for when I can't sleep. 
Good Omens (Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett)
