Today was a long day.
Yesterday was long, the day before long and the one before that was pretty long too, althogh that first day was spent shooting big guns so it wasn't quite as bad. When I say long, I don't just mean hour wise, although my day starts at 0345 and ends about 1830 or later, I mean that a lot of messed up crap happened. Today for instance one of the things I was involved in ended up with us escorting a mother and her four year old to the front gates and giving them the old heave ho into fridgid weather because they were on the base illegally. We were able to contact her mother in law and arranged for the woman and her child to wait where it was warm until their ride arrived. I also did a few things that I can't really write about in here, needless to say 1830 couldn't come soon enough.
Thursday, January 15, 2004
Well, the weekends gone and it was a pretty peacefull one too. I took a long drive and saw some nice seaside.
My friend Royal isn't in trouble anymore. When the command cooled off and got around to trying to legitamize the confiscation of his civilian clothes and the rest of the unofficial restrictions they had imposed on him without any charges, njp or otherwise having even been filed, they realized that he and another friend had actually done nothing wrong and had in fact acted in good faith to protect the life of a shipmate when she walked in to the bar the two of them were in and proceeded to drink herself into the hospital. From there it was a simple step to restoring the confiscated clothes and lifting the other restrictions unconditionally.
I'm glad the command realized the error of what they were doing. The way things were before they changed their minds, the message they were effectively putting out to all these seamen was that they would be punished for helping a shipmate out and effectively keeping her from being raped or worse. On the other hand, I'm dissapointed in the command for handling this so foolishly because now they look like idiots and all these seamen who were actually thinking twice about the consequences of drinking too much have let it go in one ear and out the other.
My friend Royal isn't in trouble anymore. When the command cooled off and got around to trying to legitamize the confiscation of his civilian clothes and the rest of the unofficial restrictions they had imposed on him without any charges, njp or otherwise having even been filed, they realized that he and another friend had actually done nothing wrong and had in fact acted in good faith to protect the life of a shipmate when she walked in to the bar the two of them were in and proceeded to drink herself into the hospital. From there it was a simple step to restoring the confiscated clothes and lifting the other restrictions unconditionally.
I'm glad the command realized the error of what they were doing. The way things were before they changed their minds, the message they were effectively putting out to all these seamen was that they would be punished for helping a shipmate out and effectively keeping her from being raped or worse. On the other hand, I'm dissapointed in the command for handling this so foolishly because now they look like idiots and all these seamen who were actually thinking twice about the consequences of drinking too much have let it go in one ear and out the other.
Tuesday, January 13, 2004
So I left for work this morning at 0430. I was relieved tonight at 1836. That's a 14 hour shift and right now I'm beat.
Other than than life is great. I don't work for the next two days and have plans to go do some site seeing tomorrow. I almost tapped this dude out today because someone told me he was stealing my rain parka and putting his name on it. I told him it was mine and to stop but he just laughed and kept writing. I'm a pretty peaceful guy, but some things you just can't shrug off. After all, it is the middle of winter and that is the only jacket I have for my BDU uniform. As things turned out my jacket was folded neatly behind him where I couldn't see it, and I appologized wholeheartedly, but he was still pretty shocked and just wasn't expecting me to react quite like that. In fact, everyone who was there pretty much thought they were gonna have to step in and separate us until he moved and I saw my jacket.
To be honest, I'm pretty dissapointed in how I quickly I lost my cool over a jacket. In every case like this I would much rather have a controlled conversation about the item in question, but that doesn't mean for one second that I'm sorry for rogering up when someone was trying to lift my stuff. An unfortunate aspect of life is that while there are some things you can overlook, every once in a while there are others wich require you to kick someone in the pants till they can tast the kiwi from your size ten's.
Other than than life is great. I don't work for the next two days and have plans to go do some site seeing tomorrow. I almost tapped this dude out today because someone told me he was stealing my rain parka and putting his name on it. I told him it was mine and to stop but he just laughed and kept writing. I'm a pretty peaceful guy, but some things you just can't shrug off. After all, it is the middle of winter and that is the only jacket I have for my BDU uniform. As things turned out my jacket was folded neatly behind him where I couldn't see it, and I appologized wholeheartedly, but he was still pretty shocked and just wasn't expecting me to react quite like that. In fact, everyone who was there pretty much thought they were gonna have to step in and separate us until he moved and I saw my jacket.
To be honest, I'm pretty dissapointed in how I quickly I lost my cool over a jacket. In every case like this I would much rather have a controlled conversation about the item in question, but that doesn't mean for one second that I'm sorry for rogering up when someone was trying to lift my stuff. An unfortunate aspect of life is that while there are some things you can overlook, every once in a while there are others wich require you to kick someone in the pants till they can tast the kiwi from your size ten's.
Tuesday, January 06, 2004
SINCE MAY 1, 2003
Interesting points to remember when we read all the negatives that are printed daily.
Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1...
... The first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.
... Over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.
... Nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.
... The Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.
... On Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts-exceeding the prewar average.
... All 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open,as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.
... By October 1, Coalition forces had rehab-ed over 1,500 schools - 500 more than scheduled.
... Teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.
... All 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.
... Doctors salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.
... Pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.
... The Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccination doses to Iraq's children.
... A Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of Iraq's 27,000 kilometers of weed-choked canals which now irrigate tens of thousands of farms. This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women.
... We have restored over three-quarters of prewar telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water production.
... There are 4,900 full-service telephone connections. We expect 50,000 by year-end.
... The wheels of commerce are turning. From bicycles to satellite dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns.
... 95 percent of all prewar bank customers have service and first-time customers are opening accounts daily.
... Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.
... The central bank is fully independent.
... Iraq has one of the worlds most growth-oriented investment and banking laws.
... Iraq has a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.
... Satellite TV dishes are legal.
... Foreign journalists aren't on 10-day visas paying mandatory and extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for minders and other government spies.
... There is no Ministry of Information.
... There are more than 170 newspapers.
... You can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.
... Foreign journalists (and everyone else) are free to come and go.
... A nation that had not one single element - legislative, judicial or executive - of a representative government, now does.
... In Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad's first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council elected its new chairman.
... Today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.
... 25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq's history, run the day-to-day business of government.
... The Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world.
... Shah religious festivals that were all but banned, aren't.
... For the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.
... The Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as part of a strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq.
... Uday and Queasy are dead - and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to the zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force cooperation, torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games, or murdering critics.
... Children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree with the government.
... Political opponents aren't imprisoned, tortured, executed, maimed, or are forced to watch their families die for disagreeing with Saddam.
... Millions of longsuffering Iraqis no longer live in perpetual terror.
... Saudis will hold municipal elections.
... Qatar is reforming education to give more choices to parents.
... Jordan is accelerating market economic reforms
... The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time to an Iranian --a Muslim woman who speaks out with courage for human rights, for democracy and for peace.
... Saddam is gone.
... Iraq is free.
Iraq under US lead control has come further in six months than Germany did in seven years or Japan did in nine years following WWII. Military deaths from fanatic Nazi's, and Japanese numbered in the thousands and continued for over three years after WWII victory was declared.
Interesting points to remember when we read all the negatives that are printed daily.
Since President Bush declared an end to major combat on May 1...
... The first battalion of the new Iraqi Army has graduated and is on active duty.
... Over 60,000 Iraqis now provide security to their fellow citizens.
... Nearly all of Iraq's 400 courts are functioning.
... The Iraqi judiciary is fully independent.
... On Monday, October 6 power generation hit 4,518 megawatts-exceeding the prewar average.
... All 22 universities and 43 technical institutes and colleges are open,as are nearly all primary and secondary schools.
... By October 1, Coalition forces had rehab-ed over 1,500 schools - 500 more than scheduled.
... Teachers earn from 12 to 25 times their former salaries.
... All 240 hospitals and more than 1200 clinics are open.
... Doctors salaries are at least eight times what they were under Saddam.
... Pharmaceutical distribution has gone from essentially nothing to 700 tons in May to a current total of 12,000 tons.
... The Coalition has helped administer over 22 million vaccination doses to Iraq's children.
... A Coalition program has cleared over 14,000 kilometers of Iraq's 27,000 kilometers of weed-choked canals which now irrigate tens of thousands of farms. This project has created jobs for more than 100,000 Iraqi men and women.
... We have restored over three-quarters of prewar telephone services and over two-thirds of the potable water production.
... There are 4,900 full-service telephone connections. We expect 50,000 by year-end.
... The wheels of commerce are turning. From bicycles to satellite dishes to cars and trucks, businesses are coming to life in all major cities and towns.
... 95 percent of all prewar bank customers have service and first-time customers are opening accounts daily.
... Iraqi banks are making loans to finance businesses.
... The central bank is fully independent.
... Iraq has one of the worlds most growth-oriented investment and banking laws.
... Iraq has a single, unified currency for the first time in 15 years.
... Satellite TV dishes are legal.
... Foreign journalists aren't on 10-day visas paying mandatory and extortionate fees to the Ministry of Information for minders and other government spies.
... There is no Ministry of Information.
... There are more than 170 newspapers.
... You can buy satellite dishes on what seems like every street corner.
... Foreign journalists (and everyone else) are free to come and go.
... A nation that had not one single element - legislative, judicial or executive - of a representative government, now does.
... In Baghdad alone residents have selected 88 advisory councils. Baghdad's first democratic transfer of power in 35 years happened when the city council elected its new chairman.
... Today in Iraq chambers of commerce, business, school and professional organizations are electing their leaders all over the country.
... 25 ministers, selected by the most representative governing body in Iraq's history, run the day-to-day business of government.
... The Iraqi government regularly participates in international events. Since July the Iraqi government has been represented in over two dozen international meetings, including those of the UN General Assembly, the Arab League, the World Bank and IMF and, today, the Islamic Conference Summit. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today announced that it is reopening over 30 Iraqi embassies around the world.
... Shah religious festivals that were all but banned, aren't.
... For the first time in 35 years, in Karbala thousands of Shiites celebrate the pilgrimage of the 12th Imam.
... The Coalition has completed over 13,000 reconstruction projects, large and small, as part of a strategic plan for the reconstruction of Iraq.
... Uday and Queasy are dead - and no longer feeding innocent Iraqis to the zoo lions, raping the young daughters of local leaders to force cooperation, torturing Iraq's soccer players for losing games, or murdering critics.
... Children aren't imprisoned or murdered when their parents disagree with the government.
... Political opponents aren't imprisoned, tortured, executed, maimed, or are forced to watch their families die for disagreeing with Saddam.
... Millions of longsuffering Iraqis no longer live in perpetual terror.
... Saudis will hold municipal elections.
... Qatar is reforming education to give more choices to parents.
... Jordan is accelerating market economic reforms
... The Nobel Peace Prize was awarded for the first time to an Iranian --a Muslim woman who speaks out with courage for human rights, for democracy and for peace.
... Saddam is gone.
... Iraq is free.
Iraq under US lead control has come further in six months than Germany did in seven years or Japan did in nine years following WWII. Military deaths from fanatic Nazi's, and Japanese numbered in the thousands and continued for over three years after WWII victory was declared.
I've never liked bullies.
I remember this one day of my childhood very clearly. I was a freshman and my brothers were both in middle school, so they got off the bus before I did. This kid who would constantly pick on my brothers and I, for whatever reason I still don't know. Being a peacfull guy, I put up with it, and put up with it. I ignored the words and shoves and even an occasional fist, but one day that little wanker put some gum in my hair. It was that day I decided that enough was enough and so, I waited until my brothers had left the bus to get him. I waited until we were at the high school and knocked him backwards onto the isle as we were getting off the bus. I then jumped on him pinning his arms beneath my knees and proceeded to give him a bloody nose and was knocking his head into the floor (literally one hand on each side of his slippery little head, bonk, bonk, bonk.) When they pulled me off him, yep, I got in a bit of trouble but guess what. Nobody messed with me or my brothers on that bus ever again.
Was it wrong? Go to CNN.com and do a search on giving up nukes.
The people of Iraq were under a great tyrany and while war is never easy sometimes you have to take it in the shorts to help your fellow man. I am a bit worried about how long we're going to be sticking around over there though. Once the infrastructure over there is tottering on it's new lew legs with a modicum of stability, if we're still milking the cow... Well, I'll burn that bridge when we get there.
I remember this one day of my childhood very clearly. I was a freshman and my brothers were both in middle school, so they got off the bus before I did. This kid who would constantly pick on my brothers and I, for whatever reason I still don't know. Being a peacfull guy, I put up with it, and put up with it. I ignored the words and shoves and even an occasional fist, but one day that little wanker put some gum in my hair. It was that day I decided that enough was enough and so, I waited until my brothers had left the bus to get him. I waited until we were at the high school and knocked him backwards onto the isle as we were getting off the bus. I then jumped on him pinning his arms beneath my knees and proceeded to give him a bloody nose and was knocking his head into the floor (literally one hand on each side of his slippery little head, bonk, bonk, bonk.) When they pulled me off him, yep, I got in a bit of trouble but guess what. Nobody messed with me or my brothers on that bus ever again.
Was it wrong? Go to CNN.com and do a search on giving up nukes.
The people of Iraq were under a great tyrany and while war is never easy sometimes you have to take it in the shorts to help your fellow man. I am a bit worried about how long we're going to be sticking around over there though. Once the infrastructure over there is tottering on it's new lew legs with a modicum of stability, if we're still milking the cow... Well, I'll burn that bridge when we get there.
Christmas was sweet, although most of mine was spent working. I did get a good Ghristmas gift though. This LTCMDR tried to catch us not being vigilant on post and since he wasn't in my chain of command, and with due respect, I schooled him in front of his peeps. I love it when people think I'm an idiot just because I wear BDUs and shoot big guns. Seriously, it couldn't have been more embarrassing for him if I'd smacked his bum from behind with one hand while air humping him and hollering “WHO'S YOUR DADDY!” Pluss I got away with it because he had absolutely no idea what my post was about and had tried to call me on something that was actually the responsibility of one of his people....
-Mwaa haaa haa haa Meeeery Christmas to meeee.
-Mwaa haaa haa haa Meeeery Christmas to meeee.
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