If I Die Before I Wake

Paying everyone else’s tab!

Here’s the link.

California Officer Down 2006

In 2006, eleven California police officers lost their lives in the line-of-duty.

Roll Call:

Richard May
East Palo Alto Police Department
EOW 1/7/06

Earl Scott
California Highway Patrol
EOW 2/17/06

Gregory Bailey
California Highway Patrol
EOW 2/25/06

Peter Bain
Los Angeles Sheriff’s Office
EOW 3/23/06

Nick Birco
San Francisco Police Department
EWO 7/26/06

Brent Clearman
California Highway Patrol
EOW 8/6/06

Landon Dorris
Los Angeles Police Department
EOW 10/22/06

Jeffrey Mitchell
Sacramento Sheriff’s Office
EOW 10/27/06

William “Joe” Hudnall
Kern County Sheriff’s Office
EOW 11/14/06

Dan Bessant
Oceanside Police Department
EOW 12/20/06

Bryan Tuvera
San Francisco Police Department
EOW 12/23/06


*EOW = End of Watch = Date of Death

For a memorial tribute to each officer, go to the Ventura County Deputy Sheriff’s Association or the U-Tube video.

New York, New Jersey & the Blue Mantle of Weakness

On September 11, 2001, a bunch of Islamofascists mugged the states of New York and New Jersey by devastating the lives of so many of their residents. Why then is it that these two states have not thrown off the blue mantle of appeasement and denial? There is something rotten in Denmark, as the saying goes, when an enemy can bloody your nose and you do little to nothing about it.

Yes, you joined the call to strike Al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, but that’s the last that we heard from you. You were the most injured. Where are your demands that your government strike out continuously and demolish the threat? Do you think it’s over? Where is your commitment to educate your young as to the deadly nature of the Islamofascist world that they are inheriting from us?

Oh, I was wrong. We have heard from New Jersey. They are in the process of no longer honoring Veteran’s Day. Read Cal Thomas’ piece, “New Jersey to veterans: Drop dead?”

I hear the bleating of a flock of sheep.

Crop Freeze, Illegal Aliens, Farmers & Tax Payers

The recent crop freeze in California, specifically Ventura County, underscores the key component of the illegal immigration controversy, money in the form of cheap labor for all sorts of industry. The incontrovertible fact is that there are lots and lots of people making lots and lots of money on the backs of illegal aliens. And, the buying public benefits in the form of lower product costs. Disregarding all the social ills accompanying illegal aliens, it’s a win-win situation, sort of.

Concentrating, for the moment, on the agricultural industry, as a result of the recent freeze, Ventura County farmers are in a world of hurt, or so they say. A certain percentage of the farmers lost a significant portion of their crops. The farmers have crop insurance, so the problem is? It’s those pesky farm workers, who lost a significant portion of their income.

"We need to do something for displaced workers until the next harvest starts," said Rob Roy, president and general counsel of the Ventura County Agricultural Association. "The concern is that unemployment benefits aren't going to help these workers."

Now, before we get too worked up, let us acknowledge that farm workers, the majority of which are illegal aliens, didn’t suddenly have an unemployment benefits problem when this freeze hit. The real concern of the Ventura County Agricultural Association is that they anticipate losing their cheap labor to the Monterey agricultural industry.

"Workers are going to leave the area," said Jeffrey Ponting, an attorney for California Rural Legal Assistance in Oxnard. "They're going to go where they can feed their families."

Most likely they'll head to Monterey, he said, and if that happens, "Ventura County's going to suffer in a big way."

Tom Deardorff, president of Oxnard-based Deardorff Family Farms, cuts to the quick of the matter:

Laborers get paid per box filled, Deardorff said. The more boxes, the more money. Yes, there are berries left to pick, but to get to the healthy ones will take more time, thus fewer boxes come down the line and workers lose money.

Of course, if farmers paid an hourly wage and benefits there would be an available labor pool. But, then product prices would go up, profits would go down and imported agriculture would become more price competitive.

To avoid all these problems, the farm industry wants the tax payers to provide for the needs of the farm workers. That’s a pretty good idea because: the farm workers win; the farmers win; it helps to keep farm product prices down; and only the tax payers are the losers.

And wouldn’t you know it, there’s going to be legislators all too willing to help.

…at a meeting Friday morning in Oxnard overflowing with growers, labor and agriculture officials, insurance professionals and others that was organized by Assemblyman Pedro Nava, D-Santa Barbara. The farm community came to tell Nava what it needs to get through the agricultural crisis brought on by the recent
unusually cold weather.

"You tell us what it is we need to do for you," said Nava,…

Deardorff said,

"Basically, our federal immigration policy so far has just completely failed to address 12 (million) to 15 million undocumented workers in the U.S.," he said. "We're not providing any benefits or protections for these people."

Well, that’s not really true,

The Human Services Agency is opening eight centers around the county where people can get expedited relief (food stamps), per the governor's mandate,…

And, in case you forgot the opening caveat in this blog

Disregarding all the social ills accompanying illegal aliens, …

It’s no simple problem, but you can be sure of one thing: the taxpayers are going to pay and pay and pay. Of course, it really does not hurt the rich taxpayer and the poor, many of which would be considered wealthy in other countries, don’t pay anything.

Previous Postings:
Goodby & Good Luck
Illegal Aliens Out Of My City
Sovereignty Ignored; Seal the Border and Deport
Pres. Bush on Illegal Immigration
Mexico is No Friend of Ours
The Welcome Mat for Illegal Aliens is Rolling Up
Tell Me Again Why We Don’t Need A Border Fence

An Old Warrior’s Choice

I have a life-long friend, I’ll call him Flounder, because that is his nickname. Flounder and I played high school football together and did a bit of SCUBA diving on weekends.
He picked-up that nickname somewhere in his globe trotting life in the U.S. military; a career that began in Special Forces and finished with flying fighter jets. He had a truly adventurous professional life, the likes of which are only fantasy for most males.

Flounder is now retired and spends half the year in Germany and the other half in the U.S. He writes well, and I’ve been trying to get him to share his experiences and insight with the world via a blog. While Flounder is resisting me, he has previously mentioned the possibility of writing a book. I have not been successful on the blog idea as he prefers to spend his time traveling and keeping in touch with a group of people that he has deemed his “Dirty Dozen.” Most of us do not know each other. Apparently, we are a cobbled together group of people that Flounder has accumulated over a life time.

Recently I wrote to Flounder,

I don't want to be too pushy, but to my mind this is what you should be weighing in on: Col. Snodgrass and the limited war doctrine. See my blog: Limited War Doctrine-What Will You Do, Democrats?

Flounder replied,

…my not discussing the issue (is)…simply weariness. First …, all the political BS (war included) has me worn out trying to keep my eye on the ball. Secondly, my opinion isn't worth much, if not well thought out or informed. Otherwise, it becomes like everyone else's, sinky. …I'm tired & retired… Besides the battle for the hearts and minds of the public (American or otherwise) is something I no longer really concern myself with because [1] I concern myself only with those I care for and respect, and [2] I seldom waste my time with that which I have no influence over.

There is so much left to do in life, and so little time to do it that I don't want to waste any of it tugging on superman's cape and/or pissing into the wind.

Referring to the cartoon depicting the reaction of a mouse to an eagle that was about to end the mouse’s life, I wrote to Flounder:

I prefer the mouse flipping off the eagle just as the talons sink into his body. Dieing as a warrior is far preferable to dieing as a sheep. Either way you’re dead, but it's how you go out.

After spending a career in law enforcement, boy can I relate to Flounder’s position. But, I’m not really there yet. Perhaps what I wrote my friend will explain.

A person can pretty much be what he wants to be, and he can check out of the Sheepdog fraternity any time that he wishes. A U.S. Marine is quick to remind you that there are no ex-Marines, only former Marines. That’s because it’s a state of mind. I think the same applies to all Sheepdogs. Perhaps it’s a matter of motivation. Today my four year old granddaughter was in my arms in the Y swimming pool. She gives me a reason to keep fighting in any way that I can. I am quickly coming to the end of my professional gun toting days. But, as long as my mind works, I can write. I raise my middle finger to the forces that want her dead.

Whatever my friend chooses is alright with me. He is my friend, and he has paid his dues and ours many times over.

Thank you Flounder for all that you’ve done and for being my friend.

Previous Postings:
The Ordinariness of a Sheepdog
Why Do They Fight?
A Sheepdog is Returning
The Indecent Sheep Bleat
Are Sheepdogs Born Or Raised?
Thank You Sheep Dogs for our 230th. Birthday—Fourth of July 2006
Sheepdog Blood Leaves Queasy Stomachs

"Teach Peace"

“Peace” Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, copyright 1973. Well, not so new I guess.

a state of tranquility or quiet; freedom from civil disturbance; a state of security or order within a community provided for by law or custom

There is a portion of the sheep comunity that actually counsels the rest of the community to act as if there are no wolves. The photo herein depicts that bleat displayed in the rear window of a car. Thinking the best of the car owner, I imagine that there is nothing but the best of intention. It’s too bad that there is very little in the way of reality attached to the message.

LTC (RET) Dave Grossman stated:

I mean nothing negative by calling them sheep. To me it is like the pretty, blue robin's egg. Inside it is soft and gooey but someday it will grow into something wonderful. But the egg cannot survive without its hard blue shell. Police officers, soldiers, and other warriors are like that shell, and someday the civilization they protect will grow into something wonderful.? For now, though, they need warriors to protect them from the predators.

A quick search of the Internet reveals that the “teach peace” phrase is intimately associated with the pacifist, leftist, and apologist philosophies encompassing groups of people that generally hold that Western society, and the American society in particular, is a violent and destructive organism. You are free to subscribe to that fantasy, if you like. After all, it is the mantra of the liberal arts portions of our educational system. But, believing it does not make it so.

There is the story about many students at Columbine High School who would not give a police officer the courtesy of the time of day. That is until the massacre shooting started and then the students were panicked and clung to the responding officers for dear life.

OK Sheep, that’s the reality and not the fantasy of “teach peace.”

Previous Postings:
Sheepdog Blood Leaves Queasy Stomachs
Thank You Sheep Dogs for our 230th. Birthday—Fourth of July 2006
Are Sheepdogs Born Or Raised?
The Indecent Sheep Bleat
A Sheepdog is Returning
Why Do They Fight?
The Ordinariness of a Sheepdog

Unmanned Spy in the Sky Techs Need Your Support

As soon as man figured out how to fly through the skies in a balloon, he began to spy on his neighbors and enemies. The trouble with a darn balloon is that it is a big, slow moving target which played havoc on pilot longevity. Along comes the airplane and things get a little better because the pilot can fly high and fast. However, not without serious consequences as Francis Gary Powers discovered in 1960 when the Russians shot down the American U-2 spy plane he was piloting as he sprinted across the Soviet skies.

Now we have an assortment of unmanned aircraft that do all sorts of nifty things. Aerovironment, Inc. has small hand launched aircraft that are quite handy for ground troops.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. makes a much larger series of Preditor unmanned aircraft. Larger types of unmanned aircraft can conduct surveillance as well as serve as a firing platform for missiles, such as the Hellfire Missile. One such aircraft is pictured here.

The Iranians are now claiming that they shot down an American “spy drone.”

Iranian troops have shot down a U.S. pilotless spy plane recently, an Iranian lawmaker announced on Tuesday as the Islamic Republic was facing increasing military pressure from its arch rival -- the United States.

The aircraft was brought down when it was trying to cross the borders "during the last few days,"

What size of unmanned aircraft was allegedly downed is not stated, and I’ve not seen any U.S. acknowledgement of such an incident. But, it is certainly likely that we are flying unmanned aircraft at or over the border into Iran.

Our unmanned aircraft programs are supported by a phalanx of civilians in the field, who are very much in harm’s way just like our military personnel. They live under the same conditions as our fighting people. Let’s keep those civilians in our thoughts and send them the same support as you send to the military people.

The Ordinariness of a Sheepdog

There is an inherent contradiction in the title of this blog. Ordinary ordinarily does not go with Sheepdog. But, it does when you divorce yourself from what it is that a Sheepdog does to warrant his name and return to his basic humanity. He/she is a father, mother, husband, wife, boyfriend, girlfriend, brother, sister or solitary sole just like all the rest of us. That’s what struck me as 70 some U.S. Marines stepped off of two buses at Camp Pendleton yesterday. Seven Military Transition Teams (MTT) from Operation Iraqi Freedom returned home after a one year deployment in the violent Al Anbar Province.

There was, as expected, the joyful reunion of family and friends. But, there was more than that. There was a reunion with a wounded colleague; a U.S. Navy Corpsman , “Doc.” Doc has been stateside for quite a few months undergoing the long process of healing and therapy as a result of being on the receiving end of a mortar attack. The bond between this Navy man and his Marines is strong and obvious. It is a bond welded by the flames of combat.

U.S. Marines and U.S. Navy Corpsman, ordinary and extraordinary.

Previous Postings:
Sheepdog Blood Leaves Queasy Stomachs
Thank You Sheep Dogs for our 230th. Birthday—Fourth of July 2006
Are Sheepdogs Born Or Raised?
The Indecent Sheep Bleat
A Sheepdog is Returning
Why Do They Fight?

Stone’s Twin Towers

I don’t get the opportunity to see many movies, but I did watch Oliver Stone’s Twin Tower Center last night. I won’t venture an opinion as to the quality of the acting, since standard movie review is not my forte. However, I do have some thoughts as to the value of the flick when it comes to documenting the foremost American tragic event in last few of decades.

I was immediately struck by the lack of perspective relative to the world’s reaction to the destruction of the towers. The film displayed the numbing astonishment on the part of much of the world, but noticeably absent was the wild celebration by Muslims the world-over. If you did not know the details of the event, you’d have thought the world was numb over some natural catastrophe. As a result, the remainder of the film was nothing more than the heroic attempts of humans to help other humans in dire straights and the anguish of family and friends.

Two thumbs down for accuracy in portraying the actual event.

Democratic Party Now Accountable In the War

The Democrats now have the Congressional power that they sought, and they don’t know what to do with it. While operating within the security of the minority party, Democratic Party leaders were safe to snipe at the President about the conduct of the war on Islamo-fascism for their own political purposes. The Democratic Party is now faced with the dilemma of making substantive decisions for which they will be held accountable. They control the purse strings, and they can no longer just sit back and oppose everything that Pres. George W. Bush proposes relative to conducting the war with Islamo-fascism. Either they support the President’s efforts or they don’t.

The Democratic Party’s first big muscle flexing is the proposed symbolic vote in opposition to sending more troops to Iraq.

Democratic leaders said Tuesday that they intended to hold symbolic votes in the House and Senate on President Bush’s plan to send more troops to Baghdad, forcing Republicans to take a stand on the proposal and seeking to isolate the president politically over his handling of the war.

The resolutions would represent the most significant reconsideration of Congressional support for the war since it began, and mark the first big clash between the White House and Congress since the November election, which put the Senate and House under the control of the Democrats. The decision to pursue a confrontation with the White House was a turning point for Democrats, who have struggled with how to take on Mr. Bush’s war policy without being perceived as undermining the military or risking criticism as defeatists.

That’s a real problem for the Democrats because they are undermining the military, and they are defeatists. You can’t make a silk purse out of a Democratic sow’s ear.

Iran & Syria Put On Notice

Those who learn the art of terrorism and insurgency often do so within the geographical confines of countries other than the targeted country. It makes no sense to idly sit-by if the host country does not make a concerted and successful effort to root out and destroy the terrorist networks before their tradecraft can be exported. In his speech last night, President George W. Bush put Iran and Syria on notice when he said,

Succeeding in Iraq also requires defending its territorial integrity and stabilizing the region in the face of extremist challenges. This begins with addressing Iran and Syria. These two regimes are allowing terrorists and insurgents to use their territory to move in and out of Iraq. Iran is providing material support for attacks on American troops. We will disrupt the attacks on our forces. We'll interrupt the flow of support from Iran and Syria. And we will seek out and destroy the networks providing advanced weaponry and training to our enemies in Iraq.

We must take the fight to the sources and destroy all those infected with the disease of Islamo-fascism. There is no other cure.

No Exit Strategy Because It is Kill or be Killed

The Wall Street Journal editorial on 1/10/2007 entitled, “No Exit in Somalia” stated,

The strikes in Somalia are also a reminder that in the war on terror there is no "exit strategy" short of victory.

No, that is not exactly correct. There are actually two other options: first the turning tale and running as did Pres. Clinton, Pres. Reagan and Pres. Carter in Mogadishu subsequent to the Black Hawk Down incident, the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Beirut, and the takeover of the U.S. Embassy and the kidnapping of our personnel in Tehran respectively; and second the abject failure in Vietnam.

Col. T. Snodgrass ascribes our previous failures to the Limited War Doctrine formulated by the Pres. Kennedy administration. See his article entitled, “Limited War Doctrine: A Fatal Flaw.”

The beauty of history is that it allows us to learn by our mistakes. Pres. Bush seems to have learned the lesson that with Islamo-fascists we can not afford to elect either of the losing options listed above. Whether or not the newly empowered Democratic Party has learned the lessons is doubtful. Pres. George W. Bush is not down and out yet. But, the Democrats, out front is Sen. Edward Kennedy, are pushing to emasculate the President’s Constitutional authority to protect the country with foreign policy application. What else can you expect from a Senator who has made cut and run the cornerstone to his career since at least July 18, 1969 when he abandoned Mary Jo Kopechne to drown in his car on Chappaquiddick Island. Time will tell.

The truth of the matter is that there is no exit strategy applicable when dealing with Islamo-fascism. It is kill or be killed.

Previous Post: Limited War Doctrine-What Will You Do, Democrats?

Putting A Black Face on Islamo-Fascism

When questioned, I suspect most Americans will have a passing knowledge with Al-Qaeda and its evil intents. But, I suspect that far less have an appreciation for the true Islamo-fascist threat, which is the spread of the Sharia Court irrespective to nationality and ethnic origin.

You may recall that in the early 1990’s the U.S. and other forces were involved in a little dust-up in Somalia, which resulted in the ignominious defeat featured in the movie, Black Hawk Down. Pres. Bill Clinton handled that foreign policy problem well. He tucked tail and ran.

Since that time, the Islamists, that’s black Islamists, have made a real pest of themselves and managed to control a goodly portion of the country. However, recently the Somalia government and Ethiopian troops managed to route the Islamists and liberate Mogadishu and much of the formerly Islamist controlled territory.

Vast numbers of Africans are Muslims and Islamo-fascists are searching the world-over for likely spots to install the rule of the Sharia Court. Somalia and other parts of Africa have the real potential to become the new training bases to feed the Islamist agenda of controlling as much of the world as possible.

Douglas Farah has an excellent piece entitled, The Wrong Question on Somalia.

Part of the policy debate over what do to (or what should have been done) about Somalia centers on the question of the relationship between al Qaed and the Islamic Court movement.

That is the wrong question. The question that should be asked is not dependent on the presence of specific individuals who have sworn an oath to Osama bin Laden and the old organization of al Qaeda. It is whether the Courts were part of a broader Islamist movement seeking to impose sharia law and create and entirely Muslim enclave that would constitute the beginnings (or the re-beginings) of the Islamist caliphate.

The answer in this case is clearly yes. There is a law enforcement interest in knowing if Fazul et al are in Somalia. But there is ample evidence, from their own statements and actions, that the Court leadership that triumphed was a intergral link in the Islamist narrative, woven and rewoven in different conflicts around the globe.

According to late breaking news, U.S. forces are again in action in Somalia,

A U.S. attack plane killed many people with barrages of gunfire in a remote Somali village occupied by Islamists thought to be hiding at least one al Qaeda suspect, a Somali government source said on Tuesday.

In the first known direct U.S. military intervention in Somalia since a failed peacekeeping mission that ended in 1994, an AC-130 plane rained gunfire on the desolate southern village of Hayo near the Kenyan border late on Monday.

Americans need to acknowledge the black face of Islamo-fascism.

Limited War Doctrine-What Will You Do, Democrats?

September 11, 2001 occurred and Pres. George W. Bush declared war on Al-Qaeda in Afghanistan by reacting perhaps instinctively, but certainly politically astutely considering the mood of the nation toward Al-Qaeda for having attacked the mainland. U.S. and NATO forces went into Afghanistan and took care of business. Now in the aftermath some of the same problems facing the current Iraq situation are beginning to brew in Afghanistan. The problem in both areas, and future similar conflicts, are two fold: the enemy is not a discreet nation-state military; and the U.S. is operating according to a limited war doctrine, which evolved subsequent to World War II.

While the basic tenets of a limited war doctrine were being formed during the Korean War, it was not until 1961, under the Kennedy Administration, that the policy was formally established. So says Colonel T. Snodgrass, U.S.A.F., ret. in his piece, Limited War Doctrine: A Fatal Flaw. Until the Korean War, the rules of war were massive retaliation and a concerted effort to deny the enemy the ability to wage war no matter the costs in collateral damage to civilian populations and civilian infrastructure.

In spite of the Limited War doctrine’s success in preventing conflict between the U.S. and Soviet Union, in 1961 President Kennedy and his civilian social-science theorists rewrote the rules of war, conceiving and implementing a replacement doctrine they dubbed “Flexible Response” to counter client proxy warfare. It was at this point that we completely departed from the strategic thinking that had won World War II. The change in mindset was profound. The fundamental change in the U.S. approach to warfare now had at its essence the new approach that America would answer communist aggression against its interests with only a limited force that was “proportional” to the threat, thus inculcating the institutional idea in the U.S. national security infrastructure that American military responses should only be gradually escalated according to the perceived seriousness of the crisis.

The concept of a measured, proportional violent response to provocation was to send a message of escalation to the enemy in which he would come to realize that his efforts were for naught.

Relative to the Vietnam War,

The Flexible Response doctrine did not contemplate that the North Vietnamese would “bear any burden, pay any price” to plant Vietnamese nationalist communism in the south of the former French colony. The obvious queries -- why Kennedy’s brain-trust thought that only the U.S. was capable of complete dedication to a political concept or military strategy and how this group of men failed to address how an armed test of wills between two completely committed opponents would finally be resolved -- both call into question the Kennedy crowd’s basic rationality and the quality and integrity of their thought.

Indeed, what it really suggests is a mind-set that believed that the whole of mankind operated under the same set of values they had. In other words, there is nothing really worth fighting for until the end. Total dedication to national existence and national goals are subject to compromise. If that was the view of the American leadership, they concluded, it must be the view of our enemies.

The limited war doctrine was a success as far as avoiding a nuclear exchange with U.S.S.R., but it was a dismal failure when dealing with the Communist proxy client North Vietnam. Why? Because as stated by Snodgrass,

…the North Vietnamese would “bear any burden, pay any price” to plant Vietnamese nationalist communism in the south of the former French colony.

That’s a poke in the eye at the intellectual sincerity of Pres. Kennedy’s 1961 inaugural speech:

… that we shall 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.

So here we are in 2007, well entrenched in a struggle to the death with Islamo-fascism, which has different values than us. And, we are still operating with a Limited War doctrine. Nice try Republicans, but you failed. Iraq is proof-positive that it did not work.

The military is best at killing people and breaking things. They are not police officers. It’s high time that we abolish the Limited War Doctrine and let the military do what they are trained to do.

That’s a tough row to hoe. Col. Snodgrass expands on the point:

Given the long and sustained trend in this country to move away from a constitutional republic as designed by the founders with a safe distance between the national leaders and their constituents and toward an open society democracy where the “public voice” is heard daily in polling data and elections and statutory and constitutional referendums meant to directly affect day to day governance, it might be arguable that no sustained or prolonged war effort is today possible. But most assuredly, in such system, the “public” will never support a decision predicated upon a purposefully limited and drawn out war strategy. This was the absurdity of the Kennedy Administration’s limited war doctrine and it is the absurdity of the current administration’s limited-war-while-we-build-a-functional-civil-democratic-government-in-the-war-zone. What makes this latter doctrine even more irrational is that we accept the presence of our enemies in the government, such as al-Sadr.

The general electorate just handed the power of Congress to the Democrats, who are controlled by leftists and apologists. What chance do we have of abandoning the Limited War Doctrine? The answer is none until the Islamo-fascists again start hitting the U.S. home territory. Suddenly the leftist politicians will turn hawkish. If they don’t they’ll be out of office. They know that the prime rule of extending their political life is to squirm and weasel their way through the shifting sands of political expediency. They will be hawkish until they again feel comfortable to push the U.S. toward the European socialist model and draining the vitality out of the American experiment.

The silver lining to the cloud is that the Islamo-fascists will not give-up nor compromise. This war is on to the death. America will learn that lesson and respond appropriately or perish. I’m betting on survival, which means that the Democrats acting as leftists will not remain in office too long.

Wouldn’t it be strange if history records that America was saved from the leftists by the Islamo-fascists?

Walking the Line-Michael Yon is Back In Iraq

Michael Yon is back in Iraq for his second go at being embedded with the troops. He was last there in 2005. Look forward to some good insightful reporting. Not the pabulum of CNN. See Michael’s piece, Walking the Line.

YMCA Doesn’t Stand for Christian or Male Anymore and You Can’t Go Nude

Yesterday, I had a great day with my almost four year old granddaughter. The occasion was a “Family Day” at the local YMCA. The Y is really different than when I was a boy.

YMCA stands for Young Men's Christian Association, but don't misinterpret this to mean that YMCAs are only for "young, Christian men." From its start more than 150 years ago, when George Williams founded the YMCA as a substitute Bible study and prayer for life on the streets, the YMCA was unusual because it crossed the rigid lines that separated all the different churches and social classes in England in those days. This openness was a trait that would lead YMCAs to recognize their strength is in the people they bring together – Ys are for all people of all faiths, races, ages, abilities and incomes. YMCAs' financial assistance policies ensure that no one is turned away for reasons of inability to pay.

Take note that the word “Christian” is prominently within the name of the organization. I think perhaps the historical underpinning of Christianity is all that remains in today’s organization.

I was a member of a YMCA when I was a child. Some of my happiest memories were of after school and Saturday trips to the Y where I engaged in swimming, gymnastics, craftwork, field trips, and Saturday morning viewings of the Green Lantern and other classic films with other boys and men of varying ages.

Back then there was also a YWCA, the female counterpart of the YMCA. The YWCA is still around today, but by self-admission it is an activist organization. Their home page greets you with these words prominently displayed, “eliminating racism” and “empowering women.” On their website there is absolutely no mention as to what “YWCA” stands for. Or, perhaps more precisely what it used to stand for. In other words, don’t expect to see the word “Christian.”

The YWCA is the oldest and largest multicultural women's organization in the world.

Across the globe, we have more than 25 million members in 122 countries, including 2.6 million members and participants in 300 local associations in the United States.

More important than the numbers, is our mission to eliminate racism and empower women. We provide safe places for women and girls, build strong women leaders, and advocate for women's rights and civil rights in Congress.

Women come to us in times of crisis, as survivors of rape or domestic violence. They come for job training and career counseling. They come for childcare. They come for health and fitness. They come for a variety of reasons. But they come. And they leave with a renewed spirit, new skills, and stronger lives.

When I was a kid, and as you might guess from its very name, the YMCA was an organization for males only. How quaint and sexist, don’t you think? Gee, what an opportunity it was for we males to do male things and bond in male ways. We even did such things as swim in the nude. Can you imagine such a thing today? As I recall, there was no shyness among us males. You got undressed in the locker room, went to the pool and showered in a communal shower area, which was nothing more than the wall facing the pool, and then you swam naked as a jaybird. Well, at today’s YMCA you can’t do that because there are more female members present than males. What the heck is that all about?

Speaking of nakedness; I’ve noticed an interesting change in males at the YMCA. We still have a communal shower, only it is now in the male locker room. But, now there are a considerable number of males who are obviously not comfortable with being seen nude by other males. The trend is mostly among the younger set, but that is not exclusive. Some won’t take their swim trunks off in the shower area and when they do remove them they cover-up with a towel and face away from everyone else.

Some might say that the new male shyness is a good thing, modesty wise. I say that explanation is a crock, and it is a sign of body phobia. And, that is not healthy.

Follow-up 3/31/09:
Stigmatized and Narcissistic

Heat was the Best Gift of All

It’s about 43 degrees Fahrenheit with a good steady breeze bringing the chill factor to what? I’d don’t know, but it was mighty chilly for motorcycle riding. We in Southern California are rather partial to our moderate temperatures, and 43 degrees is not moderate to me. I’ve lived in cold climates, and I don’t intend to do it again. Still, there I was riding my Harley Davidson Ultra Classic home from the Harley dealership. And, I could hardly believe it because I was toasty warm thanks to my new heated handgrips and heated vest. All of this was because my darling wife gave me the best of all possible Christmas gifts, heat.

Harley Davidson is Everywhere

A Sheepdog is Returning

Today is Saturday, Jan 6, 2007. It is the day that my friend Jay, U.S. Marine Master Gunny Sergeant, and his troops are scheduled to leave Iraq. They have completed their one year deployment in the dangerous and volatile Anbar Province. Jay’s family and friends have been holding our collective breath, and we won’t be totally relieved until his boots are standing on U.S. soil and we once again see his smiling face. We are going to celebrate the return and honor Jay and his teammates later this month.

Jay’s war in Iraq was very personal, as can be expected when someone is trying to ventilate you and cause your blood to spill on the ground. As Jay put it in his understated manner,

We have actually completed our last patrol in this place. It's just a little melancholy. Ok, not so much. Of course, our last ten days happened to be the most interesting, with Saddam's execution and the new year's jihad proclaimed against all of us infidels.

Jay didn’t have his blood spilled on the ground to pay our installments on freedom, but he did sweat and freeze and bust his hump in the dust of Iraq. And, he did have colleagues who paid with injury and death.

Jay will retire from the U.S. Marine Corp in the not too distant future. Last I heard, he is serious about beginning a new career in law enforcement. You can’t keep a good Sheepdog down.

Read Lt. Col. Dave Grossman’s piece: On Sheep, Wolves, and Sheepdogs.

Go to Daughter of the Night for her piece entitled, I Run to the Sound of the Guns, for another piece by Lt. Col. Grossman.


Previous Posts:
Sheepdog Blood Leaves Queasy Stomachs
Thank You Sheep Dogs for our 230th. Birthday—Fourth of July 2006
Are Sheepdogs Born Or Raised?
The Indecent Sheep Bleat

Conyers and Pelosi-The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

Ahh, the wonders of the new Democratic House majority. I posted previously about John Conyers and Nancy Pelosi and their cozy relationship with Islamists, Meet The Faces Who Will Sell You Out.

Now, Texas Rainmaker reports that:

John Conyers (D-Mich.) “accepted responsibility” for breaking House Ethics rules (and possibly some laws) for requiring “his official staffers to work on campaigns, babysit his children, and run personal errands.”

What’s more it is no problem with Nancy Pelosi:

A spokesman for Incoming House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Conyers will remain chairman of the Judiciary Committee.

Reap what you sow American electorate. You dislike Pres. George W. Bush and the GOP so much that you jumped from the frying pan right into the fire. As the saying goes, there is none so blind as those who will not see.

Previous Posting: Meet The Faces Who Will Sell You Out

Captain Barbosa Drinks Soda

My almost 4 year old (going on 16) granddaughter is enamored with Captain Jack Sparrow and his “Pirates of the Caribbean” antics. Of course, she has both of the “Pirates of the Caribbean” DVD’s, neither of which had my wife and I seen.

On New Years Eve day, my granddaughter informed me that Captain Barbosa drinks soda (pop) because he is a “bad guy.” Naturally she expanded upon the theme and announced that Captain Jack Sparrow is a “good guy,” and that he drinks water. She advised that she also drinks water, as well, and not soda.

Later that day, my wife was looking through our number one daughter’s DVD collection for a possible DVD in case we couldn’t find anything else of which to amuse ourselves on New Year’s Eve. Our granddaughter insisted that my wife include both of the prized “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies in her selection. That’s what we did, watched both of them.

The “Pirates of the Caribbean” movies are rated “PG,” and I’d have thought that all the mayhem, monsters and violence might scare a 4 year old. Well, not my granddaughter. I conclude that my daughter and her husband are either extremely astute as to what their daughter can handle or they are just down right lucky. My grandsons, who are older and from daughter number two, won’t watch the movies because they are too scary.

Today my wife was speaking with our granddaughter on the telephone and advised her that we had watched both of the movies. To that, our granddaughter asked if we going to bring the movies back.

At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed both movies, especially Johnny Depp’s performance as Captain Jack Sparrow. In the sequel movie, everyone is seeking a chest containing the living and thumping heart of Davy Jones. Captain Jack Sparrow obtains the heart and then unbeknownst to him, he loses it. When he discovers the heart missing, he states:

Where is it? Where is the thump-thump?

That line is still cracking me up.

Captain Barbosa, that evil soda drinking scoundrel, is killed off in the first movie. To tell you the truth, everybody was drinking rum in the movies so I’m not sure what to make of my granddaughter’s soda assertions. I know that she did not get it from home. Maybe her “Papa,” that’s me, is having an effect.