Why Do I Pick on Al Martinez?

By all that I can tell, Los Angeles Times columnist Al Martinez is a downright decent person and a very fine writer. I am an avid reader of his columns, and his pieces often stimulate me to write a blog in disagreement to something that he wrote. Al is opposed to the Iraq war. That is at least in as much as he feels that we should no longer be engaged in the effort. I believe that it is accurate to say that Al holds the position that the Iraq war is a reckless and insensitive adventure on the part of Pres. George W. Bush. I, on the other hand, do not agree that the Iraq experiment is a reckless adventure, nor that the President is insensitive.

So why is it that I target Al as a messenger of the anti-Iraq war movement? I do so because, unlike politicians, Al is an influential writer who is absent a pecuniary or power driven agenda. I’d be willing to bet that Al writes from his heart. You won’t catch him testing the political wind before he takes pen in hand. That makes his message much more influential then that of many politicians. And, that’s why I want to convert him to my way of thought. I don’t have any real expectation of being able to do so, but any fair minded man is susceptible to new ideas given sufficient exposure to differing views. There is, therefore, a hope that Al can be influenced.

There is a great probability that both Al and I will pass on without changing either’s viewpoint. And, we are both approaching that part of our lives when the inevitable may not be all that far in the future. But, it is not for me that I write the truth as I see it. It is for my grandchildren. I suspect it is the same for Al. It is our grandchildren who will inherit what we and their parents have left for better or worse. I see Al’s position, not Al himself, as a great threat to our collective grandchildren.

There is an odious worldwide war in progress that was declared upon the non-Muslim world. It is termed a fourth generation war, which is unlike anything that the world has ever experienced. There are no battle lines and the Geneva Convention be damned because in fourth generation warfare there are no rules except one, win! Al and I don’t yet agree on this point. That does not make Al my enemy. He is my honorable, philosophical opponent. The same cannot be said for many others espousing Al’s philosophical position.

So, I pick on Al, an honorable opponent, in a world, which in many ways is dishonorable. He is welcome in my home anytime. I cannot say the same for the leftist leadership of the Democratic Party.

My Friend Is Mistaken

My friend is a compassionate man. A man who has lived long and personally suffered for his country on the battlefields of Korea. He has witnessed the barbarity of war, and he is sickened by it. As well he should be. As well we should all be. My friend is also liberal, which means that his heart aches for humankind of all sorts and manners. Unfortunately, that also means that he is not holding some people accountable for their actions. He is only holding certain people accountable; notably, the Republican Party and President George W. Bush specifically. My friend is on the bandwagon for an end of the “war,” and by that he means the current conflict in Iraq. He cites the number of killed and wounded American military personnel and the concomitant Iraqi losses. Despite the human suffering, the numbers pale in comparison to the losses over similar periods of time in previous wars. That doesn’t make it any less despicable, if just makes the numbers argument irrelevant when considering what the Islamo-fascists have in mind for the “infidel” world, which includes fellow Muslims and my friend’s grandchildren. Why is that? It’s because to the Islamo-fascist, Iraq is only the current and main front to the quest for worldwide Islamic domination. I don’t just say it. They say it.

Was that unfair of me to mention my friend’s grandchildren? Was it a hit bellow the belt? I don’t think so. He just doesn’t believe that the current Islamo-fascist threat is all that bad. I have to assume that latter point because he is an intelligent man, and I know from reading his columns that he loves his grandchildren. He would not consciously argue for a philosophy that he thought would put his kin in harm’s way. But, he does.

I have tried to nudge him toward the reality of today through personal e-mails. Obviously, I have not succeeded. I’d love for him, and all of you, to be able to sit in on the briefings that I receive on the reality of the Islamo-fascist agenda. If you did, this country would have no significant divide on the issues.

In some ways, I can not blame my friend because he is not privy to the information that I receive. However, most of what I receive can easily be obtained from open source material available to all. It simply requires that a diligent student shun the sound byte main stream media and begin reading and listening. It takes a little effort and time away from the idiot tube.

How is it then that the opposition members of Congress, who have access to the real information, can possibly hold the positions that they do? The answer lies somewhere along the line running from political charlatans and personal aggrandizement, ignorance, naiveté, cowardice, apologists, and old warriors determined that the younger generations not suffer their personal war tragedies.

But, relative to the current Islamo-fascist threat, somebody has to be the Spartans of the world. Someone has to step forward and stop the Persians (read Muslims) from taking all of the Greek cities and conquering the civilized world. Sparta did that until the Athenians got their act together and joined the fight. Do you see any parallels here? If you don’t, you just might be a liberal.

My friend writes about Pres. George W. Bush,

He can't hear the sobbing.He can't internalize the grief of war.

Oh yes he can. How do I know that? I know it because the man has a heart that relates to the little people, the security personnel that serve him. Those that directly serve him, love him. That’s quite unlike many of those who were, recently tried to be, or would be President from the Democratic Party. They are hated because they treat others as beneath them.

Who is my friend? Well, Al Martinez, of course. I only assume that I’m his friend because he once said that we were. I wonder if he now regrets that comment. Read Al’s latest column, “A healing heart, an aching heart.” He’s a fine writer. God, I wish I could write well enough, write something that would strike his heart as true so that he might see the light.

Is A Hate Crime Only A Hate Crime If You Are A Black Victim?

Hate crimes are nothing more than an existing crime that is motivated by animus against a specified group of people based upon racial, ethnic, religious and sometimes sexual characteristics. There is a sentencing enhancement when a crime is adjudged to have a hate crime motivation.

Is a hate crime only a hate crime if you are a black victim? Well, through the lens of two fairly recent Southern California hate crime cases, apparently so.

At the end of 2004 in Simi Valley, white supremacist oriented white kids, totally unprovoked except by their prejudices, attacked a black youth. The young man suffered a dislocated knee and an injured shoulder. These white kids got sentenced to jail time. Not enough, but jail time nevertheless.

Now a short distance away in Long Beach, a bunch of black kids are convicted of an unprovoked hate crime attack on three white girls. One of the white girls is still undergoing surgery to repair a damaged eye socket. The sentence for the black kids is probation.

The message in California is that if you are white and you commit a hate crime against a black, the jail doors will slam behind you. But, if you are black and you commit a hate crime against a white, you will get a slap on the hand. That probably does not surprise you after the O.J. Simpson acquittal, now does it?

Racism is alive and well in California. And, the biggest racists are the institutions that don’t hold all people equally accountable for their actions. What do you expect from a bunch of damn liberals?

A Good Day & A Remembrance

Can’t sleep tonight for some reason. That’s very unusual. I’ve had a grueling couple weeks at work that have not allowed me any time to write. The overtime was \horrendous, and I’m exhausted. Nevertheless, I had a good day today, and no work except going to the range for the monthly qualification. We had a new combat course this month, and I only dropped two rounds with the department issued 40 cal. Berrette 92F. Now, with my 45 cal Ruger P345, I shot a perfect score. Sweet!!

Lying sleepless in bed tonight, a gent from the past popped into my mind. Lee was a reserve police officer and rode with me in a radio car in the early 1970’s. He was a great partner: Dependable and always backed my play without interceding and taking control. I gave him a great referral when he applied to become a regular officer. For some reason, the agency did not pick him up. Instead, he became a police officer with one of the railroads. It think it was the Atchison, Topeka and the Santa Fe. We lost contact with each other after that. I wonder what has become of Lee.

Lee, why did you come to mind tonight? I don’t know, but I’m going to look you up.