“Buy American!”  So much for buying American when you buy a GM… asshats.  It’s pretty sad when buying American means buying a Honda.  But GM having cars built in China?  Screw that!  I’m all for international trade and what not, but GM is giving the US the finger all in the name of profit.    And Cadillac?   Come on – that’s the hallmark of American Luxury Land Barges right there… Caddys now made in China.  That’s horseshit right there.  I’m going to have a hard time not keying every Chinese made Caddy I come across.   That pisses me off.  Mexico or Canada would be one thing… Importing a hot rod from Oz and calling it a GTO was shameful enough. (at least that car is actually hot)   But this is too much.   If you guys know anyone in the market for a new caddy – strongly urge them to go Lincoln this time around.  Freaking China.

Speaking of China… I was watching some of the games last night.  I watched a US girl do a flawless routine on the balance beams and score a 9.4… then I watched a girl from China get up there, almost fall off 3 or 4 times and look totally unsteady up there… then stepped out of the dismount, earn a 9.4 too.  The rest of the team did 9.6’s and 9.7’s.  While the US was struggling to break 9.5.  Come on.  The judges are scoring the US team very harshly.  If it makes them feel better to score the US harder than the rest of the teams… fine.  They can have that.  They still know who to call when someone is acting the bully and they need help. 

For the political minded folks:  I give you a list of political jokes found at American Backyard.  That’s some funny stuff right there.  Well worth the read.  If you like doing anything from watching movies to grilling meat out side, camping, anything really… American Backyard Forums are a great place to share the love.     Those are some funny quips right there.

Email: “Ogre, After reading your latest post on Doom3, I thought I would forward our last communicae sent back in March on this particular game.  I told you it was scary  ;-)  I've been playing it since the day it came out.  I'm literally re-playing areas right now, afraid to move forward in the game in fear that I might have missed something.  You are right, lighting has NEVER been like this in a game.  It is the most realistic I've ever seen.  Sponsored by Surefire flashlights...  Hell, that brings up a thought.  Weapons manufacturers should become sponsors for video games.  Nothing like going into virtual combat with YOUR favorite weapon.   – Brad

PS.  Why is it 300 years from now, we can't seem to have a weapon-mounted light?  I hate that damn fumbling around to put away your "magical no-batteries required" flashlight to grab a weapon...  Haven't found any NV yet, but that would sure as hell help.”

There is a mod called “The Hard Mod”.  It does a couple nice things that enhance the game without making it stupidly easy or anything like that.  It adds tactical lights to the projectile weapons and gives the shotgun a choke.  (that means it tightens up the pattern) This makes the shotgun much more realistic.  I’ve installed it and I love it.  Much better.  Of course I would have liked the lights to have been brighter – especially if they are Surefire tactical lights.   I don’t know about sponsorships… I think we had that with one of the Rogue Spear games… almost every gun was an HK… The NATO 3 Mod took care of that, thankfully.  The MP5 is not the be-all/end-all of armaments. 

Well, time to cook up some dinner… Starving.  I’ve not eaten anything all day save a single ice cream sandwich.  I’m thinking a chicken & rice casserole with some salad on the side.

Aug 15th, Sunday: 2004: Iran should be dismissed from the Olympics.  As should everyone else who brings such bullshit to the games.  This should not be tolerated or appeased.  It goes against what the games stand for… if the officials can’t keep that together then there is no point of the games.  Anti-Semitism is disgusting and only goes to show that the anti is a huge asshole. 

Email came in from our man out in Norway.  A photo of some police officers doing some handgun training.  I posted the photo over here at the Backyard for discussion.   Thanks for the photo, Stig.  That’s freaking hilarious.

Last night Mrs. Ogre and I went to see AVP.  This film was flawed in so many ways it's not even funny. 

The gestation period of the xenomorphs seems to be very inconsistent...   You have one girl that the gestation was almost instant, even before the other face huggers fell off... and then you have the Predator who was implanted and ran around a long time before he burst.  A little consistency would have been nice.  But that's too much to ask from Hollywood.
Bishop Weyland should have survived. Don't you think? I think. He was the prototype for at least two others, an android and a clone according to the other movies.  He should have been able to get back… maybe with a dead specimen or something… that would have been a much better tie in to the other movies.
The pyramid thing in the Antarctic sucked. Talk about a lame idea. Cambodian, Aztec and Egyptian? That was way too much BS to be tolerable. Reconfiguring walls and stuff? That was just asinine. Whoever came up with that needs to be smacked upside the head... and the guy that said "Yeah, that's a good idea" needs to be kicked square in the nuts. The Director for using that idea - and all the other really really bad ideas... He needs to be shot. Just once. In the stomach and left for dead in the middle of an ice flow.
You want a better idea? How about the same spacefaring aliens that was discovered on LV426?
"Hey, we found a heat source... can't identify it... let's go check it out... wow, it's a space ship!"
That way you would have had a better tie in to the other movies... you would have been able to excuse the weaponry... and you would have been able explain Wayland's company becoming so very powerful... and you could have gotten away with reconfiguring walls.   Have the humans and the xenomorphs start slugging it out, and that should have been what attracted the Predators... the chance to hunt serious dangerous game instead of Earth is a big hunting preserve for the predators.  Come on.  We know they hunt all over the universe.
Yes, the movie sucked.  But I found it entertaining up until the Predator was saying "Come on, Baby".  Predator hits some buttons and makes a gesture and all the sudden the chick says "it's a bomb". Come on. She picked that up really fast didn't she?   The whole predator and human tag team was stupid, and counter to everything the Predators have ever done.  Still, the chick was very cool.  Would have liked to have seen her use the spear and shield.  She made for a good Ripley replacement… I think that tradition was kept well.
Who directed this and what other movies has he directed? I want to make sure I don't see any more.  As bad as the film was – it wasn’t really all that bad.  It’s worth seeing… but it’s not all that it was made out to be.  

Pictures are worth a thousand words.  These pictures are worth much more than that.  This says everything that needs to be said for the 2004 Election.

Aug 14th, Saturday, 2004: I asked The Horde what weapons they have within reach when they are sitting down to their computer.  Here is the total arsenal:

Kahr K40

Cold Steel Kobun

Seventy pounds of crazy dog (That Counts!) 

H&K USPC

S&W 442 .38 Special

Star Firestar .40 S&W

FM/Industriea Argentina Hi-Power 9mmP

Ruger MkII target model .22LR

Ruger Old Army .45 Cap-n-Ball

Colt Anaconda .44 Mag

Colt M1991A1 .45 ACP

Lee-Enfield #1 MkIII* .303

Remington M1903A3 .30-06

Ruger 10/22 .22LR

Marlin 336CS 30/30 Winchester

Olympic Arms CAR-AR .223

Mossberg 500A 12 gauge

L1A1 .308

Beretta Cougar .45

Detonics Combat Master

Makarov .380

The Green Marlin

Kimber .45ACP

Browning HP

Glock 17

FEG HP clone

Romy SAR2

FAL/L1A1

Ishapore "Enfield" 2A1,

Ruger 10/22

Ruger Mini-14

Remington Varmint .308 in custom stock

Berretta 92

CZ 75

S&W model 28 .375

Ruger Mark II

Taurus Tracker .22

12-15 sheath knives

6-8 folding knives

Kahr 40 cal

6 machetes of various lengths 18" to 40"

throwing tomahawk

Z-force III 100,000 volt zapper

2 homemade short swords

Claymore sword

German hand and a half Sword

Bastard Sword

English Wheel Pommelled sword

Kukri

Swept hilt rapier

2 crossbows

Sword hilted Dagger

Klingon knife

Full suit of plate armour (not a weapon, but cool enough to mention)

2 Bows

CZ52

FNFAL

AK47

22 mag. revolver

Hipoint 9mm carbine

38 Special

Black K-Bar

It seems that The Horde is a very well armed group.  I threw my at hand guns in there as well.  Note, that these are the weapons just within reach… not in the gun vault or cabinet or wherever you lock your goodies away.  Marksmanship beats Swordsmanship, but blades do indeed count.   MOLON LABE!

Our little dog Pepper.  It turns out that Pepper is not a pure bred heeler… she’s an inbred Heeler.  She is mentally retarded and I’ve not met a mentally retarded dog before.  She is not getting any brighter and will remain this, uh, special for the rest of her life.  I’m not sure what to do with her.  Truthfully she has become extremely annoying.  You just look at her and she gets so excited that she pisses and shits all over the place.  At the dinner table we have to say “Pass the P-e-p-p-e-r, please.”  Because if you say the word pepper, she thinks you want to play and starts spazzing out.  She’s not just hyper and not just stupid… she’s… I don’t know…  I don’t even like this dog any more.  She was sweet when she was younger, because she was so small.  Oh, and she’s a little pig too.  She’ll eat whatever you put in front of her and eat it all… then she will try to eat Ranger’s food.  So she is starting to gain weight on top of growing.   She has also snapped at 2 of my boys… scared them pretty good.  And they are why she is here in the first place.  The other day she attacked Koda and messed up his eye.  Koda is our cat.  Out of 3 kittens, he is the survivor.  He is loyal and loving.  A great cat with incredible hunting skills.  Mice have no chance around him.  We love this cat.  And this dumbass little worthless dog almost blinded him.  I was 2 seconds away from taking this dog out to the desert and putting a 150 grain jacketed soft point through its heart.   But I’ve not done this… yet.  I don’t want to kill it.  I am thinking about taking it to the pound.  I don’t know.   Maybe at the pound someone will adopt it and think she’s all precious. 

Ranger on the other hand remains an awesome dog.  He’ll lay here by my feet or lean on me with his head on my lap.  He’s only annoying when he chases the cows and taunts the bulls and then rolls in the paddies…. THAT is annoying.  But he doesn’t do that all the time, and when he does I give him a shower outside with the hose and some PERT PLUS and he’s good to go.  Ranger will chase the cat for fun… or corner it for fun… but he has never acted actually hostile to it… never once has he tried to hurt the cat or my boys.  Love Ranger.  Time to take him hunting.

Aug 13th, Friday, 2004: Friday The 13th:  Doom 3.  This game is seriously one scary freaking sumbitch… let me tell you.  Remember when Doom first came out?  How cool and shocking and disturbing it was?  Well, Doom 3 seems to be just a remake of the first one.  Colorized and in Stereo and just as shocking now, as it was back then when Doom started the whole first person shooter monster slayer sorta thing. 

The game is all “Doom” and if you played the first, then you are going to feel right at home.  Id cracked a home run with the first one… but this one… this is a grand slam outta the ball park.  Because unlike the first one, this one is actually immersive.  Right off the bat you feel the suspension of disbelief and you are “into” to the game. 

Id created a fantastic little world with rich detail and textures… and then they added light and sound.  As simple as that sounds… that was like the understatement of the video game century.  Never before in a video game has the lighting been so important… it’s almost a character. 

One of the things that makes a scary movie so scary is when you can’t see what the scary thing is – Id recreated that here damn near perfectly.  You see shadows and a silhouette… and in the muzzle flash of your weapon, the zombie face of a guy you talked to not but a few minutes ago.  It’s extremely disturbing.  Now add to this a fully immersive sound environment.

Sound is important and can actually make or break a movie… or a game.  Half Life was so so popular for what reason?  The graphics?  The game play or story?  No… what set Half Life apart was the incredibly rich sound that gave the environment so much depth.  The Half Life guys are probably taking some good notes right about now. 

So there you go… you have awesome graphics… lighting effects to rival any Hollywood light director’s efforts… and breathtaking sound effects.  

I am always put off when a new video game for the PC comes out and it’s 50 bucks and it’s never actually worth the 50 bucks… Doom 3 is worth the 50 bucks, and then some.  That spendy video card investment has just been validated.  I’m blown away by this game.  This is cutting edge stuff that meets the hype head on and rips it a new one.

Did I mention that this game is scary?

Indeed it is.  This is the scariest game I’ve ever played.  This is the scariest thing I’ve ever put on my computer – next to the transcript of one of John Kerry’s speeches.    I thought I was going to be all cool and play it after midnight in the dark with headphones.

Yeah right…

I only played for an hour before I was in the bed huddled next to my wife with my head under the covers clutching my little LED flashlight and listening carefully to any sound within a mile radius… The Green Marlin rifle near by standing guard.

It’s not that the game is really all that scary… but it is just all the more intense because it is so immersive thanks to the graphics, light and sound… it really makes you feel a part of the game.  So much so that you “feel” the game… and I swear… you can even smell it. 

Chalk this one up to another “I thought they were dead already”.  Julia Childs.  I thought she kicked it 10 years ago.  Oh well.

Reports are coming in that the war on terror is taking a heavy toll on the bad guys.  Mr “Fight till the last drop of blood” has been wounded… his blood and time are running out.  Pakistan has got on board this war as well and has been rounding up terrorists and leaders there in Pakistan left and right.  This is valuable headway.  I am most pleased.  However there is talk in southern Iraq of succession… breaking away from Northern Iraq.  This may or may not be a bad thing.  But if it happens the Northern tribes are going to be screwed unless then can work something out with the guys next door to the north and the west.  I think they would be able to.  I hope Sadr is in a lot of pain.  If you want to know where I’m getting this information… it’s right here.  Lots of cool info… like this bit about a 25MM Sniper Rifle.  Whoa.

My man John Heffron won The Last Comic Standing just as I bet he would.  Okay, all you guys that bet against me… you can each send your buck via PayPal plus 3%.  I only caught the last minute of John’s set last night and it was funny.  

Tonight, AVP is coming out.  I’m going to try to catch it.  All you guys who placed your bets – and lost… don’t stiff me!  Cheap bastards.  It actually looks pretty damn good, but of course we know the Predators win because this movie is set in Now Time while the other movies are in the future and the Aliens are not on Earth… this means the Aliens were cleaned off.  Sorry to spoil it for you.  Predator… that movie was pretty awesome.  We had two actors from that one flick alone becoming Governors.  Crazy.  I’m just glad that popular flicks are not the normal political engine here.  Imagine if we had to pick candidates from Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure?  Anyways, I digress… This AVP movie looks better than my original misgivings foretold, and I liked the movie tie ins done by some good casting, namely of Bishop.  Hopefully I’ll be able to go see it if all the stars are in proper alignment and I can break away from the boys for a few hours.  I’d take them, but my wife would freak out at the idea of it.  It’s not like they all haven’t seen Aliens already or anything.  Yeah, as a father, I suck.  “Hey Boys!  Wanna watch Dad play Doom 3?”  Kidding…

Thanks again to Horde General West for sending us Doom 3.

One more thing... The Green Marlin is always standing guard close at hand... In fact right now at this moment, it's no further than 3 feet away.  Well within reach should I need it.  Not to mention 3 automatics and a giant tanto knife, just in case.  What weapon do you have within reach of your data center?

Aug 12th, Thursday, 2004: 1500hrs: Man, things are happening fast today… New Jersey Governor is resigning.  There is a lot of stuff not being said about this that is going to be very interesting when it comes out.  Not that I care… I’m not fan of New Jersey.  Sorry.

Iraq’s Soccer Team just dished it out to Portugal – without fear of post game torture. (Hey Soccer players – your welcome)  Not that I like soccer or anything… in fact, I kinda dislike it strongly… but seeing the team that used to get tortured for loosing play in freedom thanks to the US Armed Forces and President GWB – well, that just put a brief smile on the face of perpetual grimace.   Good job Iraq.  Now dish it out to those fucking Shiite rebels and we’ll be even more pleased with you.

Gay Marriages in San Fran have all be voided.  This is turning out to be an interesting day.  While I think that the SF City Mayor is an asshat that is in dire need of legal ramifications heaped on top of him like ping pong balls from Captain Kangaroo… I don’t think it’s fare to those that have been married to suddenly be unmarried.  That just doesn’t set right with me… Of course some will say that this is like taking money back from the people that robbed the bank… I think each person wed – 2 counts for every couple – should be counted as a criminal misconduct charge against the Mayor.  Or worse. 

Email of the day from Commander (Promoted) Russell: “"I’m willing to trade with the Liberals… I’ll give them their abortion rights and their gay marriage rights if they give us the rest of “Choice” as well."

But that's part of the root of the problem. They are only willing to take 'rights' for themselves and take real rights away from the rest of us. Their idea of compromise is that we cave first and give into their demands. Why? Because it is my experience that they think they are smarter than the rest of us. And since they are smarter, they know better. And since they know better, we should all just shut up and do what they say. Of course they aren't, but the sin of pride is deeply rooted here, and that's one reason why they can scream for the 'right' to kill an unborn child and yet scream for our right to choose what to drive to be taken away. I really don't think they see any logical problem with taking away other people's rights will wanting their own special 'rights' to become the law of the land. After all, they know best. So shut up, plebe. Your betters are speaking and they are telling you what is best for you. And get back to work so your wealth can be redistributed to the proper voting blocs. Er, needy and the poor. The elites will know better what to do with your money than you. And start taking mass transit. It saves gas so the hard working, deeply caring liberals can fly around the country to tell us how driving SUVs will destroy the world as we know it. If you use up the gas, how will they fly in their chartered planes? How can they get from the airport to the rally in their V8 luxury limo if you are tooling around in the wild in a Bronco using precious resources? And get out the wild, you pig, and leave it for the more sensitive and creative people that will appreciate the beauty and wonder better than you ever could. They take only photographs and leave only footsteps. Much more enlightened than mauling through mud puddles in a burly truck with a wolf and a *shudder* rifle along for the ride. I hate these people. Arrogant picks. I take great delight that people like you and others stick in the craws of these girly men. Bastards. Cpt. Russell”

Outstanding rant.  Promotion to Commander.

Welcome New Horde Member, Private Bruno: “Dear Mad Ogre, My name is Bruno Bruelhart and I've been reading your site for about 6 months now and I just have to congratulate you on its brilliance. I fully support you for president and when I become a voter in two years, you can rest assured you will have my vote. I am a farmer and comments like, "a lard ass politician who doesn't know jack about farming should keep his nose out of it," really make me proud to know that someone out there actually realizes our plight. I espcially love the articles on guns and politics as I strive to be a politician. Don't worry, I'm in the same boat as you political views-wise. I also plan to join the army next year on my 17th birthday and am looking forward to the X-M8 which I learned all about on your site. Thank you so much for educating the world with madogre.com and please keep it up. Also, how do I become a Horde Member? Thank you for your time. Pvt. Bruno”

Ogre or Sir, will do fine.  Welcome to The Horde.  Now report to Commander Russell for duty.  

1000hrs:  Last night I caught some CSPAN and watched Newt Gingritch basically blast the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations completely out of the water.  It was awesome.  But it was also chilling… Newt mentioned the China threat and spoke about it for a minute.  National Security has got to take China into consideration.  I don’t think we have a secure nation as long as China has there own port in California where there is no US Customs officials on duty to inspect containers or even to monitor what the Chinese are doing.  They could be building Silkworm Missiles in there and no one would no about it and no one would be able to do anything about it if it was known.  Newt said that the commission’s recommendations are virtually worthless because it doesn’t take China into account.  That’s hard core truth right there.  We have very very few people who speak Chinese and none of them are infiltrated into the Chinese chain of command so we have very little intel on them – but China has all it needs on us. That gives the advantage to China in a big way.  North Korea is also an intel black out zone because we don’t have anyone there either.  Newt was explaining this and I was thinking “That’s just freaking great… our two biggest threats and these are our greatest areas of weakness.”   Note to the new CIA Director:  Make it priority #1 to develop HUMINT resources in China and NK.  You gotta have guys on the ground.  You gotta have people there on the inside.  At this point it’s almost too late… so get on this ASAP.  Because time is running out.   Fighting the war on terrorism is important… but that’s all meaningless if we have Chinese T-98’s rolling through Denver.   The sad thing about it, is that too many people don’t believe China is a threat and are not taking China seriously.  China wants to become the #1 world power – for everything.   And they are on the way.  The only thing keeping them from being #1 is the USA.  So China has to kick the USA in the nuts.  And thanks to Bill Clinton and his military cutbacks – and his giving China damn near everything that ever asked for – China is in an ever better position to kick us.  Because we are just unprepared to deal with a threat on China’s scale… everyone is underestimating China and that alone is against our own military philosophy.  (You can see there that only a couple people could grasp this… the rest were just oblivious)  Here is a link to a site all about the Chinese Military.   Take a good hard look at that.  Study it for awhile.

I don’t know if I posted this yet or not… but check this out… A turbine powered Go Cart with 1500 horses. WOW.   Okay, truthfully I really seriously doubt that little thing is cranking out anything like that.  I bet it’s not even making 50 horses…. Cause some of the hottest racing motorcycles have around 100 horses and they are just insanely fast… and this little thing with 1500?  Bullshit.  Still… just pretending that it’s true… wow… that’s very cool.

Uh, guys… enough of the hat thing… I’ve been flooded with hat suggestions (it’s still 50-50 boonies to straw… weird)  But the guy that sent this suggestion… I’m going to kick his ass first chance I get.  He sent the suggestion just for fun, and that’s cool and all… but I’m still going to kick his ass… just for fun.

Looking forward to seeing Last Comic Standing tonight and seeing who won.  Place your bets.  My dollar is on John Heffron.

Aug 11th, Wed, 2004: 2200hrs: The Hat Question.  Man, everyone has an opinion here and they are pretty much equally divided between the military “Boony Hat” and a “Straw Hat”… some sent photos and this is one of them.  It seems straw hats have a more passionate following… they provoke a more vigorous emotional response.  The boony hat is cool, but I just gotta find one that isn’t solid black or camo.  I wear bowling shirts and the camo cover just wouldn’t work.  I’m leaning straw, I think.  Goes with the relaxed semi-retired writer vibe.  I’m kidding… retired?  I dream.   Side note… I had the HatMan picture up and my oldest son said “What’s wrong with him”?

 "I think it might be the hat."

1700hrs:  I am told that some idiot this morning cut the fiber optic line out in Heber, Utah.  This of course cut the internet service to the entire Uintah Basin.  I was off line all day until just now.  Annoying, but we can move on to other things. 

I am so sick and tired of people bitching about SUVs… People want to ban SUV’s.  People want to tax the hell out of SUV’s.  People want SUV buying to have to justify a legitimate reasons for the purchase of an SUV.  They are even blaming SUV’s for the price of gas… as if it has nothing at all to do with the price of crude oil from OPEC… nothing at all.  It’s not OPEC making the oil (which btw is what we make gasoline out of by a process called “Refining”… The Horde knows what this is, but any liberal lurkers out there who got lost at the word oil do not) expensive, it’s guys like the Governator and his multiple Humvees that make oil expensive.   I am sick of this! Shut the fuck up!  If these liberals think that they should have the right to choose to terminate an unborn or partially born baby… then they should also have the right to decide what they drive.  If the liberals thing mutually consenting adults of legal age should have the right to decide who they want to legally marry… then they should have the right to decide what vehicle they want to legally contract to own.  The Liberals say it’s their bodies, and their hearts… fine… then it’s also their wallets.  It’s all about the right to choice isn’t it?  Personal Liberty, right?  Isn’t it?  These Liberals call themselves “Pro Choice”, but ask them if that right to choice extends to the choice of how they will spend their own money… Tell them that they can’t buy any car other than Salmon Pink… they will argue that.  They will tell you that they should have the right to pick there own colors.  Tell them no, because since the other colors are on some flag somewhere, it is considered offensive to some people and no one has Salmon Pink in their flag, so all cars have to be Salmon Pink.  That’s pretty much the state of the SUV argument in my opinion.  How about this… Ask them if the right to choice extends to self defense.  It’s “Their Body” right?  So if that means it’s their body when it comes to a growing fetus… then it must mean it’s still their body when it comes to a rapist tearing a woman’s clothes off and beating her, right?  It’s her body… her choice.  If someone says they are pro-choice then they have to really be Pro-Choice.  They have to support someone’s choice to protect themselves… to be self sufficient… to be self reliant… and to be responsible for one’s own actions.  Liberals should be the champions of freedom, equality, and personal liberty… but they are not.  They are merely the tools of the communist democrats and only support the evil causes that go to promote the communist democrat party line.  I have a way to combat this… to make the liberals who are smart enough to see the truth and reality of things.  Instead of introducing yourself as a Libertarian or as a Conservative… call yourself a Neo Classic Liberal” and that you are Pro-Choice… you are for a person’s right to choose to be free… to choose to defend your own life… to choose how, when, where, and why to spend your own money.    Because if these Modern Liberals have their way, they will be telling us what to eat, what to drink, what to wear… oh… wait a second… they are already trying that.   I’m willing to trade with the Liberals… I’ll give them their abortion rights and their gay marriage rights if they give us the rest of “Choice” as well.

Shoes and hats.   Speaking of what to wear… One of my little boys is really into looking good.  Yesterday I said I needed to buy a new pair of shoes.  Just some simple tennis shoes that are comfortable yet support my foot and ankle pretty good.  Well, my little guy just had to pick out the shoes for me.  I said “okay” and it totally made his day.  I let him pick out a pair.  He was so pleased that I purchased the shoes he picked and wore them out of the store.  He was smug about it the rest of the day.  A pair of “Airwalk” shoes with red in them because he loves red.  I gotta take them back today.  They fit… but they hurt my feet.  That and I just flat do not like them… but even if I didn’t like them, I’d keep them if it wasn’t for the hurting my feet thing.  They make me feet like I’ve got corns or something.  I don’t have corns… and not any of my other footwear feel like this.  I’m just taking them back and forgetting the whole shoe thing.  I just picked up new laces for my 18 dollar steel toed Brahma high top sneaker boot things.  Screw it all… these shoes still work and they don’t hurt my feet.  A bit heavy and kinda ugly and all that, but I can deal with it.  

Now the other thing… hats.  I want a new hat.  Baseball cap style hats are not working out here.  I’m out in the desert and I need more sun shade that just a baseball brim.   I like baseball caps… but my neck and ears and sides of my face get burned.   I need a wide brimmed hat.  But I am NOT a cowboy.  I don’t want to look like a cowboy.  I’m not Indiana Jones either… so I don’t want a Fedora or an Outback Jack kinda hat.  But the Outback hat style is the least nasty one of the three in my opinion.   I don’t know.  I hit ebay and searched Mens Hat and looked at all those hats… but nothing looked right to me so I shut down and walked away.  I just want a hat.  Any suggestions?

This is what is going to be on the labels for Ogre’s Gun Lube… the only thing though… I’m not happy with the name.  Any suggestions?  The font is going to be an old fashioned western style… so something old timey and “outlaw” sounding…  Let’s here some suggestions.

Ogre’s Gun Lube:

Combining two new advanced technologies into one, Ogre has created a simplified Open Source Gun Care System to clean and lubricate your firearms.

Using high energy solvent technology, OGL cleans your weapon quickly and effectively without damaging polymers or most finishes.  (We haven’t tested all of them, but everything we have tried it on remains unharmed)  After the high energy solvents clean the metal, OGL’s unique polarized oil molecules bond to the clean metal surface giving you a technically advanced level of lubrication.

This open source formula is available to those who purchase a trial bottle by forwarding your order confirmation email to Ogre.  The formula is then yours to use, but not to sell, or disclose.  MadOgre.com reserves all rights to selling this product and formula.  But as an open source product, any improvements to the formula that prove to be valid and remain cost effective will be passed on to all those who have purchased the OGL via email, or published on a confidential webpage that will be updated as improvements come in.

Email of the day: “What?  This isn’t possible.  A civilian group of unpaid volunteers has something to offer our elite military forces?  What is the world coming to?  And M1A/M14’s at that.  Oh my gosh!!!  Are those evil cop killer 20 round mags I see!  Civilians teaching the US Army?  Can’t be!  Civilians only shoot cops and little kids in shopping malls That has to be an outlaw Texas Militia pretending to be military!  It has to be.  Look at the faces of the soldiers!  They look like they actually appreciate their civilian trainers.  This must be a Bush tactic to make Kerry look bad. 

I also heard that the Democraps wants to rename the San Andreas’ Fault.  They want to call it Bush’s Fault. – Scott”

Early AM: Oil is now at 45 bucks a barrel.  This is getting asinine.  $45… Oh my hell.  Gas prices are already starting to climb over here.  Like we need that.  It’s going to be 3 bucks a gallon pretty soon at this rate.  And on top of this, the interest rate is going to go up a quarter?  Hey, why don’t they just make Milk, Bread, Eggs, and Meat all that much more expensive too?  Then we won’t be able to go to the movies, or buy a chocolate bar or a soda… or tires or pay the water bill… Shit.  With gas going up, everything goes up… Anything you get shipped is going to be more expensive… and since everything is shipped at one point, everything will be more expensive.  Maybe not water, but out here in the desert that shit is already as valuable as a fine wine.  Perhaps this a political ploy… let the gas get all kinds of expensive and then Bush sweeps in with Osama’s head in one hand, and a signed presidential order in the other that magically puts gasoline back down to a buck and a quarter a gallon for regular unleaded… Bush is the hero and he wins all the states in a landslide.  Who knows.  I don’t care, I just want my cheap gasoline.  Hey, what’s Kerry’s plan about the price of oil?  Banning SUVs?  Does he even know what crude oil is?  Has even ever seen Black Gold?  Texas Tea?  (I’m hearing a show tune in my head now) Does Kerry even know what gasoline is?  I doubt it, I really do.  I don’t think he does.  Gasoline is something those nasty Conservatives use.

Let it be Kerry… please oh please… I vote for Kerry on this one.  Oh, man!  Am I awful or what?  I suck for even thinking that!  Shame on me!  I’m a bad man, very bad… I’ll do 40 pushups as penance.

More news on the Border Issue:  Border Patrol given more authority.  Excellent.  Why they didn’t have this authority right off the bat is beyond me.   Now they can play Catch and Release.  I think this is an important power, but also one that can be abused… Not that the INS never abused that power… but at least now things can happen a bit quicker and more efficiently.  Of course a few Texans or Arizonians might get deported, but they are tough and will be able to make it back.

I think Kobe is innocent of rape… because that nasty bitch has lost all credibility.  She’s just after Kobe Kash.  Horrible person.  Not that Kobe is any better for tapping into such a skank.  I don’t really feel sorry for Kobe, but I don’t think he raped her.

Aug 10th, Tuesday, 2004, 2200hrs:  Actress Fay Wray died… we all now know she was the King Kong lady… And that she was still alive.  Until recently.  I think that was the only reason she was news worthy.   80 million people across the USA was saying “I thought she was already dead”.  Go figure.  You were wrong, but now you’re right.  Congratulations.

I just make a post about illegal aliens coming across the boarder, and then in the newspaper I read about this:  10 illegals tried crossing the border.  5 are dead, 1 is missing and there was no report of what they are doing with the remaining 4.  Do they like win a second chance or a head start like this was a “Survivor” game or something?  Make a hell of a cool Reality TV show wouldn’t?  In all seriousness, stories like this pull my heart strings.  I feel compelled to help these poor people…. Yeah, I really do.  We should put up razor wire and machinegun nests.  They can’t kill themselves if they cant’ cross the border, can they?  Yeah, well… they could by trying – but at least they wouldn’t be dying in our desert and then having pissed off relatives suing us for it.   I call this my “Tough Love” police.

Some of this might be some old news, but like I’ve said before… my favorite way to get the news is reading the paper in the park while my kids play.  Every day I grab a paper and a Mt Dew and go to the park… everyone is happy for an hour or two.  I do that like after lunch mostly… sometimes earlier.  Reading the news on the net is great, but not as great as the park thing.  That and newsprint really has something that a monitor doesn’t.  Even if the wind is blowing.  One day there will be no more fishwraps, so I try to enjoy it as much as I can.   Guilty pleasure, maybe. 

Shiite Muslim Cleric Muqtada al-Sadr:   This guy needs to have a big freaking bounty put on his fat head.  He is stupid, violent, and blood thirsty.  This guy needs to be taken out.  Not arrested so the terrorists can take captives and try demanding his release.  Just taken straight out and sent to hell with an express ticket.  I like the Israeli method of taking out evil clerics… with a missile.  That works for me.  So there is nothing left but a head and a stain.  That’s the way we should roll.   Any remains should be burned with bacon bits and disposed of in an undisclosed location so they can’t build a shrine or holy place around him.

Reality TV, I mentioned that earlier and I have some more to say about it.  I hate it.  I think it’s garbage.  Because there is nothing real about it.  You want reality?  Watch Fox News.  There you go.  There is one exception to this… Last Comic Standing.  I love Stand Up Comedy so much, that I capitalize it.  I love it so much, it should be on 24-7.  And I’m not talking about CSPAN either.  I know I’m geeking out over it, but man, I love the stand up.  Have you cats been watching this show?  I have, since day one.  I even caught some reruns of it.  3 guys left… All three solid comedians.  Alonzo came out strong tonight… some great material.  The cookie guy swung with the Newton jokes… a little weak, but he had good presence.  John Heffron was great, and I think he can win it.  If I’m betting a dollar on this race, I think it’s him.  His jokes hit home with the males and the females.  Just my opinion, we’ll see Thursday.  Jay London – out of all these guys, Jay should get his own sit-com or something.  He is unique to say the least.

Doom 3 is on the way here.  Not that I can afford it, no... one of The Horde is sending me the disks for my evaluation.   I just watched the cinematic trailer for it… I got chills!  Man!  That looks to be extremely freaking scary.  I can’t wait to try it out.   Good grief.  Get some good gaming in before the semester starts, then it’s back to the books.  Thank GOD!  Because I have felt so useless all summer.  Just playing Mr Mom while the wife works is seriously depressing.  I don’t know if I can do it much longer.  And getting a job out here is just not happening for me.  The good old boy system is a deeply rooted and unbreakable tradition out here.  Another semester brings me that much closer to my being able to get the hell out of here.  Bring it on!

1100AM:  I got this rather chilling email this morning from one of the Horde’s Officers:  “You've been posting a lot of stories lately about the Middle Eastern men captured by Border Patrol in Arizona. Well, this is nothing new for us.

We live 22 miles southeast of Deming, N.M., in the desert. We live near exit 102 on Interstate 10, Akela Flats. My wife, Ann, and I have seen groups of Middle Eastern men walking through the desert near our house quite a few times. It appears that the Mexican illegals do not like being associated with the Middle Eastern illegals as there are usually two groups walking north through the desert. The illegal Mexicans walk in front of the illegal Middle Easterners.

They head for exit 102, where they are picked up and transported to God knows where.

We've called U.S. Border Patrol and the Luna County Sheriff's Department to no avail. It's gotten to the point we do not even call anymore as they never send anyone to check it out. Our neighbors have also witnessed these Middle Eastern men.

To us, it appears that the Middle Eastern men are being allowed to enter through this area. We live 30 miles north of the Mexican border, so these men, it seems, are free to do as they please.

We had an incident in Columbus, N.M. (the official border crossing point) on Feb. 10, 2004. Apparently, eight to 10 helicopters landed just south of Palomas, Mexico (the border town to Columbus, N.M.). What we've been told was that there were eight to 10 men in each helicopter armed with automatic weapons. These men attacked the Palomas Police station and the barracks of the Federal Police ...

The Cochise County area of Arizona is being invaded by illegals. Luckily, that area has Chris Simcox (Tombstone Tumbleweed), Jack Foote (Ranch Rescue) and Glenn Spencer (American Border Patrol) to keep an eye on what's happening over there. We have nothing. The Mexican illegals come through every day. That's right, every single day. Yet, neither we nor our neighbors can get the U.S. Border Patrol or the Luna County Sheriff's Department to investigate. As for U.S. Customs, we have never, I repeat, never have seen them out this way, period.

In the past, we have seen U.S. Army Green Berets out here, but that was just once. Just this week on Aug. 01, 2004, we did see a U.S. Border Patrol helicopter fly over our area. We have a photograph of that one on our website. The problem is, this is a very rare event.

People need to know this is happening. Furthermore, and more importantly, people need to know nothing is being done about it.

While Arizona is getting all the press about illegals crossing the border, nothing is being said about our area. It seems as if our government is allowing illegals, Mexican or Middle Eastern, to enter our country uninhibited. WHY? Dennis”

That is some unsettling shit right there.  I remain deeply disturbed by the completely open access terrorists and criminals have through our boarders.  Only an idiot would bother coming into the US via airliners now.  Why bother with those risks?  If you can hike 20 miles, come in from the south and no one will know you came in.   I don’t like big walls… But a security fence with video, and remotely operated weapons would work.  Along with a few Cobra gunships to back it up.  Crush and kill anything that crosses illegally that isn’t naturally doing so on all fours… It’s brutal, but after a few times it will get the message across that you don’t try sneaking into the USA.   

All the problems are on the southern boarder.  The northern boarder is just as open, but I think it’s less of a concern.  If Canada can secure it’s own boarders then the US-Canadian boarder could remain as it is.   Besides, if you’ve ever hiked in the Pacific Northwest you know that there are no markers saying “Welcome to Canada”.  It’s just all the sudden you are in Canada it takes you awhile to realize it.   (Man, I miss living in Washington State!)

Today’s required reading.  

IBM is saying not to install Microsoft’s Service Pack 2.  I think that’s good advice.  SP2 might plug a lot of holes in XP, but doing so at the cost of your applications… I don’t get that.  See, in my opinion a computer is all about the applications you run on it – not the OS.

If you like Amy Lee and her little band… you might like this other less known group called “Collide”.  Goto Amazon.com here and check them out from the free downloads.  Give it a listen.  I like the song “Crushed”.  This stuff is different.  A bit tech, industrial, gothic… it’s unique.  While speaking of music… Gwen Stefani, lead singer babe of “No Doubt”… you know her?  She’s got an awesome body and is just beautiful… but very flat chested.  Looks like she went and had some boobs installed.   Now that was just unnecessary.  Come on… she was hot before.  Wasn’t she?  Oh well.

Aug, 9th, Monday, 2004: 1700hrs:  Killer Idea for the Bronco:  Take the rear seat out of the Bronco and mount a folding seat on either side.  The seats would be on the sides of the bed facing in.  It would double our seating capacity and lighten the weight of the vehicle   I could probably do this for less than 80 bucks.  I’d have to do up Roll Bars too... but done right... man... this would be cool. Safe, cool, double the seating... and by making them folding seats, we'd still have a "pickup" too.  Foam Rubber, some wood, some canvas for the seats, some steel tubing for the frame.  Some hinges and some welding… yeah.  Would need some more seatbelts too… but this would work.  Maybe if I could find some of those folding seats like in a Land Rover. 

For some reason, this cracked me up:  “MadOgre.com is a great site. I bumped into it looking for a review on the Sig P245. Check Mad Ogre out, it's like Men's Health without all the fitness and fashion stuff. - TechNova999”  Men’s Health?

Chalk this one up to another one of those “WTF?” things.  It’s a long download… but worth it.  It cracked me more than the Men’s Health thing… cause this guy is seriously fucked up in the head.  I don’t know what’s wrong with this guy… but I think I could find a few things in the DSM IV-TR.  (What shrinks use to categorize your specific type of malfunction you have in your skull)

Email came in and asked me a question as to just how environmentally friendly I am.  Also asked if I’d consider the new Ford hybrid vehicle, or if I’d be willing to put a hybrid power system into my Bronco.  First off, I’m sorry, I’m not that much of an environmentalists.  I pick up trash at the range I’m shooting at if there is any… I stay on trails and support the Tread Lightly ideology.  Other things like this… so I’m not like an Anti-Environmentalist.  But no way would I ever buy one of these new hybrid vehicles.  What are they for?  To save some gas money?  Considering the premium of the price of the hybrid system over a regular engine… you are not saving any money.  You are just spending it differently, but it’s still going into cost of ownership and operation of that vehicle.  Let’s look at my Bronco… Sure, it’s a gas pig.  It downs gas like Michael Moore and Rosie O’Donnell working over the buffet at Golden Corral.  Sure I have maintenance issues… a 15 dollar part here… a 20 dollar part there.  But the overall cost of ownership is still much much less than any new car no matter how efficient it is.  Why?  Because my rig is paid for.  There is no name on the Lean Holder line on the back of the title.  The title is mine… all mine… I make no payments on it.  There is not 450 dollar monthly payment on it like what I’ve seen mentioned about Toyota’s hybrid.  I’ll spend 80 to 100 a month on fuel… plus maybe whatever part I needed to replace.  Last one was 3 bucks.  I’m looking at a lightbulb right now.  Nickel and dime stuff.  It’s all cheap.  I’m saving hundreds of dollars a month.  And if I don’t drive it – I’m not paying for it.  If I held a note on it… even if I parked it, I’d still be paying for it.  If I had to replace my engine and I wanted greater fuel economy, I’d put a diesel engine it.  Hybrids are not worth it.  I’ve read talk about a diesel-electric conversion for trucks that work like the engines of freight trains… the engines are used only as generators to feed juice to the electric motors that actually move the train.  I don’t know what advantage that is supposed to give you… but hey… you can call it a hybrid so that makes it Green, right?  I’d be open to the idea of a Cummins TD under my hood… but that’s about it.  Most likely I’d be down with going with a fuel injected 5.0L engine instead of carbed.  That’s more fuel friendly.  Okay… now get a life.

WATER:  Utah is desert.  We live in a freaking desert all year around so water conservation is an issue.  However Utah’s water overlords have made a huge mistake.  In the name of saving water for drinking, they are cutting the water off from the rural farms and any small agricultural effort.  All so that the assholes in the suburbs can still water the lawn for an hour twice a day.  Green grass, or fresh onions and lettuce at the grocery store?  I think this is a huge mistake.  Farmers have a tough enough plight as it is.  Let them have the water.  Mrs MiniVan Soccer Mom doesn’t need to be out there all damn day long with sprinklers going on the grass so the grass is greener on her turf.  But you can’t say that out loud.  Water rights here in Utah are a huge issue… and a volatile one.  People have been shot in the past over it.  It’ll happen again too.  I remember reading about some farmers that would blow up the damn that the government kept putting up.  That will happen again too.  Water is Life to rural Utah and a convenience to those in the city.  Come on, they buy all the drinking water bottles anyway there in the city, don’t they? In Provo they are releasing 60,000 gallons a day to run into Utah Lake… for what?  For some ugly ass fish that lives there.  Utah Lake is a freaking mud puddle.  If a critter can’t survive living there on it’s own natural resources – it shouldn’t be living at all.  I don’t see why people should suffer to spare this ugly ass fish that you can’t even eat if you were to catch one.   In Utah, there IS enough water so that no one has to go thirsty.  But it has to be managed.  Here is an idea… Give notice to anyone with a green lawn… or maybe give a water ration limit?  I don’t know.  But Utah needs to be able to grow it’s own food and dairy and screw those fish.  That water can be better used on other things.  I don’t have all the answers to this problem, but were are in year 6 of a serious drought and something has got to give.  Cutting off the farmers that feed us is not the answer.  I swear, Utah has some of the most retarded legislators on the globe.

Scary Email:  “I'm going to go out on a limb here...  Keep in mind that George Bush has not yet officially declared Dick Cheney to be his running mate this time around.  Sure there's been a lot of talk about "The position is his as long as he wants it". -BUT- Do not be surprised if as convention time rolls around, Dick Cheney's health becomes an impediment to him fulfilling that role.  I think it highly likely that McCain might be tapped to be George's running mate this time around.  I'll tell you why I think this.  You see the building I work in, also houses Senator Burns' home office.  ****** and ****** (former ** Governor) it seems are rather close buddies.  I was riding in the elevator, when it stopped and *****s' office manager stepped into the elevator with someone else that I didn't recognize.  They were already engrossed in conversation when they stepped into the elevator and their conversation didn't stop when they got into the elevator.  So, long story short I got to eavesdrop on some juicy water cooler gossip from the ol' senator's office.  The jist of what they said is what I said at the beginning of this letter.  Which all boils down to one big question.  If this were in fact the case, why would McCain come out against the Swift vets?  If you think about it, the answer is quite simple.  When McCain ran against Bush in the last election, a similar group came out against his war record.  If he comes out, prior to being tapped because of Cheney’s "suddenly" flagging health, against the use of that sort of tactic.  It then removes the sting of this sort of tactic against him!  He can say "Hey look, I said that wasn't fair when they did it to your guy and now you're doing the same thing to me!"  Personally, I think McCain's POW-dom trumps Kerry's 4 month stint in spades!  Just keep this in mind when viewing McCain's actions... and keep it in mind when the convention rolls around.  We'll see, perhaps they were full of shit, perhaps not...  but, there has been several rumors of McCain being tapped for the post, so this is not the first time it's been floated out there! -Peter”

Scary thought.  I think McCain, a Republican in name only, is a jackass.  I think Bush might score more points by tapping Zell Miller, a Democrat in name only, or Condi Rice.  The first black female vice president would gain a lot of mileage.  For some reason I don’t like Dick Cheney.  Never had.  I hope Bush changes that line up.  I don’t care who… as long as it isn’t McCain.  Because McCain would then almost automatically get the slot for the POTUS nomination in 4 years.  And I am sorry… but I don’t want McCain to be in any office… especially not that one!

0930hrs: If you want a good example of how Liberals rationalize the absurd, check this out.  The submission headline is: “In a May 1973 US New & World Report piece he himself wrote, McCain complained that his Hanoi captors used Kerry's anti-war speech against POWs”  That alone speaks volumes.  This of course is not just a smack down of McCain, but it’s also damaging to Kerry.  Since it’s damaging, it must be discounted or rebuked or brushed off.  Let’s see how that happens.  Typical Liberal first step is to mock the source, and the Farkers did that a few times… Since the submitted article was printed on Free Republic, they had to mock that.  Some of the first posts had “Free Republic ROTFLMAO” and “HA HA HA Free Republic”.  That’s the best they could muster so soon in the thread… but lets keep reading.  They attack McCain, who is an assclown but was indeed a prisoner of war and felt the sting of Kerry’s words… so then they attack McCain.  Someone tries to show McCain a little support and the Libs attack the guy showing support for McCain. “You use commas stupid”… which its self is a grammatical stumble.  Funny how Farkers only try to correct each other’s grammar in political thread’s and never in a “Boobies” thread when they are repeatedly saying “I’d hit it”.  Even though the thread is about McCain and Kerry, the obligatory “anyone but Bush” sort of remarks are made.  Lovely.  Shows real intellectual depth regarding issues and all that political nonsense that many jackasses don’t have time for… they only know one thing… that they hate Bush… even if they can’t explain why. 

For some reason, I love Fark.  Maybe it’s the “Boobies” threads.  Maybe it’s the “Photoshop” threads… I don’t know.  But I do know that any given political thread is sort of a microcosm of our own United States Congress… except that Fark has an overload of Liberals that yell a lot louder than the conservatives.  The Conservatives are winning the threads regarding gun control and the second amendment… so that’s cool.

Take a look at this.  Such bullshit and such outrageous lies!  He is trying to get the conservative/military vote here with “Modernizing the Military”.  Can anyone, please, tell me what military procurement Kerry or Edwards as ever voted for?  Because we have a whole list of the things he voted against… The Patriot Missile, the M1, The F-18… All the new modern things that have become the backbone of the US Armed Forces.  I have a whole list of items… it’s a long one.  The idea Kerry has of modernization has to with only one thing… Put United Nations leadership over it while putting America face down and spread eagle so the rest of the globe can take turns.   Looks like it is already happening.  Foreign agency is now overwatching US elections, and they say the request was 10 years ago… meaning we can thing Bill “Hey Baby” Clinton for this.  Wonderful.  Considering what Clinton handed to the Chinese, and then inviting a European agency to keep an eye on elections… makes me wonder… just what else is going to be given away by the next Democrat president.  

Swiftboat Vets… the book “Unfit for Command” is an interesting one.  Raises a lot of questions.  Like the phrase “boat crewmen who knew him best”.  Wait a second.  He was only on a swiftboat for 4 months.  How do you get to know someone best when he was only there for 4 months?  How do you know someone at all?  Especially when you are talking about an officer “getting to know” the enlisted men or vice versa.  I would bet that these guys didn’t get to know Kerry at all during that time.  I don’t see how they could support him as President when he was the one who not only abandoned them at the first chance he got, but also slurred them when he got home.  Man, seriously… the only thing more creepy than John Kerry are those who support John Kerry.  The only good thing he has done that he is running on is his questionable tour of duty in Vietnam 35 years ago… that now all the sudden is so important to him… the guy that threw his medals ribbons someone else’s medals over the wall at the Whitehouse.   

Email Of The Day from our Horde Officer in New Zealand:  “Ogre, just a few things to say...  I read another reporter's run down on the current war in Iraq. Sadly we find the same old same old, unoriginal material popping up. Somehow security personnel are labeled 'mercenaries'. Cripes is it because they are being paid? Because they are working in a country outside their own? Or because they were slaughtered in such ancient ways in said country? They weren't wearing military uniforms... I just wonder some days.
The item goes on to judge military personnel for the slaughter of innocents. War is war people. Wake up. During WWII we had a event called 'the Blitz', where thousands of civilians died. It is a terrible thing, yes it is. But this is what happens. There is a major difference between soldiers accidentally killing civilians, and a suicide bomber walking onto a school bus and depressing a detonator...
I get really sick and tired of hearing comparisons to Vietnam, even Malasya and the Mau Mau. We live in a different time, a different political climate. It is a shame that intelligent people can't walk away from such events and come up with ways to extend their thoughts for the current matters at hand. See, people have their own preconceived notions of historical events and it does current events no good to have their waters made murky. These comparisons have been done to death. Please put on a new record.
No, when one does not clarify their stand, they judge those in uniform, not the politicans. Because, after all, it is those in uniform at the sharp end, those guiding the bombs, squeezing the triggers, screaming at the captives. Most reporters don't care a damn of those in uniform these days, just so long as they get their story. They are more willing to stand up for the insergent who is raping murdering and blowing themselves up in the name of freedom at the expense of so many who just want to live their lives, than for the soldier who is simply doing their job, and a very difficult one at that I might ad, as they themselves are.
To be honest, I can understand why most militaries around the (Western) world have such a difficulty recruiting these days. Who wants to risk their lives, often in a foreign country, for crap pay, doing a job most wouldn't even dream of, for a nation who, for the most part, don't give a toss, one way or the other? Just remember that if your country even gets taken over by a tyranical physcopath, is invaded, suffers mass natural devisation, or some such thing.
Wake up. War is a constant. War is humanity. It is what we are, sadly, all about. But as the West pacifies itself, disarms, we make ourselves defenseless but at least we are politically correct. I think that allowing your nation to deteriorate to such a state is far greater crime, to allow rape, torture, murder... to run rife.
While we are at it, can one please tell me how Kerry is going to be any more effective against terrorism when, if he gets into power, he brings troops home from around the world? We must have all forgotten what the jobs are of soldiers, sailors, marines, airmen, and coastguards. Well, some countries don't have them. Or they do but they're not allowed to do their jobs... because, as we all know, it’s politically incorrect. Oh dear there I go again.
In 1980, just to site one example, terrorists took hostages in the Iranian embassy in the UK. What was the result? Go and look it up. New Zealand has shown the effects of modern thinking when French Agents bombed the Rainbow Warrior. Go look that up. Stark contrast. Nowadays, terrorists are relegated to 'criminal' when they take hostages today. Many in the west would rather support a suicide bomber's actions for freedom, than a soldier of their own nation who is simply doing their job. If they got overt support. despite individuals opinions on the politics of it all, then they might just get home a little faster.
A corporation can kill hundreds of people with the stroke of a pen, put thousands out of work by same... a soldier does their job and gets it in the neck from people of their own nation thousands of miles away, who have never slept one night out in the open, in the rain, or once had to worry themselves with purifying their water...The west still hasn't woken up yet.
If only we could focus on the universal tragedy of war we might just be able to change something, but rather, we continue to apportion blame towards whatever quarter best suits our own ends.
Kerry rescues a comrade while serving in Vietnam. Good on him. Nothing special there, after all, that's what people do when they are in combat, fighting for their country. To abuse those that sent him to the war after he got back... dunno about you but men have been shot for less in times of war. Time to talk about his now well overused counter to GW Bush. Bush served in the Air National Guard at home, during the Vietnam war. Tell me how this makes him a coward, not aptly serving his country and so on. My grandfather was in the RNZN during WWII. He was a radar operator and was on active service patrolling the coastlines of New Zealand. He did not serve overseas. Many men and women served in their own countries, the Home Guard and so on, never setting foot on another country's soil. Can I ask you how this makes them cowards or not suitably serving their country in time of war? – Leon” 

You have a solid take on reality.  Funny how the reporters never mention all the instances where the Iraqis are having the little kids throw grenades or how they hide behind the kids and the soldiers just take it and not shoot back because the soldiers do not want to hurt kids.  Never hear about that do we?  Sure, we hear it from the soldiers... but not the "reporters".   Nice.  Reporters are in a very special category, with a very special place in hell waiting for them... Right along side Lawyers and Politicians. 

The US Military is an All Volunteer military.  People decide for themselves if they want to serve or not… the military offers pay and benefits in return for the service.  Some folks make the military their careers.  So technically one could say that those in the US Military are mercenaries.  Like “mercenary” is a bad thing?  Come on… The USA has a long history of Mercenaries.  English used Mercs during the revolutionary war.  We used French Mercs (wtf?) and Indian Mercs.  In WWI all the US Soldiers that went to fight were pretty much Mercs too… used by France and England to help win the war there.  WWII, some volunteers there, but a lot of guys got drafted into that one.  Pretty much the guys who got drafted could not be called Mercs by any definition but the volunteers could be.   Anyway, I don’t see the problem with the term Mercenary.  Yet it is thrown out as an indictment by the Liberal Media.   Again, the Liberals open their mouths and tell us how stupid and shallow they are.  Liberals seem to have a complete misunderstanding of simple things… like history books.

Heartless Libertarian asked a question.  “Fear and Loathing in Iraq: Did you happen to notice the bit, down in the comments I think, about the Stryker that took SEVEN RPG hits and still got it's crew back to base?” 

Yes, the Strykers did well there.  They really did.  However, we will not always be using them on paved roads.  Off road, they still flip over, get stuck when the ground is moist, and can't roll off a C-130 ready to fight like the contract specified.   But yes, it performed well there in that mission.  The Marines must love those LAV's for some reason.  The Army has to treat the Strykers they would a heavy armor unit.  This is not what the program was supposed to have supplied.  The Stryker makes for a fine police car… Let’s give them to the Combat MP’s.  The Infantry needs something smaller and lighter… like what they asked for.  I’d still like to see some upgraded vehicle based on the combat proven Gavin chasis.  And we have hundreds of Gavins out there just waiting to be used.  “Out there” meaning in Kuwait waiting and ready to go.  The armor issue doesn’t have to be an issue… the armor is there!   Anyways… Like I said, the Marines love the LAVs for some reason, and I’m glad these rigs kept our men alive and fighting.   Maybe I am wrong about the Stryker… I’ll admit that much… maybe.  If I am wrong, I’ll fess up to it.  But it’s still too early to tell I think.

VRWC

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