I don’t get it. A national level politician makes a statement in clear English, and, those he spoke off take offense.

The media and the staffers, now, being smarter than us troglodyte type people who can only work at McDonalds or get stuck in Iraq, have to tell us what he really said. Could it be the liberalized education system, more enthralled with telling children to feel, rather than know things (like the English language), has failed us and made us too stupid? I guess we didn’t study hard enough to know what he said wasn’t what he said…our bust, sorry….

But, the pattern I see is a national leader makes a statement in public and, when pinned down by the fire from those offended, he sneaks off to offer an apology in a completely inappropriate forum.

Senator Durbin is the first one I’m talking about. Now, Senator Kerry, makes a public statement and follows it up with more public statements telling us to just swallow the joke he bungled (jokes he loves so well), but, now posts a statement on his web site saying he apologizes for his offense “to anyone he offended” (Yeah, not like I think I did, but if it offended you, then I’m sorry).

Let me see: Durbin doesn’t go to GTMO and face those he called Nazis, but goes to a local (read: Friendly) veterans group in his district, and says he’s sorry to WWII vets. Kerry says lots in public and defends himself in public, but places a post on a website that says something differenet from what he personally is heard saying.

Yep, don’t blame President Bush, Senator Kerry, blame the poor job of liberals in completely brainwashing entire generations so we’d know you didn’t mean what you said.

As we all know, it’s the officers who have to spin the sotiry, but if you want the real gouge, get a senior “Non Comm” and you’ll get the unvarished thruth.

My experience was the Master Chief Petty Officers could deliver a factual, yet blistering report, when necessary, knowing they were in that “place” where the thruth couldn’t be avoided. Sonar Technician Master Chief Petty Officer (Surface Warfare) David Frey was one of those men who I learned early in my career to trust and rely on for straight answers. Later in my service time, I served with him again, with Dave being on many of the inspections I was tasked to run on ships all up and down the East Coast. I watched Dave, on several occassions, resolutely bring the message to officers from the division level, up to ship captains, and also to admirals with various numbers of stars on their collar.

He was polite, yet “professionally insistent” in making sure they got the story right. He was a remarkable shipmate.

This brings me to the words of an Army blogger, one of the early ones, a man of great discernment and one who can tell a story. He’s a Sargent Major now, but his blog is “Sgt Hook.” He’s been there and done it and got a drawer full of t-shirts to prove it all, and most likely has done much more he hasn’t gotten a t for. Listen to him.

He linked this site to his post, but his post, in the post-John Kerry ridiculous remarks era, is worth your careful read, for he says it best in “More Important Missions:”

I went to work this morning more than a little hot under the collar at the implication, whether by botching a joke or not, that your Soldiers were stuck defending freedom because they had somehow failed to work hard in school so I decided to get out of the office and check on my Soldiers. It has gotten quite cold here lately and I thought the crisp air combined with talking to Soldiers would help calm me down and focus on what really matters.

Stopping in the motor pool I came upon a group of mechanics, dressed in coveralls streaked with grease stains, working inside an open bay. The large bay had tall sliding doors on both the front and back of the building and were both wide open. Several mechanics were working on a 40 foot trailer parked in the middle of the chilly bay, while others were attending to a second trailer outside, waiting to be pulled in, and still a third set were atop another trailer outside, on the opposite end having just been pulled out of the bay. When I asked one of them why both sets of doors were open causing them to freeze their asses off. The young mechanic enthusiastically explained that they had devised a system whereby one team worked on the electrical and air systems of the trailer as it waited outside the bay, while another team worked on a trailer that had been pulled into the bay completing services on the undercarriage and wheels, then a third trailer had been pulled out of the bay where another team finished up work on the topside of the trailer. “Kind of like an assembly line?” I asked. “Yes sergeant major, exactly!” he replied going on to explain that they were able to knock out full services on five times as many trailers in this manner than by the three individual teams doing everything on one trailer independently. Pretty smart, I thought. Telling the mechanics to get back to work and stop waisting time talking to the sergeant major, I went in search of more Soldiers.
[…]

Read the entire thing, if you know what’s good for your soul, in these pre-election negative on everything news days.

Bradley Penniston has offered two copies of his book, “No Higher Honor: Saving the USS Samuel B. Roberts in the Persian Gulf”. Details from Beth on how to get them auctioned in the works. If not soon, I may have to crawl on my knees on broken glass to get John of Op-For and the USAF, to see if his guy will also run the eBay auctions for us.

on this fantastic story of leadershaip. training, courage under fire (literally) and enginnering.

Thanks to The USMC Team’s site, Villanous Company, for the header picture of the moment!

Trackbacked at: Thrid World County

Update 7 Nov 2006: More up to date auction info here.

Sorry! No stories today, ‘coz we’re raising money for the wounded troops. Valour-IT Kickoff Post

Link your good stuff (and post this link to Valour-IT at your site!)

From John at OPFor (the USAF Team Leader)

Richard S. Lowry, author of “Marines in the Garden of Eden” and the “Gulf War Chronicles” was generous enough to donate two personalized copies of each book to Valour-IT.

There’s a deal! Good books and a chance to fund the drive!

eBay links to the auctions:

“Marines in the Garden of Eden”

“Gulf War Chronicles”

Spread the word, move the cash!

Thanks, John!

Update 7 Nov 2006: More up to date auction info here.

“I apoligize to no one for my remarks.”

That one will go down in history. I’m sure all the mothers, fathers, uncles, aunts, brothers siters, grnadmothers (Nancy Pelosi?), and grandfathers will accept this….

Part I, the kick off, is here!

We’re off! Thanks to those who have joined the fray on Day 1.

I’m going to create a universal email list of the Navy bloggers and email it out, along with Secret/No Other Service hints to get the funds flowing.

In case you didn’t see on the program blog, as of today, the 650th (WOW!) laptop for Valour-IT was delivered! That’s a lot of roll up your sleeves, engage your brain and open your wallet support from many people to make that happen.

Math, for those who are busy pounding the virtual pavement for $$$: To attain the goal of $45K in 13 days, we need to pull in $3461.54/day.

Between all of our friends, families, friends who have kids who made you buy Girl Scout cookies, band candy bars, or Boy Scout Jamboree tickets, this is a perfect time to pay them a visit, or at least ring them up on the phone/email.

At the moment, the laptops are in the medical facility libraries, but….with luck, one day they will be in the hands of the people who need them for the rest of their lives.

Think up how to get in contact with local radio stations and see if they’ll post the info on the program on their websites and include it in some of their programming.

Email to follow. If you don’t see one in your inbox, email me and I’ll catch you up (providing you’re not a plant from one of the Army sites, looking for good ideas).

Begin by checking in with your closest contacts today/tonight. Plan for the broader reach soon.

Sign up your blog to support Valour-IT HERE!

Valour-IT – Laptops for Wounded Troops with Voice Software

It’s almost he month in which we celebrate those who have put on a uniform of the Armed Forces of the United States and defended our country.

This year, as last year at this time, the MilBlogging community “virtually” gathered to care for their own, in particular, those who have suffered wounds in the War on Terror that have left them unable to communicate in the normal manner so many of they, and us have become accustomed to: Via typing their thoughts and greetings into a computer.

Technology has an answer for this type of disability and beginning in 2005, individuals stepped up to the plate to solve this problem by supplying our wounded warriors with laptop computers and vioce activated software, that overcomes the disabling injuries that have rendered the fingers of these men and women unusable.

The genesis of the project was an Army Captain, Chuck Ziegenfuss, who had been MilBlogging before he was wounded in an IED attack, and discussions with Beth, another blogger and plain old American citizen and school teacher with a heart to do something, from Fuzzilicious Thinking, who put their heads together and kicked this off. It’s a testimony about those who complain vs. those who just get it done. Beth and Soldier’s Angels have now supplied, with the generocity of people from around the world, over 500 laptops. Quite an accomplishment for not working this program for even two years.

The name given to this charity is “Valour-IT,” and as last year, we dedicate the days from now until November 11^th as a period to solicit and gather funds to put more systems into the possession of those who have served and now are in need of our help to attempt to restore their ability to use computers to communicate with their friends, family and in the business world.

If you’re not familiar with this project, here is the link to the site where you can find the legitimacy, the history, who is supporting this program in the business world, and testimonies, as well as the link to donate.

for some detailed info on exactly how the Valour-IT laptops are helping the wounded, read this post from Beth, titled “More than a Laptop.”

If you’re familiar with Valour-IT, I ask for your support in spreading the word, telling the story, and checking with the person who controls the purse strings in your household to determine the level of funding you’re able to provide.

I plan to email my contacts, asking the same from them. for those who have a areas where you can post hard copy notices, here is a link to 8 flyers already made up publicize Valour-IT. Print out a few and hang them in full view of youe workmates.

I will endeavor to post the statuss of the fund collections daily, as they are available from the blogs where they are doing the central accounting. We will ask you to decide which service you will donate under, but…in the long run, it matters not, except to provide some of us with the bragging rights if “our” service bests the others.

Update: Black Five, about the biggest MilBlogger there is, has his kick off post up here! Other service team leaders are listed there, but…send your $$$ to the troops thru the Navy button! (Coasties welcomed here!)

Want to play? Sign your blog up here.

Script to add the donation meter is (remove the double quotaion marks from around the first and last “carets” to make the scripting function):

“< "script src="http://www.donationbooster.com/booster/showbutton.php?i=63&item=5&width=70&direction=Vertical&showtop5=No&showgraph=Yes&background=FFFFFF&graph1=FF0066&graph2=990000&text=000000&link=990000&fsize=2&fface=Arial&border=1&bordercolor=000000">“

Trackbacked at:
Linkfest Haven, Mark My Words, The Bullwinkle Blog, Cao’s Blog, Bright & Early, Jo’s Cafe, Clash of Civilizations, , Common Folks Using Common Sense, Mr. Tor, Outside the Beltway.

Crossposted at:
Third World County