The Last Straw

9 September 2013     

        I promised myself I would never use this public space for political ranting. I promised it would be about bluegrass music and my occupation, which is traveling. Last week was a watershed of sorts. Old angers returning to haunt me as an inept leader tries to bluster himself out of another fine political mess. More talk of sending our youth into harm's way as we attempt to become the New Centurions - the World's Police Force for the oil cartels. This blog also has a military attachment in its banner - 782 Gear. Marines know what that means. I don't even need to explain it to the rest of you. Just like I don't have to explain anything to you if you are a parent or a grandparent who has a son or daughter serving anywhere in the world today in our military services. You live each day with a certain gnawing worry about your family, just like my parents did every day when I was in Viet Nam. Now I have my own son and my own grand daughter. I promised years ago that no government would ever lay a hand on my child. Would never take him away from me if I had anything to do with it, or only, if he really wanted to sign on the dotted line and face the consequences of his actions.
       Facing the consequences of your own actions is what this is all about. We currently have a U.S. leader who doesn't understand the concept. I did not vote for him therefore my conscience is clean. He also doesn't understand the first rule in a street-fight. If you pick it, you better complete it, or else have help waiting around the corner near the dumpster. The smart guy doesn't pick the fight in the first place. He doesn't pick a fight and then go knocking on doors to see if any of the local citizens will take a vote on whether or not he should throw any punches. The smart guys in the military are laughing right now at this ridiculous charade. It would be great theatre if it weren't so horrendously scary for the future of our foreign policy and the future of our country. Just when you thought America's image around the world couldn't get any lower, we have  a third-rate political hack drag it down even further. People who pick fights understand the meaning of a Line and they're willing to lose a tooth or two defending it. This man just showed his hand to our enemies abroad and exposed his own personal gutlessness. He's no better than Snowden and Manning - two other wonderful examples of never having to live up to the consequences of your own actions. I fear for the outcome of this senseless exercise. My heart sinks another notch every time I see PBS listing the names of the men we're losing each day in Afghanistan. You conservatives may hate PBS and NPR, but I don't see any of the other news outlets offering any sense of  honor to our brave men and women in our military services. Now if only our current U.S. leader could learn some lessons in honor and leadership. What an incredible waste of time, our country's resources, and more important, the lives of our sons and daughters.