Its almost scary

I look into my Stat Counter every so often to see if anybody has read my stuff. For the most part, no, but I can't blame anybody but myself for being the boring old ranting fart that I am. I enjoy doing a blog entry now and again so it serves its purpose. What scares me though is this picture here. It was part of a blog entry I did in April of 2007. Most people who come to see me enter on the April page. Because if you were to look at the statistics you'll find that most of the people who find my blog are looking for this picture. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold dead on the floor (where they should be, of course). Why, I wonder. Are they pundits looking to illustrate their own thoughts and opinions on the subject matter ? Somehow the cynical side of me can't believe that. I think its more of a possibility that its just runts who idolize the two bastards. Mom, Dad ? What are your children looking at ?

Not sure if there is a threat there or not

Seems China is learning lessons from our military actions in Iraq (x2) and Afghanistan. According to the Spooks (that's law enforcement slang for the CIA) China is on a rapid advancement avenue for its military policy, upgrading their defense systems/tools and fine tuning their tactics. Guess the days of the human wave attack are over. Is this a threat ? Don't think so. I think instead its smart policy making, moving their nation up in the overall preparedness department. With so many internal problems right now, I just don't see the Chinese as wanting to start a program of expansion just yet. And with the Olympic Games and other feel good warm fuzzy one world/one people stuff going on just a few minutes from now, I'd say that China has an opportunity to take a respected position in the center of the world stage in diplomacy much like America has done in the past but can't do anymore because our leaders have run the finances into the ground. And who knows, maybe with their no nonsense approach to things (CEO puts radiator fluid into cat food and lead into children's toys-CEO dies shortly after the mistake is discoveredhttp://noquarterusa.net/blog/2007/05/05/china-exports-poisoned-medicine-while-fda-cuts-back-labs/) they can clean up messes in ways that our system of government and weak hearted social conscience won't let us (hint- people don't die from water boarding, but then, the Chinese don't water board, they kill your family). So its with a healthy respect that I watch China as world events unfold. I won't turn my back on them either.

We get caught up in ourselves and then...

We had just begun our tour the other day and I walked out of our shift meeting lost in the tasks I had ahead of me and wondering if the general public would allow me to get them done. (They never do.) Then I looked up into this. Stopped me dead in my tracks. My Corporal was talking to me about something but I had to ignore him for the moment. Whipped out my trusty Sony Cybershot so I could share this with y'all. Sometimes we forget the cliches that we need to remember. Like stop and smell the roses. While the rest of the night was anticlimactic (except for the guy who volunteered to go to jail the next morning) this was a darn good beginning.

Please, feel free to copy these to whatever place or page you wish. God, Allah, The Great Is did not give this to me. He just let me borrow it. Its yours too, and everyone else's. Remind me to tell you about my brushes with God sometime. (not enough time right now).

You can go to a movie and pay $14 to get in and $5 for a small soda and $18 for a small popcorn and you will be entertained but here is something you don't have to pay for, its given to you. Such a gift you need to stop and accept, even if you're like me and don't receive gifts very well. This one was given to me. More like the opportunity to pass it on was given to me. As sacrilegious as it may sound (though not intended), I am God's beyotch. Which has to do with the aforementioned brushes with God which I told you I don't have time right now to get into so stop asking. Get back to work.

.....You do for me also.

Back in May of 2007 it was reported that Jetsadophorn Chaladone, a 25 year old Thai mother of one, was granted a financial settlement for having been used as a child sex slave in an Australian brothel. Known as 'Ning', she was originally sold into slavery by her father, who apparently thought she was to be used as a nanny. (Yeah, I believe he thought that. He's never lied to me before....dick) When she reached Australia she was put to work in a brothel and told to work off a $35,000 debt on her back. There she suffered the abuse one thinks about when one thinks of child sex slave trafficking. Wait, you don't think about such things ? Its just another subject for made for tv movies on the Women's Channel and you're busy watching police chases on Spike TV ? Or, God forbid somebody believes this but, you don't believe it happens ?

Well lemme tell you, its real, it happens, and the above note in the annals of journalism mean absolutely NOTHING. Yes, there are some who would believe that this monetary award to a former slave is a step in the right direction. But I'm telling you, its not a step, its window dressing. Its toe movement when the world needs to move the whole damn foot. Read the article. The brothel where she was held captive, at the time of the writing, was never investigated. Mind you, on behalf of the Aussies, I can't say this is the norm. I did a Google and found several stories of slavery trials and investigations. http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,23335079-5001021,00.html

The criminals in question face up to 25 years. But why does this happen at all ?

Recently I came across a site called Love146.org. When you go to a site like this you have three initial reactions to choose from. Anger, dismay, or indifference. Anger at the parents who sell their children, anger at the slave operators, anger at the governments who by not prosecuting such things condone it. Dismay that in our time there are people who would do such things to children. Dismay that its happening 'over there' so there is nothing you can do about it. Or indifference, as you have your own problems which are more pressing. But unless anger and dismay lead to action, they become indifference. When I first riffled through the site I thought to myself that I didn't have any money (case in point, my 8 year old computer with a nonfunctional CD-ROM grumblegrumblegrumble) to give. Mind you if they were to foot the bill, I do have some skills that might be of service to them, myself and quite a few other prior military (wink). But that's not what they are about. You can kill every slave holder in sight and others will pop up out of the scum pile. They are about changing governmental indifference and helping the victims to live the rest of their lives in some semblance of normalcy. So rather than let my anger lead me to indifference, I felt a need to post and tell you all about it. Yeah, I'll send my obligatory conscience driven $25 when I can put it aside (should take me about two weeks), and if you can do the same it will make a difference, but if you're like me that's all you can do financially. So I think to myself: knowledge. Knowledge is power. Knowledge is a light shed upon dark corners where the demons hide. Here is my knowledge which I pass upon to you. Do the same, pass it on to others. Shed light. Maybe the guy that reads your blog isn't a low income type. Maybe he/she has some money they can spare. You do your part in allowing them to do theirs.

That which you do for the least of these.....

As you can see I've placed an Amber Alert ticker on the left there. Some of you with web sites and blogs might do the same. Having seen first hand in the course of my job how effective an Amber Alert can be, I cannot see an argument against giving up a little space. The whole premise of the Amber Alert is information distributed quickly and in as broad an area as humanly possible through every form of media available. David Brin wrote a sci-fi book called 'Startide Rising'. In it the genetically advanced dolphins act as the humans do. At times he addresses the 'mass beaching' instinct of the mammals and how they use a cry of child in trouble or child needs help as a cry to bring them back to sanity (its been a while since I read it, sorry David). Amber Alert works in much the same way, appealing to what I believe to be a human's base instinct to protect children. As inured as adult society has become to other adults undergoing tragedy, I'm sure there aren't many out there whose attention is not turned when there is mention of a child in danger. And with so many people looking, the chances of a child being recovered grows exponentially.
You can also get a desktop ticker, though I haven't tried it as I don't know what it might do to this archaic machine of mine. http://codeamber.org/desktop/CAT10.exe

So there you go. A little information goes a long way. Tag, you're it.
I'm thinking about doing a bit on several sites I've come across along this same vein, in case any of you have any input on the matter.

Officer involved shootings

Seems like things are getting a bit intense here in South Carolina. The number of officer involved shootings over the past month have me concerned that it is a societal trend. What scares me is not so much the gunfight itself, but what happens afterward. Most don't realize that if Hannibal Lechter were machine gunning an elementary school and I put a bullet through his head, I would still be open to criminal charges and, even worse, the family of the serial killer can (and will) sue me with a good chance of coming out the other side with a check. Unlike a criminal court, a civil court is open to alot more evidence that really shouldn't be considered such. Speculation, hypothesizing, "I heard from a friend..." and other such nonsense could actually be paraded in front of the jury. If they believe it, then Lechter's family gets paid.
I won't go into too much detail but a Deputy from another county recently was face to face with an armed man who had taken a hostage. The Deputy should be clear to shoot, right ? The criminal had a gun and was using it to threaten an innocent, all you need, right ? Seems there are some questions now about how many times the Deputy fired. Scary, isn't it. Because this kind of stuff can only lead to law enforcement officer's questioning their own actions prior to doing them. In a gunfight you don't have that time. Let me ask you. If a criminal is shooting at you, do you want the officer who is rescuing you to hesitate before firing ? Do you want him thinking about saving you or thinking about losing his house, car, and assets ? If he does, you can thank your local civil litigation lawyer. To be continued....

Pakistan's progress

Pervez Musharraf has lost the backing of his people, garnering only 15% of the vote in the recent election. The word is that Pakistan's 160 Million people, primarily of Muslim faith, are using their Democratic system to oust Musharraf, and to many, his United States supporters. True to his word, stating that if he ever lost the backing of his people he would bow out, Musharraf has relinquished control of the military and is taking a smaller role in his country's government.

This in turn geeks me out in an extremity as here we have a Muslim country using the methods we profess to be the true form of free government, to combat what they feel is a mili-dictatorship that doesn't care for, or feed, its people. While I'm saddened by the attitude toward the US, I cannot help but applaud these people as proof positive that a Muslim country CAN be Democratic. Its almost a test run for what possibilities Iraq holds. Damn, I said that out loud.