The Night ‘Fore Hallowmas
When many men choose to sleep,
the night lives on with potent deep.
There darkness surrounds with fear and fright,
the night passes with strength and might.
A time of darkness when daylight slumbers.
A season of twilight when the nether world creeps.
A candle in the darkness, a luminary light.
Cast shadows of darkness into that black deep.
Where the soul of night lives on, without fear or fright.
The man of light fears the life of night.
He cowers in the twilight hours
when his sense of sight fails him.
And goes not into that good night,
where the fear of dark death rails him.
The land of stars, the kingdom of the moon.
This faerie time, the night’s noon.
Directs ever and anon to the Stygian river,
where the other side is seen, felt with a shiver.
The flow is breached just once a year,
so the shades of men may pass.
To walk the earth as they once did,
on the night ‘fore Hallowmas.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Mary's Survivor Story
My survivor story belongs to my wife Mary Watts. In 2000 she was diagnosed with breast cancer. In November of that year Mary had a partial mastectomy and over 20 lymph nodes were removed under her right arm. She then went through intense chemo, I've never seen someone so violently sick. Then her hair started to fall out. That was the hardest part. Hair was getting every where so I got my clippers and gave her a buzz cut like mine. When she looked into the mirror she wept. While we were holding each other crying the first unwritten cancer law in our house was written. No one cries alone. Following the chemo Mary then had to endure radiation; once a day, five days a week for six weeks. Mary’s hair started to grow back after that and it came back curly. She loved her new curly hair and I called her my “little house frau with a fro”. Another unwritten cancer law for our house came to be. Laugh often, even if we are laughing at ourselves. Subsequent scans did not show any cancer.
Through out it all if you asked Mary how she was doing she would tell you “I’m ok”. She may have spent the night in the bathroom getting sick but afterwards when asked she would reply “I’m ok”. She may have surgery and lying there with tubes and such hanging out of her body and she’s still “ok“.
In 2008 we moved to Springfield, Missouri from central Illinois. The move saved her life as the doctors in Illinois totally missed her cancer coming back. The doctors in Springfield are the best. Her breast cancer came back in her bones, primarily her lower spine, hip and skull. Every phone call from the doctor was worse and worse. Since 2008 Mary has had the maximum radiation treatment for her spine. Mary also has had radiation treatment for the tumors on her skull and hip. In 2008 she rolled over in bed and her right collar bone broke because the tumor on it had weakened it so much. So more radiation for that too. Weeks in a brace became months and after a year without the collar bone healing Mary said enough. She took the brace off and doesn’t wear it anymore even though the bone has not healed. Again in 2008 the cancer spread to her liver and left lung. In one two week time period the doctors removed two liters of fluid from around her lung. Because of the new tumors Mary has been on chemo since September of 2008, to this day and into the foreseeable future. Mary now takes chemo once every three weeks; a different chemo once every four weeks; and chemo pills seven days on and seven days off. She never complains. She has a lot of pain (besides me) but she never complains. The tumors are kept stable by the chemo, meaning neither growing nor shrinking.
During the last couple of years my faith and perseverance has been tested. But throughout it all Mary has remained stalwart. The x-rays of Mary’s spine show a couple of vertebra fading away from the cancer but all I’ll hear from her is an “Oh my back” once in a while. That’s it, no more complaining. I’ll get her up from bed and it will be “Oh my back”. Between the cancer in her back and the side effects of the chemo Mary can’t walk far so we just put her in a wheel chair and away we go. I finely get to push her around and she finely get to tell me where to go. I cannot tell you the strength I draw from her as she grows weaker in body but not in spirit.
If she can endure the pain and weakness with a smile, I can do no less. We are Mike and Mary the “m&m’s”.
Friday, May 28, 2010
You are on your own
Yes you are on your own. Not you so much but some of the States.
Case #1. Arizona asks and asks the Federal Government to help with Illegals entering their state from Mexico. The Feds yawn and go on to other matters. The state of Arizona passes a law designed to help themselves and they are ostracized for being racists by the media and by officials in the Federal Government, none of which has even read the bill. Then the two Senators from Arizona beg and beg the President to send troops to Arizona's border with Mexico. What does the President do? After weeks of delay he sends 1200 National Guardsmen. 1200! That's probably two guardsmen per mile of border. I don't think it's enough.
Case #2. The Oil Spill in the Gulf. Accidents happen and this was a bad one. Eleven people dead. Millions of gallons of oil pumping into the Gulf. An oil slick as big as Pennsylvania moving towards Louisiana. The Governor of the state begging the Feds and the Army Corps of Engineers to do something. Anything. To stop it. The Governor asks for more sand barrier islands to be made to stop the oil reaching the beaches and wetlands. What does he get? SILENCE!!!
Case #3. Texas is told that a Somali terrorist is planning on crossing it's boarder with Mexico sometime soon so be on the lookout. The Governor of Texas asks for additional troops for border security. What does he get. Not just silence but NO!!!!!
So what have we learned? The states are on their own. I say the Governors of these states take the bull by the horns and flip the collective bird to Washington. They should all say "Screw you we'll fix it ourselves". Texas and Arizona should call up their Guardsmen and put them on the border. They should form Posses or deputize the Minute Men and put them on the borders too. They should build bearers and fences to protect themselves. The Governor of Louisiana should have his Guardsmen build the sand islands to protect his shores. He should also mobilize volunteers to help with the clean up. Speaking of sand, all three of these guys should tell Washington to "go pound sand". Yes, and these states should with-hold federal tax monies to pay for their having to do the Feds job.
Maybe it's time to think about states succeeding from the Union. I mean if Washington takes and takes but doesn't help what's the point of being in the Union anyway. Really this was the reason the Civil War was fought. The Federal Government was telling the states what to do and interfering with the way they were running things. Are we men? Or are we latte' drinking pantie waists. Check yourself and decide.
Case #1. Arizona asks and asks the Federal Government to help with Illegals entering their state from Mexico. The Feds yawn and go on to other matters. The state of Arizona passes a law designed to help themselves and they are ostracized for being racists by the media and by officials in the Federal Government, none of which has even read the bill. Then the two Senators from Arizona beg and beg the President to send troops to Arizona's border with Mexico. What does the President do? After weeks of delay he sends 1200 National Guardsmen. 1200! That's probably two guardsmen per mile of border. I don't think it's enough.
Case #2. The Oil Spill in the Gulf. Accidents happen and this was a bad one. Eleven people dead. Millions of gallons of oil pumping into the Gulf. An oil slick as big as Pennsylvania moving towards Louisiana. The Governor of the state begging the Feds and the Army Corps of Engineers to do something. Anything. To stop it. The Governor asks for more sand barrier islands to be made to stop the oil reaching the beaches and wetlands. What does he get? SILENCE!!!
Case #3. Texas is told that a Somali terrorist is planning on crossing it's boarder with Mexico sometime soon so be on the lookout. The Governor of Texas asks for additional troops for border security. What does he get. Not just silence but NO!!!!!
So what have we learned? The states are on their own. I say the Governors of these states take the bull by the horns and flip the collective bird to Washington. They should all say "Screw you we'll fix it ourselves". Texas and Arizona should call up their Guardsmen and put them on the border. They should form Posses or deputize the Minute Men and put them on the borders too. They should build bearers and fences to protect themselves. The Governor of Louisiana should have his Guardsmen build the sand islands to protect his shores. He should also mobilize volunteers to help with the clean up. Speaking of sand, all three of these guys should tell Washington to "go pound sand". Yes, and these states should with-hold federal tax monies to pay for their having to do the Feds job.
Maybe it's time to think about states succeeding from the Union. I mean if Washington takes and takes but doesn't help what's the point of being in the Union anyway. Really this was the reason the Civil War was fought. The Federal Government was telling the states what to do and interfering with the way they were running things. Are we men? Or are we latte' drinking pantie waists. Check yourself and decide.
Tuesday, April 27, 2010
War Games 2
Just another thought about the last post. When using fake attacks, terrorists would be more likely to recruit operatives that don't belong to the terrorist's demographic. By using blond haired, blue eyed northern European types for example, Islamic terrorists could separate themselves from detection. Fake attacks would be an easier sale and could even be presented as a prank or some other harmless act. An added benefit would be if the non-terrorist types are caught. In fact this should be arraigned. The addition of a new group of suspects would cause the government to expand it's search profile. And yes the authorities profile. It's not a bad thing. More people would be inconvenienced causing discontent towards the government policies if the terrorists play it right. We see this today. People grumble against government policies and restrictions set in place to protect them from the terrorists that wish to kill them. The people have forgot why the government is doing this and don't focus their anger towards the terrorists.
So fake or copy cat attacks work in terrorists favor. They advance their cause and weaken the governments response.
So fake or copy cat attacks work in terrorists favor. They advance their cause and weaken the governments response.
War Games
Disclaimer: I do not endorse the use of the following methods. I do not advocate violence, terror or any other kind of illegal activity. The following thesis is merely the result of a bored mind that shouldn’t be allowed to play unsupervised. Having said that let us begin with…..
War games
The point of terrorist is to effect a change on the object of their attention. That change may be to kill and maim. Most likely the object of terrorism is to force an enemy to become something else or to move in a desired direction. For example to embrace a religion such as Islam. Or to embrace a political ideology such as Communism. These nudges by terrorist move a people, group or country along by little steps that don’t always have to be successful.
Recently just a short block away from my home a mail carrier found a white powdery substance in a mailbox. Because of past terrorist attacks reported widely in the news where people have died or gotten sick from someone mailing anthrax to government offices the mail carriers are trained to watch out for this. This training combined with the previous attacks has breed paranoia and fear. The result is the local government turned out the fire department, police department, hazmat team etc to investigate. The street was blocked off. Traffic diverted. Resources used. A mail carrier decontaminated. Why? Someone put baby powder in a mail box.
This got me thinking. The first terrorists attacks don’t always have to be successful but they have to be real. The anthrax letters are one example. 9-11 is another. The shoe bomber is a third. The next set of attacks have to have at least the promise of success. Then the rest after that can be fakes. For example the baby powder mentioned before. The unknown factor in all the attacks is weather or not the attack is real. In fact it would be better for the terrorist cause if the later attacks are fakes. Human nature being what it is the rash of fake attacks and the accompanying copycat attacks by disturbed persons not associated with the terrorists will over time begin to lull the victims into a reduced state of preparedness.
Fake attacks can be useful too. For example; an organized mailing of envelops with baby powder in them from all over the country to the Capital in Washington DC would shut down the government mail system. The disruption would mean material would not reach their destination in time. Opportunities would be lost. Vast amounts of money and resources would be spent and diverted over a few ounces of baby powder. Certainly a cost effective and safe operation to carry out. This could be timed to occur as a distraction for another operation. Or a real attack of anthrax letters could occur immediately after the fake to take advantage of spent resources and human fatigue. A mail handler thinking he’s got a hold of another baby powder letter might just mishandle it and someone could get sick or die. Then the terror begins anew. The new fear would be greater and the government and country is nudged one step further towards the terrorist goal.
By definition a group who uses terror as a weapon usually is operating against an organization it cannot confront with a frontal assault. This gorilla, or asymmetrical, war is therefore one of attrition. The use of terror is designed to wear down the opponent’s resources as well as the will to fight. To loosely paraphrase Mao, as long as the gorillas don’t loose they win. Timing is crucial in forcing a capitulation to the terms of the terrorist. For example. Our country is fighting two wars over seas using vast amounts of money and recourses. Our economy is shaky right now while we are in a recession. Our political system is very contentious with each party pushing hard for votes and power. The people are polarized more than any other time since before the Civil War. Carefully timed attacks against our infrastructure could cause massive disruptions of our goods and products being delivered. Key bridges on the Mississippi River could be damaged or destroyed. Some sort of maritime disaster on the Great Lakes could occur such as a toxic spill or a ship sunk in a narrow passage. Coupled with an oil refinery attack or two and our economy could be pushed to the brink. Our recourses would be needed at home and our forces may need to be reduced or even pulled out of the two wars. The terrorists could more easily take over Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistan could be threatened and their nuclear arsenal seized. The terrorists don’t have to win. They just don’t have to loose.
Again these are just the thoughts of a bored brain. But the scary part is, if I can think of this surly the terrorists can. Pleasant dreams.
War games
The point of terrorist is to effect a change on the object of their attention. That change may be to kill and maim. Most likely the object of terrorism is to force an enemy to become something else or to move in a desired direction. For example to embrace a religion such as Islam. Or to embrace a political ideology such as Communism. These nudges by terrorist move a people, group or country along by little steps that don’t always have to be successful.
Recently just a short block away from my home a mail carrier found a white powdery substance in a mailbox. Because of past terrorist attacks reported widely in the news where people have died or gotten sick from someone mailing anthrax to government offices the mail carriers are trained to watch out for this. This training combined with the previous attacks has breed paranoia and fear. The result is the local government turned out the fire department, police department, hazmat team etc to investigate. The street was blocked off. Traffic diverted. Resources used. A mail carrier decontaminated. Why? Someone put baby powder in a mail box.
This got me thinking. The first terrorists attacks don’t always have to be successful but they have to be real. The anthrax letters are one example. 9-11 is another. The shoe bomber is a third. The next set of attacks have to have at least the promise of success. Then the rest after that can be fakes. For example the baby powder mentioned before. The unknown factor in all the attacks is weather or not the attack is real. In fact it would be better for the terrorist cause if the later attacks are fakes. Human nature being what it is the rash of fake attacks and the accompanying copycat attacks by disturbed persons not associated with the terrorists will over time begin to lull the victims into a reduced state of preparedness.
Fake attacks can be useful too. For example; an organized mailing of envelops with baby powder in them from all over the country to the Capital in Washington DC would shut down the government mail system. The disruption would mean material would not reach their destination in time. Opportunities would be lost. Vast amounts of money and resources would be spent and diverted over a few ounces of baby powder. Certainly a cost effective and safe operation to carry out. This could be timed to occur as a distraction for another operation. Or a real attack of anthrax letters could occur immediately after the fake to take advantage of spent resources and human fatigue. A mail handler thinking he’s got a hold of another baby powder letter might just mishandle it and someone could get sick or die. Then the terror begins anew. The new fear would be greater and the government and country is nudged one step further towards the terrorist goal.
By definition a group who uses terror as a weapon usually is operating against an organization it cannot confront with a frontal assault. This gorilla, or asymmetrical, war is therefore one of attrition. The use of terror is designed to wear down the opponent’s resources as well as the will to fight. To loosely paraphrase Mao, as long as the gorillas don’t loose they win. Timing is crucial in forcing a capitulation to the terms of the terrorist. For example. Our country is fighting two wars over seas using vast amounts of money and recourses. Our economy is shaky right now while we are in a recession. Our political system is very contentious with each party pushing hard for votes and power. The people are polarized more than any other time since before the Civil War. Carefully timed attacks against our infrastructure could cause massive disruptions of our goods and products being delivered. Key bridges on the Mississippi River could be damaged or destroyed. Some sort of maritime disaster on the Great Lakes could occur such as a toxic spill or a ship sunk in a narrow passage. Coupled with an oil refinery attack or two and our economy could be pushed to the brink. Our recourses would be needed at home and our forces may need to be reduced or even pulled out of the two wars. The terrorists could more easily take over Iraq and Afghanistan. Pakistan could be threatened and their nuclear arsenal seized. The terrorists don’t have to win. They just don’t have to loose.
Again these are just the thoughts of a bored brain. But the scary part is, if I can think of this surly the terrorists can. Pleasant dreams.
Monday, April 19, 2010
Shake, Rattle, and Roll
Today a Muslim cleric in Iran stated that women wearing provocative clothing leads young men astray and causes earthquakes! The way to stop earthquakes is to embrace Islam and repent. If you do that the quaking will stop.
Oh-My-God!! These people are still living in the 6Th century with 21st century weapons and they think this stuff? Our leaders, pardon I forgot where I was living. Our Beloved Leader Obama and his regime of rulers better start getting serous about Iran and it's nuclear aspirations or we'll all be glowing in the dark soon.
In an unrelated report. At least no one is making the connection. The President stated the other day "... like it or not we are a superpower...". I truly think he doesn't want us to be a superpower. He has apologized all over the world for the United States. Every time he makes a speech overseas he says "I'm sorry". Everything his regime does seams to be pushing us towards making America a has been nation just like France. Think about it.
Oh-My-God!! These people are still living in the 6Th century with 21st century weapons and they think this stuff? Our leaders, pardon I forgot where I was living. Our Beloved Leader Obama and his regime of rulers better start getting serous about Iran and it's nuclear aspirations or we'll all be glowing in the dark soon.
In an unrelated report. At least no one is making the connection. The President stated the other day "... like it or not we are a superpower...". I truly think he doesn't want us to be a superpower. He has apologized all over the world for the United States. Every time he makes a speech overseas he says "I'm sorry". Everything his regime does seams to be pushing us towards making America a has been nation just like France. Think about it.
Friday, April 2, 2010
Odds and Ends
You're going to love this.
A Georgia Congressman stated in a House Armed Forces Committee hearing that he was concerned with sending too many troops and equipment to Guam. He was afraid the island would tip over and capsize. This is the quality of people we have running our government. Oh he voted for ObamaCare and he is a former Judge.
An Illinois Congressman stated he wasn't concerned about the Constitution in regards to the health care debate. I guess that whole putting your hand on the Bible and vowing to uphold and defend the Constitution was just for show. I wonder how that applies to his wedding vows?
President BO bragged this week that "we took 86 billion dollars from the banks". He was referencing the 100% government take over of the student loans. This was put in the reconciliation bill to help fudge the number so the whole health care bill would be deficient neutral on paper. The government just swept in and eliminated a private sector industry so they could get more revenue. Whose next?
The director of Homeland Security has decided to stop looking closely at air travelers from certain Muslim countries. From now on they will be screened just like anyone else. I feel safer already.
The FAA has announced that Pilots can now take anti-depressants and fly. I guess the whole drowsy and suicidal side effects aren't that big a deal when piloting a plane with 400 souls on board. I think I'll drive, thank you.
You can't make this stuff up!
A Georgia Congressman stated in a House Armed Forces Committee hearing that he was concerned with sending too many troops and equipment to Guam. He was afraid the island would tip over and capsize. This is the quality of people we have running our government. Oh he voted for ObamaCare and he is a former Judge.
An Illinois Congressman stated he wasn't concerned about the Constitution in regards to the health care debate. I guess that whole putting your hand on the Bible and vowing to uphold and defend the Constitution was just for show. I wonder how that applies to his wedding vows?
President BO bragged this week that "we took 86 billion dollars from the banks". He was referencing the 100% government take over of the student loans. This was put in the reconciliation bill to help fudge the number so the whole health care bill would be deficient neutral on paper. The government just swept in and eliminated a private sector industry so they could get more revenue. Whose next?
The director of Homeland Security has decided to stop looking closely at air travelers from certain Muslim countries. From now on they will be screened just like anyone else. I feel safer already.
The FAA has announced that Pilots can now take anti-depressants and fly. I guess the whole drowsy and suicidal side effects aren't that big a deal when piloting a plane with 400 souls on board. I think I'll drive, thank you.
You can't make this stuff up!
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