National Identity

I was reading something from Thich Nhat Hanh awhile ago, and made a note of his litmus test for "right speech": Ask "Is it true?" and then "Is it useful?" If both of these conditions are met, then I can generally be pretty comfortable saying it. If I don't know something to be true then I need to look at it some more. I mention this because I've been troubled for some time by a sense that those who would lead us seem to favor trying to scare us witless, and then offering some draconian "solution" that we'd have to be witless to adopt. The MSM seem to be complicit in that, perhaps because it's good for ratings for their "news" programs.

Who are we and what do we stand for? We are being led as Americans, so what does that mean? We have dispossessed and displaced all of the initial inhabitants of our land so that claim is entirely based on force majeure. I see that as a significant part of our difficulty in relating to the world: we have no cohesive sense of history and little if any national credibility. Edmund Burke wrote: "People will not look forward to posterity who never look backward to our ancestors." We didn't come here together, and we don't seem to have done a very good job of coming together since then.

We don't have a discernable shared vision of our common goals. Until we seriously address that, I believe it's going to be increasingly difficult to remain competitive in what is already a global economy. We can only cloak ourselves in our faded glory for so long, and then we'll have to show something. The Greeks have been Greek for millennia, and the Romans Roman and the French French. Even the British have been British since 1066. We've been jockeying for advantage among ourselves for a few hundred years.

Do we believe that all men are created equal? Do we believe "You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself"? We seem to see people from communities other than "our own" as different somehow and we seem to use "globalism" as a pejorative. When and how did we become so different from one another? Who benefits from us becoming different and perpetuating our differences?

We are less than 5% of the world population and we need to figure out together who we are and who we want to be pretty soon. We're burning daylight and the other 95% may just decide to move ahead without us. They could, you know.

A Word for SPC Clifford Ray Dudley, USA, and LCPL Dennis Ray Ashley, USMC

These two men have by now been laid to rest at the Coastal Bend State Veterans Cemetery in Corpus Christi on November 10, 2016. Neither man had a next-of-kin or any known family so the community, via at least 2 local television stations, invited members of the community to honor their passing.

I unapologetically talk shit about Texas, but that the local media would support such a community response for 2 former servicemen moved me. It's hard for a lot of us to find our way after our military experiences, and this demonstration of support by the Corpus Christi community is noteworthy.

Fair winds and following seas to Clifford and to Dennis, and thank you, Corpus Christi.

A Reminder About My Other Blog

A quick reminder that - thankfully - I no longer post here so much, reserving this blog for Corpsmen who have lost their lives in the line of duty.
My primary blog is The Way I See It.

A Word for Petty Officer Darrel L. Enos

Hospital Corpsman First Class Darrel L. Enos, 36, of Colorado Springs, CO, died August 17, 2012, while supporting combat operations in Farah Province, Afghanistan. According to KKTV in Colorado Springs, he was murdered by an Afghan police recruit his unit was training.

Doc Enos was assigned to 3rd Marine Special Operations Battalion, Camp Lejeune, NC.

Semper Fi

A Word for Petty Officer Clayton R. Beauchamp

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Clayton R. Beauchamp, of Weatherford, Texas, died August 7, 2012, when his unit was attacked with an IED while conducting a dismounted patrol in the Shaban District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Doc Beauchamp was assigned to 1st Battalion, 1st Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 6, 1st Marine Division (Forward), I Marine Expeditionary Force (Forward), out of Camp Pendleton, CA.

Semper Fi.

A Word for Hospitalman Eric D. Warren

Hospitalman Eric D. Warren of Shawnee, OK, died May 26, 2012, of wounds received in an IED blast in Sangin District, Helmand Province, Afghanistan.


Doc Warren was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 6, 1st MARDIV (Forward), I MEF (Forward), Camp Lejeune, NC.


Semper Fi

Real Problems Are Too Hard to Understand; Give Us Easy Ones

Someone (Marilyn L.) brought this post by Robert Reich to my attention, and a veil was lifted.

I have pondered why it is that the masses seem to focus on the trivial concerns toward which they are misdirected instead of on the larger concerns that may actually impact the 313 million Americans among 7 billion earthlings. The thing is that understanding international finance or corporate finance or financial markets is hard, and there is a whole crapload of money being made by people who fund super-PACs for (primarily) Republican candidates.

On the other hand, we understand "sin," and are mostly in general agreement that it is "bad" (or, at least, it isn't "good"). We've experienced lust, gluttony, greed, envy, sloth, pride, and anger ourselves. Even people who work on Wall Street, and in finance, don't understand "derivatives."

You put super-PAC money into the hands of America's top ad-men, and a shell-shocked population is going to listen to a consistent story that our god has us on a time-out because of sin and socialism in our community (especially those already gullible enough to believe the entire universe was created for the benefit of American male WASPs). We've been hearing that since we were seven.

Robin Andrea shared this blog post on Facebook about us being too dumb for democracy; and, while it sounds true, I don't like it. I'm still disappointed that more people can't seem grasp anything more complicated than "Dancing With the Stars."

There's real stuff going on around us, stuff that's actually going to change our lives forever for better or worse, and it has very little to do with anything that establishment politicians are talking about. International corporations are not "job creators" unless you're Malaysian or Vietnamese and they haven't roboticized the job. International bankers are not the nice people at your local credit union. Insurance companies don't provide medical care.

There; I've said it and I feel a little better for that.

Is It True; Is It Useful

I was reading something from Thich Nhat Hanh awhile ago, and made a note of his litmus test for "right speech;" ask "Is it true?" and then "Is it useful?" If both of these conditions are met, then I can generally be pretty comfortable saying it. I taped these two questions to the top of my monitor.

I mention this because I've been troubled for some time by a sense that those who would lead us seem to favor trying to scare us witless, and then offering some draconian "solution" that we'd have to be witless to adopt. Yesterday I noted that it was World Day Against Cyber Censorship, and I got two responses about the need to censor bullies and pedophiles and naive teens. Really? None of those are issues unique to the cyber era.

Today, Sean Dustman (Doc in the Box) pointed me to this blog post from The Economist back on March 2nd, and I just wanted to share it. I feel like we're circling the bowl myself now and then, so I get that we might feel overwhelmed; but is it true? Is what we feel is happening really happening on such a scale that we need to reset?

Sadly, the Republicans don't seem to carry many tools on their belts, and they seem to me to rely heavily on trying to scare us into accepting that we need to restore America to the way it was in the Coolidge administration. The MSM seem to be complicit in that, probably because it's good for ratings for their "news" programs. The questions I ask when I hear such talk are "Is it true" and "Is it useful." More often than not, it isn't even true.

A Word for Petty Officer Brian K. Lundy

Hospital Corpsman Third Class Brian K. Lundy, 25, of Austin, TX, died while conducting a dismounted patrol in Marjah, Helmand Province, Aghanistan, on September 9, 2011.

Doc Lundy was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 5, Second Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Lejeune, NC.

Semper Fi

A Word for Hospitalman Riley Gallinger-Long

Hospitalman Riley Gallinger-Long, 19, of Cornelius, OR, died August 11, 2011, while conducting a dismounted patrol in the Marjah District in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Doc Gallinger-Long was assigned to 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, Regimental Combat Team 1, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune.

Semper Fi

A Word for Hospitalman Aaron D. Ullom

Hospitalman Aaron D. Ullom, 20, of Midland, Mich., died while conducting a dismounted patrol in the Now Zad district, Helmand province, Afghanistan, on July 12, 2011.
Doc Ullom was assigned as a corpsman with 3rd Battalion, 2nd Marine Regiment, Regimental Combat Team 8, 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Force at Camp Lejeune, N.C.
Semper Fi.

A Word for Hospitalman Benjamin Rast

Hospital Corpsman Benjamin D. Rast, 23, of Niles, Michigan, died April 6, 2011, while conducting a dismounted patrol near Patrol Base Alcatraz in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Doc Rast was stationed at Naval Medical Center, San Diego, but assigned to 1st Battalion, 23rd Marines, 4th Marine Division, in Afghanistan.

Evidence seems to point to this being a "friendly-fire" missile strike from a Predator drone. I don't know what to say to that other than "shit happens."

Semper Fi

10/4/2016 Someone (Anonymous) recently pointed out that my summation "shit happens" was insensitive, and I can't deny that. This was reportedly the first "friendly-fire" Predator strike of the war. No one meant for Doc Rast and SSGT Jeremy Smith to die, and drone strikes were meant to save American lives, not to take them, but it happened. SSGT Smith's father said he forgave the operator and I'm okay with that. I hope he can forgive himself. It happens.

A Word for Hospitalman Edwin Gonzalez

Hospital Corpsman Edwin Gonzalez, 22, of North Miami Beach, Florida, died October 8, 2010, of wounds from an improvised explosive device while supporting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Doc Gonzalez was assigned to 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, 2nd Marine Division, FMF Atlantic.

Semper Fi

A Word for HM3 James M. Swink

Hospital Corpsman Third Class James M. Swink, 20, of Yucca Valley, California, died Aug. 27, 2010, while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.
Doc Swink was assigned to 2nd Marine Division, II Marine Expeditionary Forces.
Semper Fi.

Keeping Good Thoughts

Today I am keeping good thoughts for Roger and for all who love him and for all who come into contact with him today as he undergoes and recovers from a colectomy and resection this morning starting at about 10:30 AM in the Eastern Time Zone.

Changes in Latitude, Changes in Attitude

I think I'm going to be doing most of my writing in the blog on my web site.
Any anonymity I enjoyed during my working life has pretty much outlived its utility, and I'm not normally that inflammatory anyway.
Keeping good thoughts for NancyB and for all who love her.
Harold/AQ

A Word for Hospitalman William Ortega

Hospitalman William Ortega, 23, of Miami, Florida, died June 18, 2010, of wounds sustained from an IED blast while conducting combat operations in Helmand Province, Afghanistan.

Doc Ortega was assigned to Third Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Semper Fi

Is Homosexuality in the Military Really That Big a Deal?

I've been kind of aimless in what I want to do with this blog recently. Since leaving the cubicle behind, and working as hard as I want to at jobs I volunteered for, I haven't felt any particular need to vent. I'm not on that edge of aggravation that I used to live on.

Having said that, I want to say a few words about the situation with homosexuals not being able to serve openly in the military. It's been awhile since the Clinton administration enacted "Don't Ask Don't Tell" as a compromise between the then extant ban on homosexuals serving and their being able to serve openly. When people say they want to repeal "DADT" I don't know if they mean they want to go back to the ban or to allow homosexuals to serve openly. Personally, I think the ban should be done away with.

I remember when I reported to the Naval Hospital at Yokosuka, Japan, in September, 1967, and during the check-in process the protestant chaplain spoke at length about being careful because the Naval Intelligence Service (pre-Mark Harmon) periodically swept for homosexuals. I was just two years off the farm, and less than a week out of the US, and had no idea what that had to do with me or the chaplain, or whether or not there was a big homosexuality problem I didn't know about. I did not go to services at the hospital chapel.

Anyway, as I read the Times OpEd by General McPeak that Kay referenced yesterday morning, I was reminded of the denial that the military seemed to live under at the time. There were homosexual sailors at Yokosuka, and in Ranger, and at Miramar, etc., and there probably always had been, but in the "boys will be boys" military of the era there was denial that some of the boys preferred boys.

I always wondered at the degree of homophobia by some of the darnedest people. There was a sailor who worked for me in San Diego who I thought everyone knew and accepted was homosexual, but he was outed when he was arrested for a DUI. One co-worker who shaved his body "to be more aerodynamic while bicycling" - but who never raced on his bicycle - was aghast(!) at the news. Guys in their beers would go on about what they'd do if they were hit on by a homosexual, but I have never to this day been hit on by a guy. Go figure.

It's 2010 and women are serving in ships - submarines now (good luck with that) - and in forward operating areas. Commanders are speaking out on banning pregnancy. It's time to clear the decks and accept that people in the military are sexual beings, set boundaries for their conduct consistent with good order and discipline, and get back to work. There's a freaking war on.

A Word for HM3 Zarian Wood

Petty Officer Zarian Wood, 29, of Houston, Texas, died May 16, 2010, in Helmand Province, Afghanistan, of wounds sustained from an improvised explosive device blast while on dismounted patrol.

Doc Wood was assigned as a hospital corpsman to Third Battalion, First Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force.

Semper Fi

World Press Freedom Day

I just wanted to take a moment this morning to take note of World Press Freedom Day celebrating "Freedom of Information: the Right to Know" today. UNESCO's celebration intends to "highlight the importance of freedom of information as an integral part of freedom of expression and its contribution to democratic governance" and to "foster reflection and exchange of ideas on freedom of information to advance empowerment, transparency, accountability and the fight against corruption, as well as on the key obstacles that the effective exercise of the right to know faces in today’s digitalized world."

As I watch the evening news now I sometimes try to picture Walter Cronkite or Edward R. Murrow "reporting" on Tiger Woods' infidelity or who was voted out - left out, actually - last night on "Dancing With the Stars." It's probably good that the networks are getting away from using journalists as news anchors, and I suspect it's less embarrassing for the journalists, too.

The thing is that I miss the news. Heaven only knows what is going unreported, and that's kind of scary, too.