McChrystal is out, Petraeus is in. Apparently he's been sanitized by his Obama-annointment, since he was persona non grata when he was Bush's general. Wave of the magic wand, all is forgiven. Feel free to puke at any time. I have a number of liberal friends and relatives, yet not one can give me an intelligent reason why they are liberal. There is no logic, there is no rationale. It's just "feelings". I'm a pragmatist, I go with what works. Liberalism may sound nice, and may seem loving and generous, but it doesn't do anything. It fails at every level. It defies logic, it defies mathematics, it defies economics, it defies common sense. It simply does not work...like 99% of it's adherents. Economics is a pretty basic study. You can draw parallels from most natural processes. Take a river, dam it up, take 90% of it's flow. What's left is weak, won't drive a waterwheel down the stream. Take the economy, dam it up. What's left is weak...and you tax it the same way you always did. This administration thinks you can dam up the river and expect the same output...and they want to tax that supposed output more than ever before. Epic fail. It's pretty simple. What amazes me is that apparently, Harvard-educated community organizers are clueless when it comes to basic economics, and common-sense.

Looks like B.Hussein is going to keelhaul General McChrystal for making unfavorable observations about his administration. Well, who is really shocked at this? The Obama-gang is populated with old anti-military libs, socialists, professional hangers-on and weaklings. A soldier calls them out and what do you know, they get upset. I have one bone to pick with the General... if you said it to Rolling Stone, you better have the balls to stand by it to the chief-community-organizer. Since your career is already shot, may as well dive in and give them full measure. Don't let these swine back you down. If you stand up to them, you may lose your retirement pay, but they can't jail you and they can't eat you. You'll get a 6 figure book deal before the ink is dry on your discharge papers. We are watching the Keystone Kops of the Presidency, Barry H., presiding. The sad part is, he seriously thinks the people are behind him. What a loser.

Pain is just pain. Despair is only a shadow, an illusion. I don't own a firearm, simply because it would too-easily end both. Not going to go that route. It's cowardice to the nth degree. I always admired the writing of Hunter S. Thompson, but he took that way out. It was foreshadowed in his first book, near the end. I almost took that path years ago, but it's just too selfish. Glad I failed. Some days you just have to man-up and push through. I owe too much. I owe everyone who ever loved me and believed in me. I can't slap God in the face and toss back His gift. I can't. I won't. Anyone who ever thought they were useless, worthless.... you're wrong. Plain and simple. You keep on, keep fighting, keep struggling. It's worth it. The world won't be a better place without you. It's far better with you, no matter how imperfect you may think you are. Trust me on this one, I've been to the edge. You are the only you we've got. That's pretty cool. We need to keep us. All of us crazy, oddball types need to stick together. The world would be pretty damn boring if we quit. :) Now...peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches and badminton! :D

Elbert Thomas Stone. We just called him "Tommy". My uncle, youngest of Ma's kin. Red-haired, like a banty rooster, 5'7" maybe, scotsman more to the appearance than any of the crew. 150 pounds soaking wet, and one king-hell wrecking machine. Baritone voice like a radio announcer. He died of cancer some 8 years back, and I seem to miss him now more than I did then. I sort of fit myself after 2 people: my older brother, the iconoclastic biker reject, and Tommy, the ne'er-do-well blue collar american. Tom and I fit, both being suspicious of anything in a suit. I couldn't match his ferocity....hell, no one could. Even my ex-marine biker brother admitted there'd be one man he'd want at his back in a showdown. I came in second, Tommy was #1. I had to agree. I guess I'm thinking of him now because I was pondering what matters most in life, and honesty hit me. Tom would always tell you what he thought. Like it or not. You can tell a lie to save some feelings sometimes, and yep, he'd do that, but if you wanted an unvarnished opinion, just say, "Hey, tell me"... he'd fire away. It might get uncomfortable, but he'd take a long pull off his brew and explain, straight up and personal. No meanness, no rancor. Just the facts. Might be a habit of old Navy men, I don't know. What I do know is he had a far greater impact on me than I ever had on him, and I will never forget that man, to the end of my days. Truthfully, he had more impact on my life than my Dad, since he was around a lot longer. He actually wanted to be there. Pops had other things to do. Tom took my side more often than I can count, and although it hurt so bad to see him silent, awaiting the rest: he felt no pain. Finally. He slept peacefully. The sailor went home to the sea. He gave his children, my cousins, his worldly goods, little as they were. He gave me his fire, his passion, his unbroken spirit. He gave me his view of life, and trust me: you have to see it to believe it. :)