ONE OF OUR OWN!

ONE OF OUR OWN! (Frazer Chronicle)
"I got your back," "he's one of our own," "he's like a brother," three phrases that can either fill a person with a warm fuzzy feeling, or doom a guy. In this day and age of brotherhood and solidarity within the fire department, law enforcement "cop shop," or an athletic club, the attitude is to "cover each others collective asses."

It can be the same for other vocations in life, like brain surgeons, bankers, carpenters and garbage collectors. Aren't their duties as important as any other, not everybody can be a doctor, a banker, a carpenter, or even a garbage collector, I know, I in fact have been a garbage collector, it can be tough duty and dangerous as well, "syringes."

Now we come to New York Jet football coach, Rex Ryan and his rant about Joe Namath, former Jet quarterback, and what Ryan felt was an uneducated comment about his Jet's readiness for this past Sundays game, a 34-24 loss to the Oakland Raiders.

Ryan, in his retort to Namath's comments about the Jets maybe taking the Oakland squad "to lightly," blustered that "Namath was an outsider," and "would have been surprised" at the amount of time taken in preparation for the game. Ryan also said that Namath was "out of the loop," and had little understanding about the players or the coaching staff.

I watched the Detroit Lions and the Green Bay Packers and actually could care less about the New York Jets. But I will say this, obviously the Jets weren't prepared and  did  take the Raiders lightly, unless Ryan is telling anybody within ear shot that Oakland is 10 points better then the Jets.

Ryan did say that "Joe Namath is a Jet and always will be a Jet," he's one of our own, and always will be. This is where Ryan and much of his brethren depart from the sports fan who actually played whatever sport these guys are coaching or managing. The coaches, managers or instructors have long ago forgotten how a fella feels when he loses at whatever game he is playing, at whatever level.

I played baseball, basketball and football, all on the amateur level and the only sport that I was any good at was football, and at best, not really very good. But every time we won, or every time we lost, the elation or the sting of defeat felt as good or as bad as any professional. The level I played at was with "my best effort,"  it was my highest level, my professional league.

To say that I don't know what it takes to get ready for a game, and to regard my opponent with the proper respect is ridiculous, making Rex Ryan sound like the village idiot. Technically people like Rex Ryan are light years ahead of sports fans, but Joe Namath wasn't talking about the X's and O's of the game, he was talking about attitude.

In closing I would just like to say one thing about Rex Ryan, "remember where you came from Rex," and quite sounding like a "blowhard," which actually I think you are.

AL JAZEERA REPLACES IT'S TOP NEWS DIRECTOR!

AL JAZEERA REPLACES TOP NEWS DIRECTOR! (Frazer Chronicle)
Okay, I get it, America is at war and everything that goes along with that statement, "war" is "inbounds," as harsh as that statement may seem, American military will use every weapon at it's disposal to win that war. It shouldn't be any other way, soldiers lives are at risk, billions of dollars are being spent and I guess national security and our way of life is at stake.

But changing the news stories, "staging" rescues, decorating fallen soldiers, when in actuality the man was shot by friendly fire. Calling no attacks by foreign aggressors on the United States since September 11, 2001 a mark of successful acts by every protective force in the country, hoisting the flag up every pole whenever possible and wearing those stupid lapel flag pins is kind of "pushing the envelope," kind of singing the praises of war.

I thought the biggest and best deterrent to war was the cost, both in life and money, I never knew, for many Americans, war and the participation therein was the defining moment in many Americans lives, I never knew that we had sunk "as a country," so low.

Whenever a dead soldier's remains are returned home, and he is honored, "as he/she should be," one point is pounded home, the fact that the "young person sacrificed his life to protect the American way of life." I find that mode of thinking to be completely impossible to follow and sadly, a complete fallacy. Our way of life is not at threat by the Muslim people, get used to that fact.

The United States has by far the greatest military power on the face of the planet, and also in the history of the planet. When an American kid is asked what he wants for Christmas, more then half the time he wants a computer. When you ask a little Muslim kid what he wants for Christmas, his retort is that he "wants a stick." The Muslim kid usually doesn't have electricity to power a computer, he wants a stick to beat off the flies. It's much the same when making war against the United States, computers against sticks.

The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan were never the United States to win, only to lose. Both wars are on foreign soil, one was the result of retaliation for an attack on American, "Afghanistan," and the other was a pre-emptive, "Iraq," war supposedly to deter a nuclear attack.

Both wars were poorly planned and little logistics were used and next to no understanding of the perceived enemy was in hand. The planners of both wars were like little kids with war toys and the attitude that "we are Americans, we have the right to make war," screw the rest of the world."

When Al Jazeera replaced Wadah Khanfar as that news organization's news director.....through his resignation.....from disclosures by Wiki Leaks, the action once again showed an America "selling" the war, not fighting it.

I don't know about you, but I'm smoldering, just short of burned up by the actions of the "war department" of the United States. The job of soldiers, the job of war planners, the job of the generals, the job of the Congress and the job of the White House is to get the troops OUT of war, not to nurture it. Gees, get the hell going.....and do you jobs. 



  

A DECADE OF WAR!

A DECADE OF WAR! (Frazer Chronicle)
Did you ever watch Starship Troopers, "the movie," well I have, actually 2 or 3 times, I just wanted to catch all the metaphors between fantasy and reality. The plot of the movie centers around a bunch of young recruits learning how to fight a hostile species of bug that threatens the human existence.

I first saw the movie sometime in  2003 or 2004, and didn't even finish watching it as I recall. I would watch maybe 10 or 20 minutes thereafter until about 2007, when I caught it on cable and watched it from beginning to end. What caught my interest was the fact that, in the movie, people were not granted citizenship at birth, rather they had to "earn" the right through risking their lives either defending the "homeland," or some philanthropic activity.

What I finally got out of the movie, was the close ties the movie depicted and what has been going on in the United States for 10 years. When you read a headline in an American  newspaper about how the country has been at war for a decade, it just "blows my mind." All the talk about "our military might," about all the money that we have spent, and the lives that have been lost, and still "there is no victory."

I guess the war on terror is like what a buddy of mine used to say, "it's like trying to catch a fart in a mitten," you can't. I do not think a victory was ever ours to be had, Iraq and Afghanistan are not our territories, they are Middle eastern countries, Muslim countries and, 10 years in, most of us don't even understand the customs, I know I don't, and I don't want to know them.

Questions still remain unanswered, many questions, the biggest of which is "why was the United States attacked on September 11th. 2001?  President Bush professed that the attack was "a hatred of Western freedom, what we stood for and the way we conducted our lives. If you except that logic, "good for you," you can now go back to bed, your an idiot.

The war in Iraq and the war in Afghanistan were first and foremost about 2 issues, number 1, an American presents in the Middle East and 2, petroleum products and it's continued flow to the United States from the area.

It's time for us to drop our weapons and walk away, time for our generals to be de-commissioned, time for our military young to be released back into the country, time for everybody born in the country to be "granted" citizenship into a peaceful world leading country through friendship, understanding and respect. 

LONG LIVE THE RED NECKS!

LONG LIVE THE RED NECKS! (Frazer Chronicle)
Red necks continue to drive our country, from the beginning, to the middle, and sadly to the end. It's a mentality, not a way of life, or a geographically area connected with the southern United States, although there might be a loose connection.

I was in the land of the red necks recently, where the United States was viewed with a "love it or leave it kind of attitude." Their national holiday is coming up, September 11th. where they gather to celebrate the carnage that gave credence to their existence, and beliefs. You know, the "don't tread on me" slogans that appeared on flags during the infancy of our country.

It's like a cock fight, where rosters scratch at the dirt, puff up their chests and ready themselves for a fight in the barnyard to determine who is the biggest and baddest. It's where more learned men wait in the wings to see who will win, and then they take over.

It's a fool's paradise, where it is expected that people actually believe that Saddam Hussein was a credible threat to the United States, that he had weapons of mass destruction, that Hussein had a connection with Bin Ladin, the attack on the United States and that Hussein was searching for atomic bombs. All of this coming from a punk who was like a flea crawling across an Elephants balls with tennis shoes on,  hollering, "your next to get stomped."

Ten long years after the tragedy that was September 11th. the same tired question is asked, "was Saddam really part of the attack."  Some people are still looking for justification with regards to the United States attacking Afghanistan. It was justified, given the link between the Taliban and al-Qadea, but was Hussein and Iraq involved, absolutely not.

Here's where the red necks come in, lead by the President and the Vice-President, Bush and Cheney and their cohorts. They collectively saw an opportunity, seized the moment and ran with it, the fall-out be dammed. Like some people think, "America is great and can take these kinds of actions" without any reprisals.

What the Bush administration didn't count on was the reaction that a bold preemptive attack on an Islamic country would bring. Ten years in, the "long war" has cost more then 6000 American lives and billions of dollars.

What the American electorate didn't understand was the fact that a Democratic president would not necessarily change what the Republicans had started. Many in industry really liked the idea of a long war and the financial rewards it brought them. Whether you make war machines in America, or Mexico, American company's make money, as long as they are in charge.

American foreign policy remains delusioned, aggressive and unrealistic. Ten years after September 11th. 2001, statements are still being made like, "we are defeating the enemy," or "we are winning the war on terror." What in the world do those two statements mean.....really. The last time I checked, U.S. military were still being shot at, and hit. Iraq was still as unstable as it was a year or two ago, dozens of people die every week, power is still spasmodic, clean water is a premium and threat is everywhere.

Afghanistan is dealing with a corrupt government, U.S. Military is still trying for the "hearts and minds" of the locals and nobody pocks their "beaks" out their windows to check the weather in the morning for fear of getting it shot off.

Shouldn't we use this Sunday, September 11th. to re-evaluate our foreign policy, our industrial military complex, and the red necks that are calling the shots in American government. This is no "pissing contest," it's real, anyways, most of the old red necks don't have the power to piss from here to there.

I DON'T GET IT!

I DON'T GET IT! (Frazer Chronicle)
Aha, the Republicans are at it again, this time it's "his honor" from Michigan, Governor Rick Snyder, putting a limit on the length of time that a person can be poor, at least  within the borders of Michigan. We here at Chronicle headquarters can only say "atta boy Gov," if only we'd have known that such a complex subject would have been as easy to solve as establishing a limit on poorness, we'd have done it ourselves.

48 months, that's the magic number, "I guess," in other words, if you suffer a catastrophic injury, like falling off a bar stool, or blowing out your knee on the dance floor, the clock is ticking on the amount of time you can expect support from the Michigan taxpayer.

If you loose your job, you'd better get your butt in gear and find something to do, because Michigan will discontinue their benevolent "hand-out" programs. When Snyder was elected to Michigan's "top spot" in November of 2010 and the simultaneous Republican takeover of the Michigan House, it gave Michigan's GOP a free hand to set it's own course of public assistance.

I am not a liberal, although some of my blogs may lean towards a liberal view, I can see why some conservative ideals have merit, and are based on sound economical thinking. We cannot continue to "give the milk money away," no matter what the problem is with regards to Michigan families making "ends meet."

Like a very smart man once said, "off your ass and on your feet, out of the shade and in the heat." In other words, "make your own way, and take care of your own." These are bold statements made from strong words, and to me, they make sense. I think that 99% of people want to "make their own way," and to "take care of their own." The 1% we could take care of, I would think that it would be our national responsibility.

Non-profit groups, churches and private help groups should not be included when local, state or federal government looks for ways to deal with the poor, these organizations funding is always on a roller-coaster ride and can't be counted on. Taxpayers should always be "on the hook" to bail out the poor, welfare people.

Here are a few ideas on how to help with a truly tough problem, the poor, or ignorant, the disenfranchised and those folks who have simply given up. It's not rocket science, it's not brain surgery, and you don't have to be a Rhodes Scholar. What you do have to be is honest, forthright, with an eye to the future and the welfare of the people.

Cut waste, stop abuse, cut overhead and get rid of the underfunding attitude that permeates government when it comes to "people programs." Start slashing tax abatement works programs, put a tax on the higher end income people and on the national level, get out of the "War Incorporated" business that the country is in at the present time, it only helps big business, and I for one do not want to depend on war for my existence.

Governor Rick Snyder looks like a "profile man," every time I see a picture of him, it's a profile shot, like he's posing for a posthumous shot for the history books of the future. God, Gov get some sort of life connected with today's reality and deal with the problems of the state of Michigan in a humane way.  

"OH BOY," HERE WE GO AGAIN!

"OH BOY," HERE WE GO AGAIN! (Frazer Chronicle)
I can't figure it out, on the western side of my island, the water is calm, clear and the temperature is between 68-72 degrees all the time. No sharks, no sting rays and no snapping turtles, just little fish's that nibble at your toes.

In the waters  on the northern side of my island, conditions couldn't be worse, choppy waters, wildly dipping temperatures, sharks, stingrays and all other sorts of blood hungry fish's that can suck the life right out of a person, and laugh while they are doing it, if fish's can laugh.

What am I talking about.....what idiot would jump into such a hostile atmosphere as I've explained on the northern side of my fictional island. Seems to me as if you'd better have a cape and an S etched into the shirt that that he is are wearing. A sign should be posted on the northern beach before one enters, "no shirt, no shoes, no service unless you have an S on your shirt."

But for some, like the song goes," Momma told me not to look into the eyes of the sun," "but Momma, that's were the fun is," so goes these people to the northern side of my island. Who are these people, these masochists that seek out pain, and possible ruin.

They are the Republican hopefuls that want to up-seat President Obama, want to drive him from the office of the presidency as quickly as possible. They have different names and even different genders, they are called Paul, Bachmann, Romney and others. The newest "kid on the block" is Texas Governor Rick Perry, and he's loaded and ready to go.

Rick Perry is the longest serving governor in the state of Texas, and has "heard the calling." He figures his stint as governor has given him the proper education to take charge of Washington and the bumbling stupidity that has been going on there for years.

This cowboy booted, swagger walking and no-nonsense talking "sin-of-a-gun" is "reporting for duty." It's great, and even though I do not agree with him, "what the hell," if he is willing to take the plunge off the rocks into the murky waters on the north side of my island, "God Speed," and "more power to him."

It's a simple fact that President Obama either is unwilling or unable to do his job in what I feel is the proper way to administrate the country, and our foreign policies. Is America ready for another booted cowboy sporting a 10 gallon hat.....only time will tell, but I'll watch and listen