Veteran Of The Year

I had the humbling experience of being named the "Jackson County Veteran of the Year" on Veterans Day this year.  These things don't happen in a vacuum.  While I'm sure I'm missing some folks, I do have some people that need to be thanked.

First and foremost, thank you to my beloved bride.  Sugarbear, the good things that happen in my life are all the result of the support that you continue to give me.  Being a military spouse is the second hardest job in the military and you do it so very well.  Being the spouse of a veteran is even harder.

Jackson used to have a Veterans of Foreign Wars Post - Donald L. Wheeler Jr. VFW 823 closed many years ago.  Those veterans welcomed me into their organization, made me a friend, and fostered my interest in being an active veteran.  They helped to raise our kids; I ran the bingo on Saturday nights and our kids helped to run the kitchen with a bunch of crusty vets.  I love and miss you all.

Thanks also go to the veterans of American Legion Post 252 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 10194 in Grass Lake.  When I was looking for a new group of active veterans, you also welcomed me into your midst.  You lead by example by being active...and I mean really active...in the community.

Special thanks to two members of the Grass Lake veterans community.  While we don't see him very often these days, Bud Freysinger remains the heart and soul of our group; service, love, and unity in all we do.  Rex Murdock is the engine that powers our efforts.  He is the commander of both Posts and is involved in almost every community project that I can think of.  Thank you both for what you have done and what you continue to do.

Thanks to the Jackson County community of veterans organizations in Jackson County.  You provide the framework that allows individuals to go further and accomplish more.  

Lastly, while I doubt they will ever see this, I owe a great debt to my employers.  They have supported my efforts to serve veterans and promote veterans programs in ways both large and small.  My hope for every veteran is to have an employer that supports veteran employees; time off on Veterans Day to mark the day, making copies/printouts for veteran-related projects, donating to projects when asked.  This is the quiet sort of patriotism that our nation will always need.

On this occasion, I have a challenge for my fellow veterans.

If you are already involved with a veterans organization, then get busy looking for veterans that are not plugged into a veterans organization.  We lose roughly 22 veterans a day to suicide.  Our nation's veterans disproportionately suffer from homelessness.  The single most effective thing we can do is to create a connection that will allow us to reach out at the right time.  That same connection offers our fellow veterans a sense of purpose that can carry them through times where life seems purposeless.  Y'all did that for me.  Now do it for them.  Welcome those new members into your group.  Accept that they might want to do something other than "the way we've always done it".  

If you are a veteran that isn't involved in a veterans organization, then find one that suits your personality/life and dive in.  My oath of service to our nation didn't include an expiration date.  Neither did yours.  The time required is small, the rewards are huge.  Even if you only make a few meetings and march in a parade or two, your presence and participation are wanted.  Your time in the military made American a better country.  Your time spent in your local veteran organization will make your community better as well.  If you have never been asked before, then I'm asking now.

There are so many outstanding individuals that have received this award in years past.  Bud Freysinger, Rex Murdock, Dave Welihan, Reinold Yahnka...the list goes on and on.  I'm humbled to find myself in your number.

Thank you Jackson County for this honor.

click to embiggen the embiggeded dude

Interesting News - 11/7/2021

There is no such thing as choice without a downside.  People consider solar energy to have no negatives.  That isn't quite true.  To generate enough power for the US, you would need to cover most of a large, southwestern state.  And even in those desert areas, there is still enough ecology that large solar farms will have a negative impact.

But technology is still a good thing.  Consider how they are now using lasers to kill weeds instead of using herbicides.  The 21st century is a marvelous place where free minds can enter the free market with better ideas that improve everyone's lives.

It seems that the American approach to cutting CO₂ emissions works better than anything being proposed by various climate activists.  I'm sure they will be acknowledging our progress presently.

This is the kind of thing that drives normal people nuts.  For those of a certain age, the phrase "Jane you ignorant slut" has a certain context/meaning that supersedes the language being used.  For the uninitiated, check out some early seasons of Saturday Night Live.  You know...when it was still funny.  Here is the story of when one of our humorless technological "betters" responds to obvious humor.

Earlier this year, the USS Bonhomme Richard was in port for major repairs.  A small fire turned into a large fire.  The US Navy was unable to fight the fire and now the ship will be scrapped.  This after-action report is just sad.  I shudder to think of how our sailors are prepared (or unprepared) to fight an onboard fire.

I'm not a fan of the "let's go Brandon" chant.  I also wasn't a fan of Robert DeNiro's act of incivility towards Mr. Trump - or those that emulated him.  Rich Lowry's reminder of the past is worthwhile for anyone that wants to push the nation back towards a more civil practice of politics.

When “tax the rich” really means “let’s write catchy slogans on dresses but actually give the rich a $36,000 tax cut.”

Yes, this is what Democrats want to put in the reconciliation bill. No, this is not a joke.

Price hikes for you, tax cuts for rich New Yorkers. pic.twitter.com/bgGXLL4XWK

— Dan Crenshaw (@DanCrenshawTX) November 4, 2021

While I have areas of disagreement with Arizona Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, I wouldn't follow her into a restroom to continue to harass her into accepting my position.  Nor would I disrupt someone's wedding to do the same thing.  These protesters either lack shame or maturity.  In either case, their perspective should be discounted accordingly.

I've long hoped that the Democrat party would seek to limit the influence of the progressive/socialist wing.  I hope this is a sign of progress on that front.  New York City's newly elected mayor certainly seems more committed to a functioning government that wants to reduce crime and allow businesses to operate effectively.

Texas Senator Ted Cruz laid into Attorney General Merrick Garland over he sicced federal agents on parents exercising their First Amendment rights to protest at school board meetings.  Professor Glenn Reynolds follows up with a piece that says it all.  Thank goodness that Merrick Garland isn't on the Supreme Court.  He is unfit to serve as either a Justice of the Supreme Court or, quite frankly, as Attorney General of the United States.

Lampreys with teeth.

Click to embiggen.

Nope-nope-nopity-nope-nope-nope

In case you missed last week's most idiotic political stunt, the grifters of the Lincoln Project paid Democrat operatives with tiki torches to stand near Glenn Youngkin's bus and pretend to be racists that supported him.  The first detail that the MSM missed is that one of these "racists" was a black guy holding a tiki torch.  Unless the Klan has established some sort of new affirmative action program, it was pretty clear to most normal people that this was a false flag operation.

Most people now know that the news reporting about the content of Hunter Biden's laptop was factual and relevant.  The media's suppression of that information influenced the outcome of the 2016 election.

Periodically, I say something pretty radical.  Today, my radical statement is that people should not be pressed to have sex with people that do not "do it" for them.  Part of that "do it" factor is the genitalia that one will encounter in that prospective...ummm...encounter.  If one is fumbling beneath the sheets expecting to find sausage, one should find that sausage.  Alternatively, if one is fishing for clams, then a clam is what one should find.  Yet there are some that aren't sympathetic with that perspective and are bullying clam fishers to accept sausage as a suitable substitute.  As is frequently the case, women are the first and biggest losers.

The space continues apace.  As it has been with all other technology, the leap from government-centered projects to private enterprise will mark the single most important shift in space exploration and space colonization.  Elon Musk is serving the interests of future generations of humanity.

It seems that we have some new anti-viral meds that will be useful in the fight against Covid.  The more viable tools in our medical toolbox, the better.

Thread.

This is Ryan Ferguson. When he was 17 years old, a man in his Missouri home town was murdered. pic.twitter.com/f3eendf1WN

— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) November 6, 2021

With a podcast version of the story for those that like audio.  Why that former prosecutor is not in jail (instead of sitting on the bench as a judge) is beyond me.

News for some - The USSR really was an evil empire.