As did just about everyone else, I followed the "Saddam curtain call" show last Friday night and then picked it back up early Saturday morning. Heck, even against my better judgement, I found the cell phone video showing the actual event. Since then, I have read lots of points of views, countless news stories, etc. trying to make sense of it all.
While I am a firm believer in the punishment fits the crime, actually seeing the events take place made me begin to waiver a little. Even my wife, who cares as much about politics as I do about shoes was scouring the net for some kind of personal justification as to witnessing the death of another human being. It was very surreal, seeing this gentle looking older man, led in what appeared to me a uneasy silence, to the gallows to meet his maker. He appeared calm, clutching a copy of the Koran, prepared to get it all over with. How could someone like this deserve such an end?
Then I started thinking about what he, as a leader of a nation, had done. My first recollection of Saddam was watching a show in which Saddam had just come into power. He walked into some sort of parliamentary meeting and sat down. He then starting point out different men sitting in attendance. All in all, he pointed out 15 or so people that he believed had opposed him during his rise to power. They were removed and shot, no questions asked. I then thought about the countless people (about 500,000 by most estimates) that have been found in the 400 or so mass grave sites throughout Iraqi. Who were they? What did they do so terrible that Saddam would want them and any memory of them erased from existence? Then there was the incident with the Kurds. He unleashed "mustard gas", a violent nerve agent, not on troops in the battle field but on whole villages. Men, women, children, they all suffered a violent death. Then there were the countless stories of torture, rape, interrogation, fear, mass killings by his death squads. How his two sons, would make families sit and watch as mothers and daughters were tortured and raped.
I could go on but I think I have made my point. He was a bad man. Plain and simple. He was not the gentle old man I saw being led to his death. Because of one man, and without any plausible reason, a whole nation lived in fear. And I think the reason some over here can't grasp it is because they have never lived like that. To see thousands cheer and celebrate the death of one man tells me they knew something I didn't and couldn't. Yeah, there used to be a bully near my home and I can remember times I was afraid to go out, that I might get punched or made fun of, but never that I was be tortured and if I was lucky, shot in the head.
I bid you good bye Saddam....and good riddance.
Sunday, December 31, 2006
Wednesday, November 15, 2006
Should I become a more tolerant, open minded person?
At one time or another, we all wonder how others perceive us.
Since self reflection is difficult at best and most people
won't give you an honest opinion, I decided to look at how others think
about those similar to me. I know that this is not the best way to do
it, but perhaps by seeing what others say about those that hold similar
values and opinions, I can get a rough estimate about myself. (Note:
the data has been gathered over many years and from a variety of
sources) (Note 2: My self assessment is in italics to give my stance on said issue)
On coming from a small town in the hills of eastern Kentucky:
I am close minded, uneducated, ignorant, xenophobic, a redneck and a hillbilly.
I am very open minded, educated, nice,
caring, and enjoy the simple things in life
On leaning toward conservatism politically:
I am intolerant, big business, a crook, a liar, stupid, a prick, an asshole, a capitalist pig.
Actually, I am none of those, well I am an occasional asshole and I do believe in capitalism.
On religion:
I am close minded, stupid, silly, ignorant, intolerant, anti-sex, anti other religions, an oppressor, unintelligent and a bible thumper.
While not religious to a tee and by no means living at the foot of the cross, I think that there is apparently a need to believe
in something larger than ones self or else so many people wouldn't be
touched by it. Lost is the arrogance of youth I once held thinking that
I knew all the answers. Now I am comfortable thinking that perhaps I
don't know it all.
On abortion:
I am ignorant, an oppressor of womens rights, intolerant, sexist, a chauvinist pig
I think that there should be some personal responsibility placed on us all. While I can understand that there are cases where it is called for, I don't not think that it is the best solution to the
problem.
On affirmative action:
I am a racist, the man, a white devil, an oppressor, a hater
I think that a person should be judged on their merits and hard work, not on the color of their skin. To be given something simply because of your race is demeaning and unfair.
On gay marriage:
I am close minded, intolerant, ignorant, a homophobe, an oppressor
I feel that the tradition of marriage is
between a man and a woman, plain and simple.
On the war and the military:
I am a murder, a fascist, a terrorist, I condone torture, an imperialist,
stupid, insane, a war monger, an oppressor, intolerant of other cultures
I feel that at times, wars and force are
called for. Even though it is not pretty, I enjoy my way of life here
and wish everyone could have the same freedoms that I do.
On illegal immigration:
I am a racist, a xenophobe and intolerant
I feel that it is a privilege
to live here in the US. I know far too many people that have worked
their asses off to get here the right way only to see
others reap the same benefits with none of the effort.
Ok,
I kind of chose these topics for a reason. They seem to elicit the most
passionate responses from people when pleading their side of it. I also
chose them for another reason. The ones that usually refer to those
like me in the terms used above are the ones that claim to be the
opposite of me...the open minded
and the tolerant, the caring and compassionate.
Funny thing is, when I think about others that see things differently than I
do or read others opinions on the same issues, words like silly and
arrogant come to mind. Not very powerful words when compared now is it.
Wonder if I should become more like them...more tolerant of others
opinions, others ideas, others beliefs and start voicing my opinion in
the language that they seem to prefer?...
Nah, I think I'll just stay an ignorant,intolerant, close minded, conservative hillbilly redneck a little while longer.
Since self reflection is difficult at best and most people
won't give you an honest opinion, I decided to look at how others think
about those similar to me. I know that this is not the best way to do
it, but perhaps by seeing what others say about those that hold similar
values and opinions, I can get a rough estimate about myself. (Note:
the data has been gathered over many years and from a variety of
sources) (Note 2: My self assessment is in italics to give my stance on said issue)
On coming from a small town in the hills of eastern Kentucky:
I am close minded, uneducated, ignorant, xenophobic, a redneck and a hillbilly.
I am very open minded, educated, nice,
caring, and enjoy the simple things in life
On leaning toward conservatism politically:
I am intolerant, big business, a crook, a liar, stupid, a prick, an asshole, a capitalist pig.
Actually, I am none of those, well I am an occasional asshole and I do believe in capitalism.
On religion:
I am close minded, stupid, silly, ignorant, intolerant, anti-sex, anti other religions, an oppressor, unintelligent and a bible thumper.
While not religious to a tee and by no means living at the foot of the cross, I think that there is apparently a need to believe
in something larger than ones self or else so many people wouldn't be
touched by it. Lost is the arrogance of youth I once held thinking that
I knew all the answers. Now I am comfortable thinking that perhaps I
don't know it all.
On abortion:
I am ignorant, an oppressor of womens rights, intolerant, sexist, a chauvinist pig
I think that there should be some personal responsibility placed on us all. While I can understand that there are cases where it is called for, I don't not think that it is the best solution to the
problem.
On affirmative action:
I am a racist, the man, a white devil, an oppressor, a hater
I think that a person should be judged on their merits and hard work, not on the color of their skin. To be given something simply because of your race is demeaning and unfair.
On gay marriage:
I am close minded, intolerant, ignorant, a homophobe, an oppressor
I feel that the tradition of marriage is
between a man and a woman, plain and simple.
On the war and the military:
I am a murder, a fascist, a terrorist, I condone torture, an imperialist,
stupid, insane, a war monger, an oppressor, intolerant of other cultures
I feel that at times, wars and force are
called for. Even though it is not pretty, I enjoy my way of life here
and wish everyone could have the same freedoms that I do.
On illegal immigration:
I am a racist, a xenophobe and intolerant
I feel that it is a privilege
to live here in the US. I know far too many people that have worked
their asses off to get here the right way only to see
others reap the same benefits with none of the effort.
Ok,
I kind of chose these topics for a reason. They seem to elicit the most
passionate responses from people when pleading their side of it. I also
chose them for another reason. The ones that usually refer to those
like me in the terms used above are the ones that claim to be the
opposite of me...the open minded
and the tolerant, the caring and compassionate.
Funny thing is, when I think about others that see things differently than I
do or read others opinions on the same issues, words like silly and
arrogant come to mind. Not very powerful words when compared now is it.
Wonder if I should become more like them...more tolerant of others
opinions, others ideas, others beliefs and start voicing my opinion in
the language that they seem to prefer?...
Nah, I think I'll just stay an ignorant,intolerant, close minded, conservative hillbilly redneck a little while longer.
Sunday, November 12, 2006
My Favorite Movie of all Time
While spending a lazy Saturday afternoon on the couch with my dogs, I was treated with AMC showing one of my all time favorite movies in honor of Veterans Day. The movie is called "Sargent York" and chronicles the life of Alvin C. York, a Congressional Medal of Honor winner in World War 1. He was a small town country boy that was called to duty against his will (he had become a Christian and thought that killing, even a enemy, was wrong). The movie shows the inner struggles he had to go through and overcome to later become one of the greatest heroes of the military.
I think more than anything, the reason I like the movie so much is that it shows how hill folk tend to view things. Once scene, when they hear about the war in Europe, shows how they saw things..."yep, thats way over there....they just better not bring it into the Valley of the 3 Forks". It showed the attitude of most raised back then and to a certain extent, today. We have enough to worry about here, no need to spend time worrying about things over there.
Anyway, it is a great movie starring Garry Cooper and I highly recommend it for lazy Saturday afternoon viewing.
More on Sargent Alvin C. York
I think more than anything, the reason I like the movie so much is that it shows how hill folk tend to view things. Once scene, when they hear about the war in Europe, shows how they saw things..."yep, thats way over there....they just better not bring it into the Valley of the 3 Forks". It showed the attitude of most raised back then and to a certain extent, today. We have enough to worry about here, no need to spend time worrying about things over there.
Anyway, it is a great movie starring Garry Cooper and I highly recommend it for lazy Saturday afternoon viewing.
More on Sargent Alvin C. York
Wednesday, November 01, 2006
Perception is reality at its finest...or STFU.
The democrats former poster boy for president, John Kerry, decided to take a swing at being a comedian the other day and said:
"Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs - 'If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq,' he said to a mixture of laughter and gasps."
Now if he meant that soldiers were un educated or that it was a stupid administration by the comment, that is not important. What is, is the fact that he is too arrogant to simply appologize. I listened this morning to him as he called in to the Don Imus show, and Imus point blankly told him that regardless of the intent, his statement was taken as a slam on the soldiers and he should simply say he was sorry. Nope, he talked about every other topic but refused that one. To paraphrase one of the on air people of the show (which is 99% of the time critical of the current administration) "He wasn't using a shovel to dig the hole he is in, he was using heavy equipment!"
It, more than likely, was a simple faux pas. All he had to do was say "opps, that didn't come out right, what I meant was......" Instead, he continues to ignore how his comment was perceived, he continues to claim it was fine, they just want to use it against him, he continues to pretty much do everything except what would get him out of this mess. One would think, educated or not, that he would think back to what happened to Trent Lott over a little opps....or maybe not.
Perception is reality Mr. Kerry, plain and simple.
"Kerry then told the students that if they were able to navigate the education system, they could get comfortable jobs - 'If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq,' he said to a mixture of laughter and gasps."
Now if he meant that soldiers were un educated or that it was a stupid administration by the comment, that is not important. What is, is the fact that he is too arrogant to simply appologize. I listened this morning to him as he called in to the Don Imus show, and Imus point blankly told him that regardless of the intent, his statement was taken as a slam on the soldiers and he should simply say he was sorry. Nope, he talked about every other topic but refused that one. To paraphrase one of the on air people of the show (which is 99% of the time critical of the current administration) "He wasn't using a shovel to dig the hole he is in, he was using heavy equipment!"
It, more than likely, was a simple faux pas. All he had to do was say "opps, that didn't come out right, what I meant was......" Instead, he continues to ignore how his comment was perceived, he continues to claim it was fine, they just want to use it against him, he continues to pretty much do everything except what would get him out of this mess. One would think, educated or not, that he would think back to what happened to Trent Lott over a little opps....or maybe not.
Perception is reality Mr. Kerry, plain and simple.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
Dog Blog
Instead of the traditional cat blog, (which by the way, I have two kitty cats but they are kind of boring), I would like to introduce my two Dobermans Beau and Annabelle. From time to time, I will be keeping all of my thousands of fans updated on their adventures. At the moment, they are doing the pee pee dance so I guess I had better finish this quickly.
Elections, Hillbilly style
Yes, its that time of year again. Time for all the people to get out and vote for the people they think will be best suited for the job of running the city, county, state and nation. The ones that have the best interests of those they represent in mind. Uh....yeah right! Almost cracks me up to type it, let alone think about it. If they wanted to actaully do good for the people, they wouldn't spend all that campaign money on all these ads slamming the competiton but instead, they would use the time to tell us how they are going to fix everything...then actually follow through with it. See, you think its funny too.
This is where big city politics and little town politics differ. Or at least it used to back when I lived in a little town. Most if not all the people running for the various offices did it for the perks and the power. They knew it, we knew it, everyone was happy. In the county elections, oh about 3 months or so before an election, you would start seeing blacktop driveways, or for those that were way out, plenty of fresh gravel leading up to the house. If the driveway was already in good shape, you would see trees cut, land cleared or just what ever needed done. The amount of work done was always directly porportional to the number of people in the family (above voting age that is). If you lived in the town, where there wasn't a real need for blacktop and such, you could rely on those running to feed you a lot (pig roast, fish fry's, etc.) and get little Timmy or sweet Suzy out of trouble when they got a ticket or got arrested.
So while I am sure they might have done something good for the area a time or two, they ran and we elected them mainly for the perks. We didn't have to sit and listen to hours of bullshit about why they were the better person and the other was a evil son of a bitch and we liked it that way. We didn't have to find out that 20 years ago, in a drunken stupor, one of them mentioned that he once uttered the n- word nor did we have to find out, in a stunning revelation, that the current elected official once experimented with some mind altering substance on a dare (and even inhaled oh my!)
So, for all you out there thinking of who to vote for, look at it the hillbilly way. No one is going to spend 1 million dollars on a election campaign for a job that only pays 50 thousand a year only because they want to help those they represent. Hell, if thats the case, they would just give everyone an equal share of the million and get elected for sure! Just go out and vote for the person that you think can get you out of trouble, get your driveway blacktopped or that can roast a pig better than the other guy. You will get a lot more for you vote in the end.
On a side note, Socrates (you know, the old guy from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) once said that no person should be alowed to govern that shows interest in doing so. Hmmm, wonder if he was on to something way back then....
This is where big city politics and little town politics differ. Or at least it used to back when I lived in a little town. Most if not all the people running for the various offices did it for the perks and the power. They knew it, we knew it, everyone was happy. In the county elections, oh about 3 months or so before an election, you would start seeing blacktop driveways, or for those that were way out, plenty of fresh gravel leading up to the house. If the driveway was already in good shape, you would see trees cut, land cleared or just what ever needed done. The amount of work done was always directly porportional to the number of people in the family (above voting age that is). If you lived in the town, where there wasn't a real need for blacktop and such, you could rely on those running to feed you a lot (pig roast, fish fry's, etc.) and get little Timmy or sweet Suzy out of trouble when they got a ticket or got arrested.
So while I am sure they might have done something good for the area a time or two, they ran and we elected them mainly for the perks. We didn't have to sit and listen to hours of bullshit about why they were the better person and the other was a evil son of a bitch and we liked it that way. We didn't have to find out that 20 years ago, in a drunken stupor, one of them mentioned that he once uttered the n- word nor did we have to find out, in a stunning revelation, that the current elected official once experimented with some mind altering substance on a dare (and even inhaled oh my!)
So, for all you out there thinking of who to vote for, look at it the hillbilly way. No one is going to spend 1 million dollars on a election campaign for a job that only pays 50 thousand a year only because they want to help those they represent. Hell, if thats the case, they would just give everyone an equal share of the million and get elected for sure! Just go out and vote for the person that you think can get you out of trouble, get your driveway blacktopped or that can roast a pig better than the other guy. You will get a lot more for you vote in the end.
On a side note, Socrates (you know, the old guy from Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure) once said that no person should be alowed to govern that shows interest in doing so. Hmmm, wonder if he was on to something way back then....
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Perception is reality...most of the time
Most of the time, I tend to take things at face value. I generally judge the book by its cover so to speak. There is a saying, "You never get a second chance to make a first impression" and I usually agree with that. I am a decent judge of things and people and usually can tell a lot about them within 5 minutes of meeting them.
But I have to admit, this past week has changed my ideas on that. There have been some major changes that have come about, specifically I will be changing jobs soon and my schedule completely. I am moving to a different shift of work and all the things that I do are going to be affected. While I haven't worried about it that much (you gotta do what you gotta do), the effect this news has had on those around me has been quite suprising.
I belong to a martial arts school where I have been teaching, studying and generally kicking ass for 18 years. Prior to that, I had my own school where I taught for 13 years. So, yes, I have known everyone in the school for a long time. And during that time, I have made a lot of friends, taught a lot of students and more than likely, pissed a few people off. Anyway, the other night, I informed my classmates and teacher that I would not be coming to class anymore because I was changing shifts. I expected, knowing all them as well as I do, the usual "ah, that sucks" "we will miss you" " and the obligatory "thank god, its about time you left". That is what I expected because I had always taken them as classmates and students, there to learn and work out and such for themselves. But what expected and what I got weren't even close. Instead, I got offers for them to see that I got on first shift (I think they were kidding..I think), people coming up to me with genuine concern that I would no longer be there to help them, and more than a few offering to find alternate times to work out with me, help me and learn from me. I must admit, it actually made it harder to have to leave than I thought it was going to be. I guess knowing that I had made an impact on so many people showed me that all the bumps and breaks and surgeries were worth it.
To all those at the gym, you will be missed.
A clear case of Perception not being reality......
Part 2....leaving my current job.
But I have to admit, this past week has changed my ideas on that. There have been some major changes that have come about, specifically I will be changing jobs soon and my schedule completely. I am moving to a different shift of work and all the things that I do are going to be affected. While I haven't worried about it that much (you gotta do what you gotta do), the effect this news has had on those around me has been quite suprising.
I belong to a martial arts school where I have been teaching, studying and generally kicking ass for 18 years. Prior to that, I had my own school where I taught for 13 years. So, yes, I have known everyone in the school for a long time. And during that time, I have made a lot of friends, taught a lot of students and more than likely, pissed a few people off. Anyway, the other night, I informed my classmates and teacher that I would not be coming to class anymore because I was changing shifts. I expected, knowing all them as well as I do, the usual "ah, that sucks" "we will miss you" " and the obligatory "thank god, its about time you left". That is what I expected because I had always taken them as classmates and students, there to learn and work out and such for themselves. But what expected and what I got weren't even close. Instead, I got offers for them to see that I got on first shift (I think they were kidding..I think), people coming up to me with genuine concern that I would no longer be there to help them, and more than a few offering to find alternate times to work out with me, help me and learn from me. I must admit, it actually made it harder to have to leave than I thought it was going to be. I guess knowing that I had made an impact on so many people showed me that all the bumps and breaks and surgeries were worth it.
To all those at the gym, you will be missed.
A clear case of Perception not being reality......
Part 2....leaving my current job.
Sunday, October 22, 2006
Perception is reality
The opinions stated here will all rely on my perception of what I read, hear, see and so on. Some of them might be backed up by hard, published facts while others won't. This is my point of view, plain and simple. The bottom line is that we look at things the way we want to see them and no amount of fussing, cussing and discussing will change our minds. I see it half full, you see it half empty. It doesn't really matter in the grand scheme of things the exact volume, only that we see it in the first place.
Perception is reality....
Perception is reality....
Greetings
Hello everyone. Since it seems that blogging is the latest craze, and that everyone seems to have an opinion these days, I figured that I would add mine from the perspective of a common hill billy. Born in the hills of Appalachia, I guess that qualifies me as a hill billy-redneck-country boy, etc... (More on that later)
So, from time to time, when the mood strikes or something is going on in the world that catches my eye, I will give you my opinion on it. Not that I really care if agree or not, but at least I can sleep better knowing I tend to help y'all out.
So, from time to time, when the mood strikes or something is going on in the world that catches my eye, I will give you my opinion on it. Not that I really care if agree or not, but at least I can sleep better knowing I tend to help y'all out.
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