Guest Post - Tim Elliot - Obama Administration Fails To Implement Program to Help Veterans

Once again, Obama and the White House have shown themselves to be interested only in press and politics and not taking any real action. Although Obama recently made an announcement of the importance of the government supporting military families the White House failed to actually meet the deadline to implement a program that was supposed to provide comprehensive support of thousands of American families caring for veterans. The Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act was signed into law over nine months ago in May 2010, and had a clear deadline for the program to begin- January 31st, 2010.

However, nearly a month after the deadline has come and gone the Administration is still yet to implement the program, aimed at expanding benefits for the caregivers of wounded veterans. The VA pushed for the plan because of the increasing number of veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan who are receiving continued care from their spouses and families. Often times caring for a wounded veteran forces a loved one to give up their career and put their own life on hold to be a full-time caregiver and can cause significant financial burden.

The huge increases of veterans with long-term ailments such as post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), traumatic brain injuries (TBI), and mesothelioma has been extremely difficult for Veterans Affairs to keep up with. Both PTSD and TBI can take years of therapy to fully recover from, and although the mesothelioma life expectancy is only a little over a year it requires a large amount of care.

With ailments affecting veterans of all ages (most PTSD and TBI diagnoses are from the current wars, while mesothelioma symptoms usually don’t occur until in patients are in their 60’s and 70’s) it’s an epidemic that’s straining the VA and many veterans’ families to the brink. However, it appears as though Obama’s current charge that his Administration is doing everything it can for veterans is just more hot air from a White House that has no qualms with blatantly lying to the media.

Several programs for veterans such as the Wounded Warrior Project have put pressure on the White House and the VA to get the programs running as quickly as possible but it’s unsure what affect they will have. It’s time for the Obama administration to realize that people are going to demand that they follow through on their actions.

That's Crazy

Heard on the news that sobriety check points in California process 800-900 cars when set up. They also boast removing 8-10 impaired drivers.

My math tells me that is about 1%.

Can it really be that many? In a city of over 14 million, that's a bunch of drunk drivers.

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The Last Airbender

Ok... July 4th weekend. Spending it alone in Long Beach, CA. Thought I'd see a movie or two.

I spent $21 bucks. 9 on the movie (thank God for matenés) and 12 on popcorn and a drink.

The special effects were ok.

The water effects reminds me of The Abyss and that was how long ago? But then again how much can you improve on water effects.

The fire was nothing exceptional either. Except when the uncle made fire on his hands. The close up was cool.

3D... am I missing something? You can't watch the movie without the glasses, so I don't know but it really doesn't seem all that spectacular. Maybe it is because the movie was transferred to 3D and not shot in 3D. Time will have to tell.

The not so special effects... The benders tattoo seemed to move. Anything from the bridge of his nose to almost a half inch above his eyebrows. I would think since his tattoo was a major part of his identity, everyone would be on making sure it DIDN'T MOVE! Sheesh!

'We have to go' was the drinking phrase of the movie. And a big part of the mellow drama/over acting.

Do yourself a favor. Wait for the DVD. A buck on Red Box and 20 on you favorite cocktail will make a better evening than what I did.


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I Just Got Slapped In The Face

WOW!!!

Not really. Figuratively.

All my life, I always hated the fact that 'old' people resisted change.

"why do you need to be in the internet so much?","why do you have to have a pager", "I'll never use a cell phone and you don't need one" were just some of the jewels I grew up with.

Sometime there in my past I swore I'd always embrace new things… I've had a SLR digital camera for years. Cell phone, got it. Get a new one every time I can and always use the early upgrade. Camera phones, blackberry, full internet access. DVD recorder, got 2. Blue-ray, got it. 2-terra byte external storage hard drive, got one!

Today, I was asking for assistance in Word… 2007. I hate it, it's different, why did they mess with my WORD?! I could use MS Office products like nobody's business. Linking OLE objects, nesting data and graphs in Word then linking that to P-Point.

I was a Pro.

As I was grumbling about damn MS and changing the software, someone here quipped, 'damn MS for evolving!'

- - SMACK - -

*ouch*

I'm getting old . . . time to accept the new MS Office and stop resisting change.

Speedway Bill

A friend died last weekend. I am sadden by the loss and heartbroken that I could not return to Indiana for the funeral. The funeral was today.

I was there in spirit...

I've been thinking about him and his family all day.

I first met Bill in the summer of 2006. Memorial Day weekend. A 'come one, come all' invite had gone out to all Indiana Patriot Guard Riders to come on down to Speedway for a BBQ. For those that don't know, the Indianapolis 500 is actually not held in Indianapolis. It is in a small land locked town inside Indianapolis city limits called Speedway.

Bill and his family have lived there many years, 15 if I remember correctly. As I rode in on my '83 Shovel, making enough noise to wake the dead, Bill took notice and smiled. I walked over and introduced myself and immediately I was welcomed. "There's the food, the hog will be done about 6. The beer is in that cooler, soda in that one. Pull up a chair. Welcome." The same welcome happened several times and many new friendships were started.

We sat and chatted, under a checkerboard sign that read "Welcome Scuzy Mucks". A nick name given to the regulars that attended Bill's BBQs. I still smile when I say that name. I don't know that I ever fully became a 'Scuzzy Muck' to the other guys but to Bill, I was one of them.

Bill Mummert a.k.a. SpeedwayBill, was laid to rest today. His smile and selfless service for veterans and the Indiana Patriot Guard (IPG) will be greatly missed. Bill's family honored the IPG and invited us to attend his viewing and memorial service.

Rest in peace Bill and God's peace be with the family.

I'm Allergic to Sea Food

Shell fish specifically.

I can eat and do love fish and chips.

Tonight I had the halibut and chips at El Segundo Fish Co. In, go figure, El Segundo, CA.

If you should find yourself in the area, give them a try. Portions are good, service was friendly and the price was reasonable.

Including a beer, my dinner was $21.

El Segundo Fish Co. I will be back!

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Why The Gun Is Civilization And the Real Author

I do not really assume myself to be a writer. I do however appreciate good writing and do get rather irked when credit is not expressed correctly. I often spend hours looking for proof of authorship to articles and emails I am sent. I do this usually hoping to find other articles written by the claimed author but sometimes I find that the email has been mis-attributed. The below was emailed to me and "Why The Gun Is Civilization" is one of those ‘mis-attributed’ works. In my feeble effort to have those that may search for Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret) find the correct author, Marko Kloos, I have posted both names here. And reposted the full article... AND links back to the original and a discussion on plagiarism and attribution.

Respect,

DNR

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Why The Gun Is Civilization

Written by Marko Kloos 23MAR07 link

NOT Maj. L. Caudill USMC (Ret) link

Human beings only have two ways to deal with one another: reason and force. If you want me to do something for you, you have a choice of either convincing me via argument, or force me to do your bidding under threat of force. Every human interaction falls into one of those two categories, without exception. Reason or force, that’s it.

In a truly moral and civilized society, people exclusively interact through persuasion. Force has no place as a valid method of social interaction, and the only thing that removes force from the menu is the personal firearm, as paradoxical as it may sound to some.

When I carry a gun, you cannot deal with me by force. You have to use reason and try to persuade me, because I have a way to negate your threat or employment of force. The gun is the only personal weapon that puts a 100-pound woman on equal footing with a 220-pound mugger, a 75-year old retiree on equal footing with a 19-year old gangbanger, and a single gay guy on equal footing with a carload of drunk guys with baseball bats. The gun removes the disparity in physical strength, size, or numbers between a potential attacker and a defender.

There are plenty of people who consider the gun as the source of bad force equations. These are the people who think that we’d be more civilized if all guns were removed from society, because a firearm makes it easier for a mugger to do his job. That, of course, is only true if the mugger’s potential victims are mostly disarmed either by choice or by legislative fiat–it has no validity when most of a mugger’s potential marks are armed. People who argue for the banning of arms ask for automatic rule by the young, the strong, and the many, and that’s the exact opposite of a civilized society. A mugger, even an armed one, can only make a successful living in a society where the state has granted him a force monopoly.

Then there’s the argument that the gun makes confrontations lethal that otherwise would only result in injury. This argument is fallacious in several ways. Without guns involved, confrontations are won by the physically superior party inflicting overwhelming injury on the loser. People who think that fists, bats, sticks, or stones don’t constitute lethal force watch too much TV, where people take beatings and come out of it with a bloody lip at worst. The fact that the gun makes lethal force easier works solely in favor of the weaker defender, not the stronger attacker. If both are armed, the field is level. The gun is the only weapon that’s as lethal in the hands of an octogenarian as it is in the hands of a weightlifter. It simply wouldn’t work as well as a force equalizer if it wasn’t both lethal and easily employable.

When I carry a gun, I don’t do so because I am looking for a fight, but because I’m looking to be left alone. The gun at my side means that I cannot be forced, only persuaded. I don’t carry it because I’m afraid, but because it enables me to be unafraid. It doesn’t limit the actions of those who would interact with me through reason, only the actions of those who would do so by force. It removes force from the equation…and that’s why carrying a gun is a civilized act.

I Have A Question

I had the privilege of dinner with my boss and his son this evening. We went to watch the Lakers play and as fate would have it the game was a blowout. For me, being one of the first times I actually went someplace to watch a basketball game, it was kinda boring.

Now, just for the record, this was not a baby sitting father and young son night out. Mark and Michael are both adults. They are co-managing the company as the elder imparts years of wisdom in the younger. Their conversations are varied and often passionate.

I can't help but smile at the struggle I know they have as the wisdom doesn't quite hit home for the younger and the unbridled passion to jump in with both feet escapes the conservative nature of the elder. I know my sons and I had these same struggles and I wonder who in my life was watching and smiling as I do now.

As the three of us sat half not watching the game the conservation took many paths, work, the people there, LA, the mid-west... politics.

The younger says to me "my dad wants to ask Obama a question. Has he told you? Dad, tell DNR what you want to ask President Obama."
The elder says to me, "Why do you want to change this country? I hate communism [socialism]. He is trying to make this country into a social state. Take my money and give it to people that have never worked. Not poor. Never tried. This is a wonderful country, you can be anything you want, you want a lot of money, you can make it. You want to be President, YOU can be President. When I left my country they were bringing about change. We were a strong country. Our currency was accepted all around the world... now &%€@ [cursing in another language]. My question for my Obama is this, 'what did you have when you were eleven?' [looking at me with great passion in his eyes] What did Mr Obama have when he was eleven?"
"Nothing." I replied. Half expecting an 'ah-ha' gotcha. But he simply asked "what does he have now...? He is President. Why does he want to change this country?"

So, Mr Obama, we have a question. After nearly 50 years, you have gone from (by all accounts) nothing to President. If it worked for you, Why do you want to change this country?
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1.2 Miles

Not 1,200 or 2,400 like it used to be.

Life finds me now living one and two tenths miles from the beach. Today is my second or third trip to the place where sand meats water. Since the kayaus that was my life recently has subsided I took time this visit to look, to see.

Remember back in the 70s, there was a PSA commercial where an American Indian would stand someplace and observe the trash blowing up at his feet and we would see a tear fall down his cheek?

Today I watched the tattered remains of a gallon milk jug wrestle with the surf. Ten feet out, two feet, stuck in he sand, lifted back up and taken another six feet out. Ultimately is settled on the shore, partly stuck in the sand. I'm guessing it will stay there till next high tide, then be pushed further up on shore.

Where I sit right now, maybe 20 feet from the water, there are cigarette filters galore, packing peanuts, foam coffee cup scraps, a literal plethora of plastic bits and pieces AND too many other things to mention. I know on the coasts they don't necessarily use landfills as much as us inlanders do. They use ocean dumps. Now, I don't know if the stuff here on the beach with me is just trash from last years beach crowd or if it is the ocean returning to us what is truly ours but I do know it's shameful.

I know why coastal living folks are so pro recycle. This 'stuff' is literally in their back yard.

As conservative as I am, I, personally, need to do a better job reusing the stuff that I have.

As for the milk jug...
I put it in a trash can but I can't help but wonder, will it be back?

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Randomness

Sitting in a LA area Starbucks, some things occur to me.

I couldn't help but smile at a young Asian couple with their very young daughter. Speaking Chinese (I'm guessing) they chatted. Mom would giggle and chatter something while pointing at the little girl. Dad would smile and look at her in his lap and she would beam with a child's innocent smile. Absolutely the most precious thing I've seen in days.

This are has a lot of Asians. LA is the new mixing pot of America.

Four young men are sitting. outside chatting in their language. I can only imagine it is politics. Heh, maybe they are talking about the fat white guy typing frantically in his BB. LOL!

Outside there is blazing sunshine, palm trees, snow capped mountains, and thunderstorm clouds hugging some of the lower peaks. Truly an amazing place.

I could learn to like LA.

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Anonymous

Happy?

A Fan

I have a fan!

Nice post, in a drunk, profound way. You're posting less and less these days. You hate California, and your life there, right? You left everything behind, the Barn, your friends, your family, the PGR...

At least, try to post more often. You have a good, direct and amusing, straightforward style, that its not that easy to find. In 4 words, you're fun to read. Despite all our differences.

Cheers from Europe/Portugal

I never thought my troll would be the one that comes back regularly to read my posts.

So, sincere or a smart ass jab? meh, who cares.

Everyone can stop reading here except "Europe/Portugal"

-------------------

Yes, I'm posting less and less. I'm on face book daily... or more. I must admit, I do kinda miss your ranting and posting here in a more anonymous manner.

No, I don' hate California, the weather is great and I'm meeting some really great people. I do miss the Barn, my friends, family, the PGR... There are PGR here and like i said, I'm making friends.

And thanks for the complement.

I Saw A Spider

Yes tonight I saw a spider.

It’s at least 50 feet between the building I’m staying in and the one across the way. Yet he hung there… 40 feet above the ground, blowing in the wind.

If this had been Indiana, I’d say a storm was brewing. You know the feeling… A suspiciously warm night, a strong breeze coming in from the south… rain is coming, big storm. Big rain. But here in Southern California, phft, I don’t have a clue. This weather is… weird.

The spider.

He was blowing in the breeze, moving around at least two feet. Completely oblivious to the impending death that surly awaits him should he fall the 40 or so feet to the ground. But yet there he was, making his web. Working tirelessly to construct that which would sustain his life.

There was a point… somewhere.

I know, “What the f’hell?” Yet some how, for some reason, to me, it is… was profound.

Yes. I’m drunk.

29.95

Sigh - when your 29.95 room comes with a fly-swatter. It should be obvious you're not going to sleep much... crickets. In the room. Under the bed. All night.

Oh, and now... no hot water.

If there was ever a sign I should just go back to bed, this is it.

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There’s a party at the Barn

It’s 12:30am Wednesday morning and I’m not sleeping again. Not sleepy… maybe choosing not to sleep. I’m actually not sure which.

Earlier today a friend posted on FB (by the way, that’s where I’m spending most of my time these days) he was headed up to the barn to get some ink done. Sigh. Sitting at my desk (it’s really a table, I don’t have a desk… and don’t even ask about ‘an office’) I pondered on that statement just long enough to get a lump in my throat.

I’m here, they’re there. And life goes on.

I may have to drink a bottle of Jack this weekend just so I can pretend I’m there.

If, somehow, someone, were to read this and happened to get the Barn Bunch together for a ‘biker’ style (you know, fingers, moons, maybe ‘twins’) group photo and sent it to me… I’d be really grateful.

In My Short Time Here In California

I’ve learned:

Traffic. No matter where you are from, where you have driven, the traffic in LA is unique. Here, the terms ‘defensive driving’ and ‘situational awareness’ have completely new depths of meaning.

It DOES rain in Southern California.

Palm trees, left to their own devices are gnarly. (note So Cal terminology) Nothing like you see in the post cards.

No matter how my day was, if I have to park more than 2 buildings away from my apartment, the day sucked. Yesterday (last night) I got a “notice of intent to impound” sticker on my car. I am in building L. I have had to park as far away as building A.

I get the heebe jeebes (we’re talking serious panic attack here) when traffic makes me stop on the highway under a bridge. All I can think about is “squashed like a pancake”…

The barbed wire on the sign poles is to keep people off the signs, not necessarily for birds. Some guy was on the news, being convicted of vandalism on (tagging) the big green highway signs. He did over $100,000 in damage. Said he climbed up on them at night and painted away.

The Left Coast

Again, Not what I expected.

I expected a culture of hug the planet, save the trees, flow control faucets on everything, don’t drink sodas, only eat salads, you know, the left cost way of life. I also expected PC-ness to be running rampant.

From the people here, I have observed, they are worse than any Midwesterner. They litter, freely. We’re talking sandwich wrappers, empty cigarette boxes, multiple napkins… it’s almost disgusting. Use it, drop it out the car window. On the freeway, at traffic lights, in a parking lot… wherever they are.

There is fast food everywhere and everyone eats it. Now some times they tend to go for the ‘chuck-wagon’, (one of those traveling trucks that brings food to a business) What they get from there are fries with cheese, super sloppy burritos… all kinds of stuff that isn’t good for you.

Sidebar – the chuck wagon is more like a carnival food truck, not the little pick-up-with-a-heater-and-refrigerator like the other factory had. These have deep fryers, griddles, freezers and 2 or 3 workers in them. They must come from somewhere near by here because in the mornings, I see a half dozen of them on the road. Oh yea, they are here for breakfast too.

My apartment does not have flow control on the shower head. I was genuinely surprised to see this. The water pressure is great. I have the hot and cold valves turned less than one-eight of a turn and I can spray parts into my hair. Any more opening of the valves and I think the shower streams would cut my skin.

There are TV and radio commercials (PSA’s) telling everyone there is ‘mandatory water conservation’. Don’t hose of your driveway, take only 5-minute showers, fix broken sprinklers, etc.

PC – again, political correctness seems to be an elitist philosophy. Some customer name and or job name had something like fine china in the name. ho boy, you wouldn’t believe the vagina gags running around and being shouted over the walls. Funny, yes. Expected, no.

Maybe what I have been told is just from Hollywood. Maybe these people are too busy working and trying to get by in this crazy economy (like the rest of the country) to worry about what the Hollywood Elite seem to worry about. It’s kind of comforting but in the same since, it’s disheartening.

Being conservative doesn’t mean I’m not ecologically aware. I don’t litter, I try to eat right when time allows. And does any body really ‘hose’ off their driveway weekly or daily??

If I’m more conservation conscious than 70-80% of the left coast… what does that mean?

Minority

That's me.



I went to Wal-Mart here the other day to get some supplies. You know, soap, paper towels, butter and such.



Anyway, standing in the checkout line I started looking around. First of all, the place was packed. Must have been 20 open register lines and all of them had at least 3 people waiting in line. It was packed like Christmas in Indiana. As I was scanning the crowd, just taking in the scenery, it hit me... black hair. OMG everyone here has black hair. That got me looking and I actually did find one guy with a ball cap on that might have had lighter hair.



Everyone else was latino or asian. I was the only 'white' guy.



The trend even carries on here to the new office. I AM the only white guy. There is one guy, Jesus, with red-black hair and the bleached blond/red latinos don't count.



Here it's not just appearance. It's language too. The owners speak hebrew, a couple guys in the office and a couple on the factory seem to speak it too. Then of course there is the spanish. In the middle of phone conservations they (the latinos) change back in fourth like it's the same language. On top of that, I know I've heard korean (seen it come off the printer too).



It really is amazing to listen to this modern day melting pot of cultures mix and enter act.





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Work

So... Yesterday I drove to the new office just to get a feel for the directions and the time required. Took me about 25 min.

I figured a 2 to 3 times the time... this being LA and all. Nope. Took me 25 minutes. I'm an hour early. On top of that, no one is here... The place is empty.

Think they closed and went out of business without telling me?

Naaw, me neither...

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Question...

How do you, or more specifically I, tell some one they are being a dumb ass?

Besides the obvious, just come out and say it.

In a few posts below, I've talked about Tom. He has esophogas cancer. He says from years of smoking. Like since he was 19, since Vietnam.

Because he was a real man (his words) he never went to the doctors. If he had they may have found it early enough to make it not be fatal.

So... what causes a mid 40's, intelligent man to start or re-start smoking?? Peer pressure...? Really? Naw, can't be.

Ok... I'll just say it.

DC, you're being a dumb ass! Just stop smoking! Ok?
That shit WILL kill you!

And Steve, my gut tells me you aren't doing everything you should. I hope I'm wrong.

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