Ft Hood - The Answer!

Well here I go again. Seems I am always against the grain, but this time I think in a good way.

I think everyone knows I support the right to bear arms. Not going to go into the 2nd Amendment as I believe far too many people skew the real meaning. Nor am I going to rant about the fact weapons do not kill people. Let me just quickly repeat myself. It takes a deliberate act of squeezing the trigger to make any gun go "bang." So, the person attached to the finger is the cause of a weapon discharging a round.

In the past few days a lot has been printed and reported about the Ft Hood shooting. Many are appalled that soldiers were not armed to defend themselves. Many are questioning that fact. I am not going to discuss Maj Hasan. Why he snapped or what made him execute such a horrific plan, we may never know. So I'll allow you to speculate and draw your own conclusions.

Let me quickly address why the solders were not armed. Being a veteran of 24 years, all Infantry, I have quite an extensive weapons experience base to draw from.

If this happened on an Air Force base or a Navy ship at sea, would the question still be why weren't the Air Force and Navy personnel armed? I think not.

I really don't think Americans look at the Air Force and Navy in the same light they do the Army and Marine Corps.

For some reason we never really relate guns and combat to the Air Force and Navy.

So why weren't the Ft Hood soldiers armed? For the same reason Air Force pilots do not take their fighter jets home! Or why Navy Commanders aren't leisurely floating their big grey ships in the local lake! Just not feasible.

What if IBM had all their employees toting weapons, or Ford Motor Company armed everyone on the assembly line, would we accept this? An emphatic and resounding no!

Military personnel, regardless of service, prepare to defend a great country against foreign or domestic threat. Never a thought to defend the place you work.

If all our military walked around carrying a weapon, it would be more of a street gang with sophisticated weapons rather than a well regulated militia.

I cannot recall an incident during my twenty-four years of service that required us to be armed, locked and loaded, on any installation I was assigned. Quite possibly, the 9-11 incident may have been one tragedy that caused all military installations to lock down and their Rapid Response Units to be placed on alert.

The incident on Ft Hood came unexpectedly, just as 9-11, the shootings at Columbine and Virginia Tech, to name a few.

There is no defense against such an act of violence. I do wonder sometimes why all these so called psychics we have in this country cannot see stuff like this before it happens!

If the unexpected was expected, we could prepare for it. Sadly, it is always just that, unexpected.

Maybe Murphy gave us the most profound observation ever. "If anything can go wrong, it will; and at the worst possible moment." Maybe we need to add "and with horrific consequence."

And now soldiers are shooting soldiers!

The news today was absolutely heartbreaking and sickening. An Army officer, a doctor and psychiatrist, shot and killed 12 fellow soldiers. How horrific! In all, at latest count, 12 dead, 31 wounded.

How crazy! What in the hell did these soldiers do to hurt this officer? What role did they have in his being deployed? None, an emphatic not one damn thing. But yet, as innocent bystanders their lives are ended.

Ladies and gentlemen, do not blame the guns used. Guns are inanimate objects that do no harm on their own. I can attest to that. None of my guns have ever jumped out of their cases and began shooting. It is not the gun manufacturers fault anymore than it is the fault of an automobile manufacturers fault because someone runs a red light.

"A firearm holstered properly, lying on a table, or placed in a scabbard is of no danger to anyone. Only when handled is there a need for concern." (Excerpted from: The Modern Technique of the Pistol, by Greg Morrison, Gunsite Press, Paulden, Arizona, ISBN 0-9621342-3-6, Library of Congress Number 91-72644, $40)

Rather it is the fault of a radical SOB that had total disregard for the Hypocratic Oath that he had vowed to uphold.

I cannot fix this, nor can I turn back the hands of time. I can only wonder why. And I can render prayer to those involved.

Although no official words have ever been printed, these verses have become popular.

I render the salute of TAPS to my fallen comrades. May God be you!


Day is done, gone the sun,
From the hills, from the lake,
From the sky.
All is well, safely rest,
God is nigh.

Go to sleep, peaceful sleep,
May the soldier or sailor,
God keep.
On the land or the deep,
Safe in sleep.

Love, good night, Must thou go,
When the day, And the night
Need thee so?
All is well. Speedeth all
To their rest.

Fades the light; And afar
Goeth day, And the stars
Shineth bright,
Fare thee well; Day has gone,
Night is on.

Thanks and praise, For our days,
'Neath the sun, Neath the stars,
'Neath the sky,
As we go, This we know,
God is nigh.

Alaskan Vacation

I will tell you before you even start, this is lengthy!! I have included links (in blue) to points of interest and a link to our very condensed album titled "Alaska Adventure 2009" at the end of the blog.

We departed Little Rock on July 25th en route to Anchorage Alaska. We flew this time and arrived around 11 p.m. Alaska time. Slight baggage screw up, one bag made it, three did not!

Traveling with us are our best friends Ron and Lynn. Lee's brother, Pat and his wife Suzanne's, house is our base camp.

Monday was a lazy day for us. We walked and shopped the downtown area, explored Kincaid Park and Flattop Mountain. On Tuesday we headed for Homer to do some halibut fishing.

We lodged for two nights at The Beary Patch Bed & Breakfast. The first night we dined at The Homestead restaurant. Outstanding food and great atmosphere. The second night we dined at Cafe Cups. The food here was good. We all concurred that The Homestead was a bit better.

We had fishing reservations with Big Bear Charters. Captain Brandon and his deck hand Ty were the crew for the day. Weather wise the day was pretty lousy. We would have fished for Lingcod as well as halibut, but, the weather did not permit us into Lingcod water. So halibut it was. Lynn was the first to have a fish on, however, it ended up being a spiny dog shark!!!! Quite a few of these sharks were caught.

By days end we all caught our limit of two fish per person. The biggest fish being probably 40 - 60 pounders. If ya'll think this type of fishing is easy, it isn't. We fished in 200 feet of water with a 2 - 3 pound weight. Just pulling up line to check bait was tiring. Now add 20 - 30 pounds of combative fish. No easy task for any of us. However, everyone prevailed and by days end we were bushed!

No telling how many fish were actually caught as many were tossed back in because bigger fish could be had. Back at the dock, the fish were unloaded, washed and hung up for photos and then they were filleted. The end result was 114 pounds of fresh halibut. We had them flash frozen and shipped via FedEx back to Ron's and put in his freezer at home. FedEx was on time and fish made it without problem.

Many of the local folks suggested we eat at Crabbies. So we stopped there prior to heading back to Anchorage. Sadly, the food nor the atmosphere equalled the previous dining experiences. Crabbies ended up being a disappointment.

On the way out of Homer we stopped and visited the Alaska Islands and Oceans Visitor Center. A very educational experience.

Back in Anchorage for a day before we head to Talkeetna. We dropped the girls downtown to shop and we headed to view spawning salmon. Stopped first at Ship's Creek, saw a few fish and a few fisherman. We then headed to Campbell Park where the Alaska Game and Fish have a few viewing areas set up. We saw a few fish, but nothing to speak of. So Ron and I made our way to West Marine. Yeppers we visited the northern most West Marine Store, didn't buy anything, but hey we were there!!!!

We then headed into town to meet up with the girls. The girls had lunch at Sack's. One of those nice little foo foo kinda places girls like to go. Ron and I had reindeer sausage from a street vendor!!!! After lunch we headed to the Anchorage Museum at Rasmuson. Here the story of Alaska is told. Many many great exhibits and wonderful art.

Friday we headed to Talkeetna. Took our time getting started and really took our time getting to Talkeetna. Along the way we stopped in Palmer, walked through the local farmers market and had lunch at Vagabond Blue's. Then onward to Talkeetna. Well actually a little place named Sunshine where we stayed at the Fireweed Station Bed & Breakfast. I could ramble on for days about this place, check out the link and spare the rambling. Tom and Hobb's are host and hostess of this wonderful place. We brought fresh caught halibut for dinner and Tom prepared it. He is a fantastic cook. We spent Friday and Saturday evening here. After breakfast on Saturday we took a short hike to pick berries and see the Yak's. The Yak's are used to pack in camping supplies for hikers conquering Mt McKinley. The rest of Saturday was a downtown Talkeetna day. Talkeetna consists basically of one main street. We had lunch at Twister Creek a busy little place. Reindeer soup was a hit with us as were the huge burgers. One thing that can be said about Alaska, the meals are not skimpy!

Later on that evening we chartered Talkeetna Air Taxi for an aerial tour of Mt McKinley. What an absolutely awesome experience. The planes had not been able to land on the glaciers due to weather for several days or so. We were informed that the flight before us was successful at landing, as were we! Yep, the plane landed on the glacier. I guess I already used the word awesome, but I have to use it again. The glacier experience was beyond awesome!!!!! It was so cool walking out on the glacier and experiencing first hand what a crevasse looks like.

Upon returning to Talkeetna we met Pat, Suzanne, Tom and Hobb's at Mountain High Pizza for dinner. I guess we ordered dinner a few minutes after nine. Being that the sun stays up so long in Alaska it's hard to gauge the time. We had an early Sunday morning meeting time with the iFishAlaska folks some forty-five minutes from Talkeetna. We originally were to meet at five-thirty which was plenty early for us; the meeting time ended up being four-forty-five, yes a.m.! Here we are choking down pizza trying to finish up dinner so that we could get back to Fireweed and catch a few hours of sleep.

Second Week: Sunday morning alarms went off at three-thirty and we were on the road at four. We arrived at the Deshka River Landing in Willow on time and met with our fishing guide, Pat. We loaded our gear onto the boat and headed out. A very cool morning to say the least. We made our way up river to a hot spot, that turned out to be warm rather than hot. The limit for Silver Salmon is three per person. Ron and I caught our limit with Pat, Lee, and Lynn catching one each. Made our daily catch at nine, six fish short of a full limit. At any rate we all had a great time, saw a few eagles and lots of jumping fish. Filleted out, I venture to say our catch rendered probably 40 pounds or so of fresh Alaskan Silver Salmon! These were packed up in a fish box and carried home.

Very tiring drive home, but it was well worth it. Monday was a lazy day, well laid back day. We all decided we could do "nothing" at home. We ended up going to the Anchorage Zoo. Have to laugh, because we have been moose-less so far. When we got to the moose enclosure, we had to ask one of the workers to point out the moose!!!! We should have visited the zoo the first day here. The "bad moose karma" was finally broken. Pics of this trip are included in the Anchorage album.

Tuesday morning was a rise and shine early day as we were taking the train to Whittier and then taking a glacier sight seeing cruise. Both the train and the cruise turned out to be fantastic. Can't tell you how many glaciers we got to see, I think they said twenty-six. Along with the glaciers we saw eagles, otters and harbor seals. And we were fortunate to witness a glacier calving. Calving is when a piece of the glacier breaks away and falls into the ocean!

On our return train ride, we saw moose in the wild. First a cow and her calf, then a young moose that was on the track. The train probably followed this moose for a half mile or so before it jumped to safety. We also saw a big bull with a large rack of antlers. Also spotted a small group of Dall Sheep frolicking on the rocks.

Wednesday found us at the Aviation Museum where the history of Alaska aviation and bush pilots is displayed. Then we had a moment of sheer impulse. The museum is located on the shore of Lake Hood, the worlds largest float plane base. So yep you guessed it, we decided to take a float plane tour with Ellison Air. From the plane we saw moose, elk, bison, eagles, seals and Beluga whales(the little white amoeba looking things). How fun to take off from and land on water. Pics of this trip are included in the Anchorage album.

Thursday brought us to Alyeska Resort in Girdwood. There is a wonderful tram that takes you to the top of Alyeska Mountain. Sadly the clouds were so heavy that once on top we couldn't see anything. We had lunch with hopes the clouds would clear. No such luck, so that plan basically bombed.

From the resort we decided to head to the Alaska Wildlife Conservation Center. Here they have rescued animals living in a protected environment. More moose, elk, bison, black bear, caribou, and a few other species. Good weather and good experience.
Finally heading back to Anchorage. Already planning Friday's activities of last minute shopping, packing, returning the rental car and getting to the airport to catch a one-thirty a.m. Saturday morning flight. While at the conservation center Lee overheard someone saying there had been a fatal accident on Seward Highway and that the highway was closed. Not sure exactly where the accident was, we drove towards Anchorage. Needless to say we only got about fifteen miles when we came to stopped traffic. Lee's brother sent a text informing us the highway would be closed until five-thirty. Ron had already decided to turn around and go back to one of the creeks where we could park and view salmon and watch folks fish.

The real Alaskan adventure begins. As we watch the salmon and fishermen in Bird Creek, someone yells "bear!" Holy cow, yes a bear, doing some fishing of it's own. From the bridge we frantically snap pictures. The Ron decides to make a move off the bridge to get closer. I follow.
I guess I could go on and on about this encounter, but pictures are worth thousands of more words then I could possibly write. After returning to the bridge, a second bear appeared. As I watched the second bear, it all of a sudden jolted back into the foliage. Come to find out, Ron and Lynn had gone hiking and found themselves directly above the bear on a ridge. As Ron states, it was one of those "holy crap" moments!!!

Headed back to the bridge we encounter a wild squirrel!

I can tell you honestly that this days experience is probably the best wildlife adventure we have ever had!!!!

Friday we prepare to leave. The girls went off to do last minute shopping and to turn the car in. Ron and I stay home and relax.

After dinner at Carlo's Mexican restaurant, we head back to the house and pack our salmon. Then it's off to the airport to catch a 1:30 a.m. flight home. The flight long and uneventful. We arrive home in Little Rock around 4 p.m. Oh the comfort of sleeping in your own bed!!!!!!

Our album: Alaska Adventure 2009

So I was asked my opinion about the Second Amendement

Here is my reply.

Being a military retiree and spending 24 years in the Infantry I have had my experience with weapons. I have a Concealed Carry Permit and I do carry about 95% of the time.

The argument of the Second Amendment has been an ongoing discussion for years. Sadly the majority of the people do not really know what the Second Amendment Right is.

The true interpretation of the Amendment does not give every citizen of this country the right to bear arms.

The argued excerpt: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

The intent of the Amendment was to give citizens, farmers and home owners the right to bear arms to protect their properties and families against aggression.

So the NRA's (of which I am a member) argument that everyone should have the right to bear arms is a moot point with me.

Yep, I'd be pissed if the Government came in and told me I could no longer own a gun, and yep, I'd be illegal because I will not give up my guns. Period!

I feel if they stop all gun sales and take away every one's right to own and bear arms, the only folks that will have guns will be the criminals and we surely have enough of that problem now.

The argument from the righteous people that say guns kill, haven't a friggin clue. Hell cars kill as well. However, if I leave my gun in a safe locked up it isn't going to kill anyone by itself. It will need a mechanism to squeeze the trigger to make it go bang.

So why don't people that have lost family members due to a drunk driver behind the wheel not sued or condemned the car manufacturer involved? Well simply, because it's a stupid thought. The car did not kill anyone. The car was the projectile that the drunk driver used to kill someone.

I think it is just so very hard to blame an inanimate object of a crime!

Do I support the Second Amendment? You betcha, I gave 24 years of my life for that right. It would be nice if everyone really knew what that right was all about.

After all these years, I have realized.....

That I am the best driver on the road!!!!!!

It is beyond my level of comprehension how so many people behind the wheel can be so careless.

Directional (turn) signals are mostly never used. This is due to not having the hand free to flip the lever. I have actually witnessed folks passing me with a book or magazine on the steering wheel; or see them texting, or applying makeup as they are going 60 or 70 mph.

And why don't people look? Whether a directional signal is used or not, people just pull out. And then of course the sense that, "hey I put my signal on."

Driving for me has become a simple necessity, I really no longer enjoy it. The rudeness of people is crazy.

Funny how everyone is so against things that are hazardous to one's health, smoking, drinking, obesity and the like. However, when it comes to driving all caution is thrown to the wind. Do people not realize they are vulnerable or that they really are sitting behind the wheel of a 2,000 pound killing machine?

But I know I'm preaching to the choir, cuz after all, it's never gonna happen to me!

Summer in Arkansas full bloom!!!

Well here we are mid July with temperatures hitting the 100 mark. Even though we spend a lot of time at the lake, that does not offer any relief from the heat. This past weekend is evidence of that. The water temps are those that we normally experience in August. Jump off the boat into the water and it feels like you're taking a header into your bath water!!!!

At least we are getting a few showers now and then. Stormed last night with all the effects. Thunder, lightening and torrential rain!!!! The grass, flowers and weeds really loved it. The birds and squirrels must have enjoyed it as well, as they were raiding the bird feeders this morning. Opened the door to let the dog out and squirrels and birds scattered everywhere.

Am I complaining? Nope! Cuz in just a short few months Fall will be upon us followed by Old Man Winter! And we'll be wishing for summer once again!!!!

Are we never satisfied!

Summer Has Arrived

And sadly in more than one way you can tell. Gas prices have shot up from just over $2.00 a gallon to $2.70. And of course it depends upon where you buy. Here in Little Rock regular ranges from $2.60 to $2.81. Plus is like $2.88 or so, which I have to use in accordance to my vehicle specs. No I don't own a go-fast performance car. I have a VW Passat Wagon and for some reason it requires the higher octane. The upside is great gas mileage, I average about 25mpg in the city and 31mpg+ on the open road!

Funny though. Went to Hot Springs yesterday and I got gas for $2.59 a gallon. That was at only one station. All the other stations were posting a $2.44 - $2.45 per gallon price. Plus at one station was $2.83.

I just don't understand why the prices go up, I guess it's because they can. The oil guru's know we are going to pay for it regardless. That fact was proven when gas hit the $4.00+ mark.

Go anywhere and you can smell the barbecue in the air. Backyard grills are running full speed ahead.

Pools are filled with happy screams of children and the commanding screams of parents, "don't do that," "no running in the pool area," "don't go in the deep end," and of course the panic scream of "wheres your sister?"

Traffic and shopping malls are horrid. It seems like every kid out of school has a car. Not sure whats worse, the kids behind wheels or school buses!

Temperatures climbing, morning lows are mid 70's. Highs getting to hit high 90's with heat indices over 100. Electric bills climbing due to the cooling of living and working spaces.

Another wonderful sign is the not so green grass. Why is it that weeds continue to grow no matter how dry it gets! Yeppers, all the rain we complained about in April and May have become a memory. With the hopes that we could get some of that rain back!

I remember a marquee at one of the local churches when I first came to Arkansas some fifteen years ago. The month was August, temps of high 90's, low 100's had been beating the state up for about two weeks. The marquee read, "don't pray for rain if you're going to complain about the mud!"

Funny!

Boating weather is upon us, the lake is getting warm, and soon taking a dip will have no more cooling effect then jumping in your bath water!!!!

Life is good. Staying cool is a must. Don't forget your outside friends. Birds could really use a bubbling bird bath. And don't forget your furry friends. Be sure to have cool water for your cats and dogs and to provide a shelter for them to get out of the direct sunlight.

Stay safe, stay cool and enjoy summer, before you know it, it'll be gone!!!!