Okay, Okay, I'll Really Post This Time....

Well, I'm not sure what I'll put. It's apparently been a slow day in the news. We've got an infra-red spot on Titan (one of Saturn's moons) that is probably an eruption (it's a volcanic moon... duh). Priscilla Owens was finally voted in (so Congress has to ratify all Presidential nominations... duh). The CIA is conducting a mock terrorist attack against government computer systems and doesn't want to tell us any more about it (again.... duh). And finally, a criminal was caught standing next to his own wanted poster, yeah criminals are dumb (just.... duh). As my mom says, they're not criminals because they're smart, they're criminals because they're stupid. Anyhow, I've been working in my other office all day, so I haven't gotten to keep up on the news as well. Oh yeah, and we've got a 5 day weekend coming up starting tomorrow. Yeah, we have to do all this paperwork and whatnot so that they think we're aware of all the risks an stuff, because the biggest killer of Marines is off-duty accidents. So we did all this paperwork and went to these classes and I'm going to a safety brief at 6:30 tomorrow morning and can you guess where I'm going to be for 12 hours every day of the holiday? Yes, RIGHT HERE!!! No, I don't get time off, yes I do have to work, no it's not punitive, and yes I did still have to do all the stupid preparation and whatnot. But again, that's the Marine Corps for you. Anyhow, I've gotta go get ready to change over for the guy that's coming to relieve me. More later...

Another Post...

Well, I haven't got much time left so this one might not be very long. I passed the Field-Day-From-Hell this morning. It completely wasted 4 hours of my time and kept me from eating breakfast. But that's the Marine Corps for you. Oh, check out other Matt's blog, he's put up some really good links lately. Not much in the news today. The House of Congress finally voted on Pricilla Owens, but I'm not sure why that's a big deal. I thought that all Presidential nomination had to be ratified by Congress, oh well. And there's something about a Fillibuster still being thrown around. I think that's one of the most absurd and least democratic things I've ever heard of. A fillibuster allows a minority that knows it cannot win the vote on an issue to keep talking about the issue so that a vote cannot be taken. As long as someone is talking about the issue, a vote cannot be taken; no time limit, no limit on the number of speakers or the number of times that a person may speak. Therefore, a group that does not represent the majority is given the power to get what they want, or at least to obstruct any and all congressional proceedings. The entire purpose of the American form of government is to give the MAJORITY what they want. If the majority isn't being served then the government isn't doing it's job. It is arrogant to presume that a minority of people should be able to override what the ruling body of America (the majority) wants. Yes, it is quite possible and not infrequent that the majority is wrong, but that is not for the government to decide. Anyway, my replacement is here so I'm going to go call Helen and sleep.... oh yeah, and go grocery shopping. More later....

Well, I Won't Say That It's Good to Be Back...

After a week of vacation it's hard to come back to this life. The last week was absolutely the best. I got to spend all day, every day adoring Helen and getting to know her better. I also got to spend more time with her family than I usually do and it was good to learn about them too, but you can immagine how important Helen is to me. The idea was actually her mother's, which is a little surprising because she has always been ever so slightly reserved about my relationship with her daughter. I'm not sure that she is even actually reserved, maybe just cautious. Anyhow, the point is that she got to see a little more of how Helen and I interact and I think that she's a little more comfortable with our relationship, which really helps the whole getting married thing. Did I mention that I really love Helen a lot? Because I do.
I got burned really badly, though. Sunburn, that is. My back was not too bad but my knees, yes knees, were burned so badly that it hurt to bend them. Other than that one thing, the week was perfect. The weather was great, there was hardly anyone else on the beach, the water was actually warm enough that we were able to swim. It really was great. I'm so glad that they came up and did that for me.
There's not really much in the news to talk about. Fox has been showing the same pictures all day of the 16 buildings that were demolished in China. Can't they find something interesting to talk about? Anyhow, I'll find something to tell you tmorrow. More later...

After a Brief Respite...

Well, after a week of training and a little time off, I'm back, but not for long. Helen and her mother, sister, and sister's boyfriend decided to surprise me by coming up to visit. Not only that, but they got one of my old bosses in on the gig and so I am completely off work for the next 10 days. They rented a beach house on Emerald Isle for a week, I think. Anyhow, I'm going to be very occupied for a little while. I saw The Terminal this past week and was very impressed. Look forward to that movie review as well. I've only got a few hours left on watch and then I get to go see Helen again ;-) More later...

I'm Back.....

Well now, it's been a couple of days since I posted last, I hope that you haven't missed me, or rather that you have, because that would mean that someone was reading it ;-) So far, I'm still going through the classes, but Monday should be the last one, maybe Wednesday. On Monday we actually get to draw our weapons out of the armory and conduct a BZO on them. Our assault rifles have adjustable sights so that we can adjust for distance and wind. These sights are not necessarily centered for everyone. I don't know what BZO stands for, but it is the process of firing our rifles on a normal day at a fairly close target (100m or less) so that we can adjust our sights to a setting that is normalized or zeroed for our body and shooting style. Obviously, when in combat, we won't have the time to estimate windspeed and distance and then adjust our sights and the test our adjustments on a moving target and then readjust based on our test and for each new target. A BZOed rifle allows us to have centered sights that we can then adjust using "Kentucky Windage," which is aiming slightly off target so that the round will hit where we want it to. Other things that we have been learning are how to travel in a convoy and what to do when that convoy is hit by an IED (road-side bomb) or ambushed. We've also learned the various laws that apply to the war hat we are fighting over there and how those laws are supplemented by situation-specific Rules of Engagement. Unfortunately the media that are covering operations out there do not understand what it means to be in a war and to be in a situation that calls for a kill-or-be-killed mentality. They also are not fond of reporting the facts that we required to use an "escalation of force" which means that we have to yell, then brandish our weapon, then use non-lethal force, before we can open fire on anyone including a suicide bomber (unless they open fire first). This means that any Iraqi who gets shot, knew that he was about to get shot and had the opportunity to avoid getting shot. The media also don't report that we care for the dead and wounded Iraqis as well. There are requirements about what we have to do with Iraqis that we kill or even that we find already dead. We are also required to give the same medical attention to enemy combatants that we give to our own Marines. Why does the media insist on showing the brutality of a handful of immature and atypical US fighters, but not the common courtesy and decency that we show to even the guys who were just shooting at us? It's not because that's what sells, heroics and uncommon virtue sell just as many papers, if not more; look at all the movies that have come out in recent days. Then why? Why are they not just as interested in the ways that the insurgents are adapting their use of IEDs to kill more American troops? The way that the whole area clears out when there's an IED planted there, men, women and children, because everyone knows about it besides us. The way that IEDs are used to booby-trap buildings, wrecked vehicles, dead bodies, other IEDs, etc. The way that they plant wrecked vehicles so that when a convoy stops for the obstacle a whole daisy-chain of IEDs goes off next to it. The way that they plant one IED so that when we find it and back off a prescribed distance away, we end up sitting on another one. The way that one man can set off a series of IEDs and decimate a convoy from an entire kilometer away. Why is that not just as intriguing? Why doesn't that sell just as many papers? Semper Fidelis et Vigilo.

Soli Deo Gloria

The Gas Chamber....

Well, I just got done with the gas chamber and I'm on my lunch break now. Yeah, it sucked. The purpose fo the training is two fold. One purpose is, obviously, the use of the mask to protect yourself from chemical and biological agents. The other purpose is to help the Marine gain a trust of the mask. Since biological and chemical weapons are invisible and not readily avoidable, they can be the most unnerving enemy that a Marine will face. No matter how big or how many the enemy may be, as long as the Marine can shoot to kill, he's usually okay, but the invisible threat of chemical and biological weapons can break the nerves of the most mentally stable Marine. The "gas" that we use is not a gas. It is called "CS Gas" but it is really an airborn crystaline irritant. It's crystaline nature makes it extremely dangerous under certain circumstances. There have been accounts of Marines who did not heed the command to remove their contact lenses before entering the chamber and the CS agent became lodged underneath their contacts and made them nearly blind, permanently. CS also is more agrevated by rubbing than other liquid agents which makes the gas chamber a good excercise in self-control. The one good thing about CS is that it tends to dissapate very quickly, so once we leave the chamber, the discomfort only last a few more minutes. One of the drills that we do practices putting on your mask under pressure. We entered the chamber with our masks on and stood against the wall. When the time came, we took a breath, closed our eyes, removed our masks for 10 seconds and put them back on again. Ideally, one should be able to take the back straps off of the mask without breaking the seal that is keeping the CS off of your face, and with your eyes and mouth closed, the exposure is extremely limited. When I pulled the straps loose I also took my preperatory breath and unfortunately was not able to keep a good seal and got 2 lungs full of CS. But this is part of the training, so I kept my composure and waited until the instructor told us to put our masks back on. Once my mask was on, it was still full of CS from when I had it off and I then had to "clear" the mask before I would be able to breath without feeling the effects of the CS. Unfortunately, "clearing" your mask requires breathing, but I was eventually successful and finished the training evolution without further duress. I did a slightly more demanding version of this training while in bootcamp, but the stress of the situation made it difficult to think about anything that time. This time I learned 3 things. 1) You still need to put your mask on fast 2) If riot control starts lobbing canisters of green gas at you, take my word for it, just run 3) Above all, remain calm. This is one of the two things that most Marines have over everyone else. We can do our job under the most demanding of circumstances, no matter what the enemy throws at us, we're not going to lose the ability to do our jobs. The other thing hat we have over other guys is that a Marine like me (6ft 1 inch 120 lb) might not actually be abel to whip a guy in a fight, but I can convince him that I'm going to win. I don't actually have to be bigger than him, I just have to be able to make him think that I'm going to beat him. Shock and awe, as it has been called in recent days. The old term is, intimidation.

The SASO Torment...

Well, I've started SASO training and I'll tell you what, it's pretty bad. Not only do we not get to go to the field and not only do we not get to spend the night in the field at all, but I have to go to class from 7:30a to 4:30p (keep in mind that I usually work a 12-hour shift). They're also making us take almost 2 hours for lunch (I usually get no lunch break) AND they're going through the classes so fast that we have to leave like 2 hours early every day. I mean gosh! What kind of torment is this? How can they expect even a Marine to endure such inhumane treatment? I tell you what, the military life is tough sometimes, but somebody's got to do it. Your tax dollars hard at work ;-) Mine too, you know! (I'll comment later on what I think about paying my own salary) More later.....

Another Episode in the SASO Saga...

Well, I get to work and obviously SASO didn't go yesterday, so I take a look at the watchbill and it says that I'm off today and tomorrow!! Wow, 2 consecutive days off! So I'm on my way way home with my roommate and we stop at the mailroom to see if I got my car's registration renewal papers (that my mom mailed almost a month ago) awesome! I don't have to worry about getting pulled over anymore! Good day, right? Well, I'm on my way out of the post office parking lot and SSgt Miller calls. (Ominous music here) Apparently SASO is going NOW and no one told us about it, even though we've been pestering them about it for the past 3 weeks. Anyway, we'll see how it works out. I don't know how long it's going to be, I don't know if I'm going to be able to go home each night, I don't know if I'm going to be able to call Helen while I'm gone. Basically, I don't know anything. Keep an eye out for my report about the training when I'm done. More later....

SASO Take 4...

Well, this is the fourth time that I have been signed up for SASO (Stability and Support Operations) training and it appears that I will be shot down for the 4th time in a row. SASO is training that every POG Marine receives before deploying, it's just that no one is deploying right now, so none of the classes are big enough. By the time I leave I will have had this training.

The Marine Corps is divided into two primary groups. Grunts are the guys who carry the guns and stomp the doors in most of the time. The Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) numbers that they are given start with 03 and consist of 4 digits that correspond to their occupation. The 0311s are Basic Riflemen and are the basic "Grunt," as well as others that are more specialized. Grunts are generally characterized as being loud, obnoxious, unintellectual, unruly, eager to fight, and capable of spitting nails at any given time. Though the stereotype is not entirely consistent, keep in mind that there is a stereotype for a reason i.e. something inspired it. The other Marine is the POG: Person Other than Grunt, pronounced "pohguh" with a "g" like in "grain." The POGs are generally characterized as lazy, sloppy, uninterested, cowardly, or simply too smart to be wasted as a grunt. Again, no stereotype is universal, but the stereotype is not based on pure fiction. For the most part, POGs and Grunts are as amiable towards each other as toward anyone else, but the difference is an ever present reason to start a fight if the time comes for one. The truth is that Grunts are tough and disciplined because they do it every day, but POGs have far more time to go to the gym and are more prone to be held to more ridiculous forms of "discipline" such as having immaculate springs underneath your mattress. And while POGs are typically more relaxed than grunts, we do have far more opportunity to interact with higher ranks, which calls for a much higher degree of professionalism and tact. Well, there's a little Marine Corps education for you. If you'd like to see more about the REAL Marine Corps life, you can check out the blogsite of a buddy of mine who just got back from a tour in Okinawa, I'll put it under my links when I get the URL.

Only 3 years and 3 months left on my contract! It's hard to believe that it's already been almost 2 years. Only a little longer before Helen graduates and then I get out and then we can move back to Texas, or wherever, and live happily ever after... yes, just like the fairy tales. Well, I've been told to go home pending further word on SASO training, which to me means that it's not going today ;-) More later....

Captain's Log: Supplemental...

Didn't you always love it when a StarTrek episode started out like that? It always meant that you were jumping right into the big middle of the excitement! Okay, maybe you can forget that I just said that. Anyhow, the title is accurate, it is the same day as the last post, mostly. This post is simply to supplement the shortcomings of the last one... er, support the lack-... I mean, make it more better. Um, yeah. Anyway, thus the term 'supplemental,'as in 'to supplement.' But you knew that. What I'm desperately trying to say is that I did make it to church after all and I've decided not to sleep until tonight which means that I'm bored... and tired... and delusional... which probably is not a great combination for the immortal word of the WWW.

On a slightly more sensical note, did you ever realize what a colossal failure Samson was? That's what we talked about in church today, Samson: the spiritual pretender. He was the first of a new line of Levites and he broke every single law that God gave to him. He touched the body of a dead animal, he married a Gentile, he told someone the secret of his strength, etc. In fact, it looks as if the only reason that he didn't cut his hair sooner was because he knew he would loose his strength. It was okay to touch a dead carcass and marry outside of his faith because there were no immediate repercussions. How often I have played the spiritual pretender... I smile and nod, even though I really don't want to be around this person any more than necessary. I pray well, and often, when asked to pray outloud in front of other people, but few and far between are my quiet, intimate prayers of grief and repentance for the sin in my life. How often do we go to Church in American tradition and duty, only to think about what we have to do in the coming week instead of the God who is trying to woo our hearts? Instead of looking into the face of the One who is grabbing us by the ears and saying "Look at Me! Look at Me before you live a life that is mediocre!" Thank God for grace that is greater than all my sin...

Soli Deo Gloria

Another Sleepless Night...

But that's the way it's supposed to be, for now. I watched Intinct starring Anothony Hopkins and Cuba Gooding Jr. which premiered in 1999. It was one of the better movies that I've seen in a long time. I don't necessarily agree with all of it's conclusions, but it is a brilliant look into the mind of a man who has grown tired of modern dominance. Keep an eye out for my review, coming soon. One of these days, I'm going to get a chance to watch the other movies that y'all have already seen. I don't think I'm gonna get a chance to go to church tomorrow, but we'll see. I'm gonna have to have some other way to keep the ol' light burnin'. In other news...

An Associated Press release reports that talks between the European Union and Iran did in fact reach an impasse yesterday. Due to this development, Iran has announced that they will begin reactivating parts of their nuclear program. Iran's top negotiator with the EU on nuclear issues was quoted as saying, "It's unlikely that uranium enrichment...which takes place in Natanz will be resumed, but it's likely that some activities at Isfahan Uranium Conversion Facility will restart next week." Uranium enrichment is a process by which a particular isotope of uranium (U-235) is seperated from the most common isotope of uranium (U-238). The two methods that are used are gas diffusion and gas centrifuge. Gas diffusion is osmosis on the atomic scale. A porous membrane is used that U-235 will permeate more easily than U-238 will, because U-238 is a bigger atom. Gas centrifuge uses exactly the same principal as blood seperation. The gas is spun in a centrifuge so that the lighter isotope (U-235) will stay in the center while the heavier isotope (U238) is pulled to the sides. Both processes are done in multiple stages and never fully seperate the two isotopes, but nuclear reactor fuel has to have a concentration of U-235 that is above 5%, but it is naturally no more than 0.711% of the uranium that is mined. Think about trying to seperate cars by how many milligrams they weigh...
Read the whole report here: FoxNews Article - Iran

An Associated Press release reports that Jennifer Wilbanks, who was reported missing when she didn't return home from her evening jog only four day before her wedding, has returned home safe a sound. She initially called a police dispatcher to report that she had been abducted and dropped off in Albequerque, New Mexico, but only hours later told her fiancee that she had become nervous about the wedding and needed some time to herself. Her family was a little embarrased but not critical of the runaway bride. Her uncle, Mike Satterfield, said, "Jennifer had some issues the family was not aware of. We're looking forward to loving her and talking to her about these issues." The pastor who was supposed to have married the couple today also pointed out that they had prayed before in the hope that she had simply gotten cold feet, and now they don't have to worry about her being hurt. The owner of a local eatery that had supported the searchers, however, expressed resentment at the "selfishness" of the "self-centered act" and called it "terrible." I love you, Sweetheart, but don't get any ideas ;-)
Read the whole report here: FoxNews Article - Runaway Bride

An Associate Press release reports that an international group of astronomers claim to have the first direct view of a planet outside of our solar system. The picture appartently shows a planet that is reported as being 5 times the size of Jupiter, orbiting a red dwarf star and has been appropriately named 2M1207b. This claim has been made before by other astronomers, but age-old politics in the scientific community have left those claims unconfirmed. The planet is 225-230 light-years away from Earth in a star cluster called TW Hydrae or the Water Snake. While Benjamin Zuckerman, an astronomer at the University of California, Los Angeles, who was part of the team said, "I'm more than 99 percent confident," Lynne Hillenbrand, an assistant professor of astronomy at the California Institute of Technology, said the findings were intriguing, but cautioned against calling the object a planet. "The claim of an object being a planet is subject to one's definition of planet and there are different camps on what that definition is," Hillenbrand said. That's cool and all, but why don't they look for one that we can populate when we run out of room for rutabagas or garbage...
Read the whole report here: FoxNews Article - 2M1207b
More information and a better piture: The European Southern Observatory

Anyway, more later, I have to go sleep now.