Soldiers

I was almost suprized at how well the elctions went off in Iraq. The Insurgency could have caused alot more havoc and failed to. No real Tet Offensive Iraqi style. OH, but don't go thinking this is some type of Clausewitzian turning point. There is going to be more hard day's ahead. I'm just glad it went off as well as it did.

Peter Jennings Of ABC news did a peice on the youth of Soldiers. This month marked 19 years since I first joined. Then early one morning after my High School Graduation I found myself standing in a long single file line going into a little white shack waiting to eat. The line was over a foot ball feild long and it was 2AM. I remember thinking to myself "what the hell have I gotten myself into?"
Well here it is 18 1/2 years later and I'm still here. Three years Active Duty and the rest Reserves. I've had fun, freinds, frustrations and disgust. I hang in there though. I love being a Soldier and I love being with Soldiers. No point to make, just my own reflections...And I have alot of those.
Those "kids" deserve good leadership.
Soldiers are good people.
Appalachian Intellectual

Title...we don't need no stinking title!

Don't you worry. I'm going to dress this blog up. I just haven't done it yet.

The big Iraqi Election is tommorrow. What do I think? I beleive Sisttani's boy's are going to win. Many will not vote, and it will be called a sham. Now, in the eye's of Democracies, it's legitimate. Just because one side boycotts doesn't make it a sham. They had the choice not to vote, and they chose not to. To us Americans it's, "you idiot, you should have voted, so shut up". But, this ain't so in the Muslim World, let me say Arab. Democratic Government is a new and strange thing there and they have their own cultures and beleifs. They like the idea(some do, some don't) but, popular nonvote may be seen as a vote.
Not to mention it can be bad for your health. The insurgency, in my opinion, has the strategy of making the elections non legitamite AND delegitimizing the Interem Government by showing that they can not make you safe." They can't provide basic services(water/power), they can't protect you at the polls, they are just corrupt puppets...so, don't bother"*
I think we are going to see a qausi Democratic Theocracy.
There's this hope that once the election is over we can rid ourselves of this tar baby. I call it that because U.S. Tax Dolllars largly support it. It doesn't meen so. Al Qauda wants to fight us there and we are going to fight them there.
I'm not being synacle, I'm being a realist.
Good tacticians are realist.

There is a book that I think everyone one concerned should read. Imperial Hubris by Annonymous. He's out in the open now, I just can't remember his name. The Authur worked for the CIA and retired recently. When you read, read with both eyes open. It's funny, the only place it is realy circulated is in the Warrior Culture. The left reads the dust jacket and hails it...they sure don't open it. The right reads the dust jacket and dissmises it. It would pay to read it. I find little to argue about other than some military issues...minor.

Did you see the headline? The one about the US State Dept. giving a travel advisory to Mexico? Nothing against Mexicans...many I have liked...the border is becoming a violent place, Already was and now more so. Drug Trafficking, Human Smugeling., more and more Murder. I know for a fact Arabs have been caught several times. There is a signifcance to that. It's due to Non Gevernment Millatant Forces, what we are calling Fourth Generation Warfare.
* check the blogs Baghdad Burning(http;//riverbendblog.blogspot.com) and Raed In The Middle (http://raedinthemiddle.blogspot.com)
Oh....I found the remote.
We got snow, sleet, now freezing rain.

I usualy get out and walk in the snow, but, I didn't this time. My energy must be low.
I will first thing tommorow.
Appalachian Intellectual

Embarrassed

I got embarrassed today.
I went to Wal March(yes, I said March) today. You would have thought half the county was there. We have a winter storm on the way so people are doing the mad dash.
I needed a new remote for my TV. I misplaced the old one and it has been dropped a few times any way. I don't know how I can be so absent minded, but, it's true. Sexual Deprivation I suppose.
I walk in and I notice the girl in front of me. She's pretty, cute kid she had too. She's a few paces in front of me and I'm watching her ass. Well, she had a nice head of hair too. OK OK I admitt it, I'm an Ass Man.
Any way, Here I am, I look away, I lock back on her ass. It's there in front of me and it's pretty. Then I hear my name...I feel snapped into reality looking for the voices...It's my former Brother Inlaw and Sister Inlaw(actually I lived with his sister for 6 years).
Sister Inlaw knows I'm watching this girl...she see's me staring at her butt...I feel almost flushed. The Brother Inlaw doesn't notice...wouldn't care. Oh, but, Sister Inlaw knows. Well, she had cut her hand earlier in the day and was not feeling well. Atleast I think she was.
Moral? Ogeling can be embarrasing.
Appalachian Intellectual

Posers

I haven't gotten links down yet. Well, I can go back and edit later.
Earlier this week I had "my mind on my money and my money on my mind". To hell with Gen and Juice. Sexual Deprivation is mind altering enough.

War Thoughts...
Nothing like a war to bring out the idiots. On the Soldiers For The Truth web site, (www.sftt.org) Ed Offley has one in his sites. Some guy in Ohio came up with the most ridiculous story and sold it to a news reporter. He's a real "Fuck The War, I did my time" kind of guy, who obviousley never did any time.

News reporters. Love them or hate them they are something to behold. My take is that they go to school on how to say things. Know not of what they are talking about and slant it to please their corperate suppeirors.

Last week one of our small towns here in Greater Western North Carolina had a protestor. The guy claimed to be an ex Marine that "killed innocent civillians for our Government" in the Iraq invasion. He claimed he was discharged for "Delayed Stress Syndrom". He had on the desert uniform and stuff. Something about the guy's posture told me he wasn't legit.
The guy got his 3 minutes of fame.
Why is it alway's "innocent Civillians"? Don't get me wrong...bad things happen. The wrong people get killed. We've killed too many innocents. This guy acted like he was ordered to. It sounds like a scrypt.

Beware America...posers left and right will pop out of no where.
Appalachian Intellectual

Darn Cold Day.

I'm not sure how cold it was this morning. I saw it was 13 (that's Farenheit you foreignors) in Asheville. Out here where I live it was colder. I don't think it got quite to 32. That's not so bad realy...It's just the stiff wind we had all day.
I payed a visit to my Grand Mother today. She's the only Grand Parent I have left. She talked more this time than most. She talked about the winters when she was growing up and how things were. It was the deppression and although my Great Grand Father was an excellant wood worker he could only manage so much. They would set a kettle of water by the fire place to keep it from freezing and it would be froze in the morning. I know that was not a daily thing, but, it shows that folks had to be tough.
I had supper at the Diner today. I sat and talked with a boy that's a Platoon Sgt in the National Guard, an MP. He's been twice activated in the Global War On Terrorism(GWOT) He's had both Afghanistan and Iraq. He was telling me some people from his unit have gone back over for a third tour with another nearby unit. Their getting that extra $1000 a month. All the same his unit got hit with High OPTEMPO and some managed to opt out. So as you can see it's somewhat of a mixed bag by that example.
I'm still figuring this Blog thing out. I want to post some links and there is no link feild. I'll get it figured out. I like this "script skin", it reminds me of The Decleration Of Independence, even if it doesn't have a link feild.
Appalchian Intellectual

Kituah

Kituah...It's pronounced Gi-Doo-Wah. It was the Cherokees first settlemnet in the Appalachian Mountains. That's were the Seven Clans started. It represents new beginings or sacred, if you will. Well, I don't exactly know if this is sacred, but, it's first. It's a begining.
The Cherokee were Warriors( like just about every native tribe). And we are at war. I have come to feel that there is a gap between the Average Citizen and the Military. I feel that some people just don't understand Military Life. There are faint refrences to an Uncle who served his time or some other relative and the inevitable Holly Wood influence. It's so strong it bleeds into the Military itself sometimes. I've been told indirectly that the Army took away my individuality...more than once. It taught me to repress the individual when I need to. It taught me to put into a group effort and not give it lip service. There are alot of War Blogs going. People on both sides of the issue are eating it up. Now I feel like I need to post some rules.
1. I don't want to hear "bitching " about the war. If it's not constructive keep it to yourself.
2. Please don't post a bunch of "awe...your so dawlgone patriotic" stuff. That's sweet of you, but, that's mostly hollow gestures in this society.
3. "Moving" Poems consist of "awe...your so dawlgone partiotic" stuff.
4. I DO appreciate your prayers.
5. Nothing I say is meant to offend.
With that said, I just want to get you some understanding. As well as exchange information with my fellow Soldiers. I am currently on "Drill" status. That's the once weekend a month thing. That's subject to change. As the title hints this is more than about my Military Life. I'll talk enviroment, politics, personal relations and plane living. Lot's of random thoughts. Who knows, maybe we will make freinds and someone can benefit along the way.
Appalachian Intellectual