Grandma thank you! I've always been good at keeping secrets and keeping quiet on the things I know that others don't. But on Saturday all I wanted to do was sit down and cry and I couldn't, not for 4 hours. And all that time I'm standing there hoping that we get the miracle and the pilot is rescued. The surreal part is that at previous airshows there was usually one aircraft that would pretend an emergency to put on a show for the crowd of how the emergency vehicles respond. So this time everyone in the crowd assumed this was part of the show when the announcer asked everyone to stay calm. I was standing there telling hubby this was for real and then I sort of double checked because I too was expecting it to be part of the show. When you see these things on TV on those reality shows you are kind of going "Oh wow" but when you are there and witnessing it with your own eyes and ears I was going "no, no, wake up, this can't be happening"
On a change of subject. A friend of mine gave me a CD of photos from the USS San Juan's visit to cheer me up. One of the photos shows the guys onboard have cup holders at the different stations. How cool is that? I have this thing about cup holders, it was my 2nd major requirement when we bought our new car a few years ago. Hubby looked at the photo and laughed. I told hubby that the next car we get I'm going to tell the salesman that I expect cupholders to be standard not an added luxury feature, if the US navy can put them on submarines, car manufacturers can put them in cars. I can't wait for the next US navy visitor so I can find out if they have cupholders too.
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As long as hot blood runs through my veins I'm still alive - Alive by Meatloaf.
Rainey, I agree with you on secrets. They are a promise of confidence in your ethics. That says a lot about a person. Sometimes keeping them is painful. That's great about the pictures! We all need a little cheer in our lives at times.
OB..... I don't know what the answer is for the Ft. Hood shooter. I know all of us want him punished. My question is what will give him the most misery?? My guess is each of us has an idea that would satisfy our grief and anger but it might not be the one that provides him pain equivilant to what the families are suffering.
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The gift of challenge is priceless.
Understand that each day he lives,...no matter his pain, he celebrates/worships his personal victory. I for one would rather see him as equally dead as his victims and proceed to make an example out of him, recognize the flaw in security and move forward to prevention. SEC/DEF Rumsfield had weakened our Military, Forts/camps/Schools with relaxed security and Private Contractor guards, and each successor in the SEC/DEF position has had it continue. It`s all about who gets to get paid out of the funding and backed by rediculous claims the troopers are needed elsewhere to be productive. I liken it to a candle in the powder room !! This is done at the top Ranks,...The civillian Ranks,...leaveing ALL Military Ranks/complaints, and warnings.....moot/outranked. Too bad for us !!
Another advantage for an enemy to expose !! Thinking like and fighting like the enemy.... seems to be the last thing on civillian Ranks minds !!
It`s getting to the point where,...going up the street to Concord,...stand in the middle of 2A, read that sign,....load my muskett,..and do this all over again,.......sounds like a good idea !! and if enough people start feel`n that way,....??????
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Old Man Winter made snowfall !!
Oddball I agree with you. I'd like to see that shooter made an example of. I'd like to see his life made a living hell. I'd like to see him hit where it hurts the most.
My personal opinion is that the US needs to do whatever it takes to keep the bases secure and the men and women who work on those bases safe. But at the same time I'm sitting here wondering how the heck can you protect a base and it's personnel against one of it's own. How do you secure a base against a threat from within. That for me has been the thing that has been rattling around in my brain all this time. The Fort Hood shooter was a major in uniform, he shot his own people. The very person you expect to have your back and the person you think you can trust could turn out to be the person who kills you. How do you protect someone from that?
Just out of cuiosity but I've always wondered why the position of Secretary of Defense isn't held by an active duty military officer? Is there some law that prevents an active duty officer from holding the position?
Grandma - on the subject of secrets my hubby joked with me once that my headstone will have the words "I know" on it. That's my usual response when anyone tells me anything. 9 out of 10 times I already knew. Honestly I get quite a thrill out of being known as someone who can keep secrets and can be confided in.
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As long as hot blood runs through my veins I'm still alive - Alive by Meatloaf.
The question in my mind: Is there anything that could have indicated that there was a potential problem with him?
It seems a lot of people who worked with him had questions about him such as being on call but not answering the telephone, suggesting Islam to his patients as a form of therapy and not working up to par academically. None of these in an of itself suggests violent behavior.
He did, however, have contact with a radical Iman but this was dismissed as part of his research. I would have to see the actual e-mails to determine if this was appropriate. However, it seems like there should have been a procedure in place that if he was going to contact this person that he should have gotten approval from his superiors since this could be considered unauthorized contact with the enemy.
As an update: A congressmember is calling for an investigation of outside influences regarding the shooting. I am more than a little concerned that this congressmember, who is up for re-election, may use this incident to get votes.
I think G-Ma hit the nail on the head....but the law stipulates the death penalty for his actions...I also think Oddball hit the nail on the head as well.....we don't want him fostering new recruits....nor reveling in the fact that he carried out a crime in which he may be looked upon as a hero...nor do we need to set him up as a poster boy for any cause that he may or may not have had or that someone else has......
The way I figure it...is if he wants to (or wanted to but failed) meet his maker.... let him......and may the devil know he's dead five minutes before he never makes it to heaven....and if by chance the devil is busy....then let there be 13 virgins with shotguns waiting for him at the pearly gates....
Dan - we are all aware that there may have been some warning signs....and President Obama has asked that any investigation into this be put on hold until the authorities have time to investigate. He has also asked for any records to be retained regarding this man. We are not perfect........but we, as Americans learn each day to better ourselves.....pounding the gavel and pointing fingers away from the shooter is not going to help anyone.
What I'd like to say is that there have been many mass shootings in this country...not on military bases... but they have occurred.... and each of those shooters were prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Not once have I heard anyone say that we should circumvent the law in order to "study" any one of these shooters. .....besides.... the length of time it takes to prosecute this guy...and any appeals that may come up --- there will be plenty of time to gather any information possible before his punishment comes to fruition.
...one thing that comes to mind...(this not meant to diminish the gravity of the loss)..... is that the victims at Fort Hood did not know what was going to happen that day... (may they rest in peace).......they approached that day like any other day....
...if this is any consolation to those who are grieving.....
I think G-Ma hit the nail on the head....but the law stipulates the death penalty for his actions...
Dan responds: The law provides that as an option, not a stipulation.
t t continues: I also think Oddball hit the nail on the head as well.....we don't want him fostering new recruits....nor reveling in the fact that he carried out a crime in which he may be looked upon as a hero...nor do we need to set him up as a poster boy for any cause that he may or may not have had or that someone else has......
Dan responds: The question is how to handle that. I suspect that if he is given the chance he will make a big pitch for Islam. Already some Islamic clerics and the shooter's family themselves have said that this is NOT the behavior of someone who follows Islam. Also, there are factors out of our control. There is always the lunatic fringe of any political or religous group who will make heroes out any sort of lunacy.
t t continues The way I figure it...is if he wants to (or wanted to but failed) meet his maker.... let him......and may the devil know he's dead five minutes before he never makes it to heaven....and if by chance the devil is busy....then let there be 13 virgins with shotguns waiting for him at the pearly gates....
Dan responds I suspect that the 70 virgins waiting in heaven is a metaphor, not a literal reading of the Koran.
Dan - we are all aware that there may have been some warning signs....and President Obama has asked that any investigation into this be put on hold until the authorities have time to investigate. He has also asked for any records to be retained regarding this man. We are not perfect........but we, as Americans learn each day to better ourselves.....pounding the gavel and pointing fingers away from the shooter is not going to help anyone.
What I'd like to say is that there have been many mass shootings in this country...not on military bases... but they have occurred.... and each of those shooters were prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Not once have I heard anyone say that we should circumvent the law in order to "study" any one of these shooters. .....besides.... the length of time it takes to prosecute this guy...and any appeals that may come up --- there will be plenty of time to gather any information possible before his punishment comes to fruition.
...one thing that comes to mind...(this not meant to diminish the gravity of the loss)..... is that the victims at Fort Hood did not know what was going to happen that day... (may they rest in peace).......they approached that day like any other day....
Dan responds I never at any time advocated "circumventing the law" under any circumstances. Murderers, mass murderers, suicide murderers and other criminals are studied all the time by social workers, psychiatrists, sociologists, psychologists, attorneys, prosecutors, police officers and statisticians.
....
Peace out
As an update, the units that were scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan are still going. So, the shooter really did not stop anything.
trea·son (trzn)
n.
1. Violation of allegiance toward one's country or sovereign, especially the betrayal of one's country by waging war against it or by consciously and purposely acting to aid its enemies.
2. A betrayal of trust or confidence..
The Constitution of the United States, Art. III, defines treason against the United States to consist only in levying war against them, or in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid or comfort. This offence is punished with death. By the same article of the Constitution, no person shall be convicted of treason, unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act, or on confession in open court.
Re: Apparently any topic goes...
I have this thing about cup holders, it was my 2nd major requirement when we bought our new car a few years ago. Hubby looked at the photo and laughed. I told hubby that the next car we get I'm going to tell the salesman that I expect cupholders to be standard not an added luxury feature, if the US navy can put them on submarines, car manufacturers can put them in cars.
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