Wednesday, May 26, 2004

I need a name

I'm trying to start a freelance writing business. I even have an assignment already (Thanks Gabby).

The problem is, I don't have a name for my business. So, I'm taking nominations for a good writing business name. Any suggestions?

Friday, May 21, 2004

A man with no ability to reason

Michael Berg is the father of Nicholas Berg, the man whose head was cut off on videotape by Islamic terrorists in Iraq.

The Guardian published an article by Michael Berg that is amazing for it lack of moral judgment. Normally, I pass on political statements made by grieving families. This one is beyond belief.

People ask me why I focus on putting the blame for my son's tragic and atrocious end on the Bush administration. They ask: "Don't you blame the five men who killed him?" I have answered that I blame them no more or less than the Bush administration, but I am wrong: I am sure, knowing my son, that somewhere during their association with him these men became aware of what an extraordinary man my son was. I take comfort that when they did the awful thing they did, they weren't quite as in to it as they might have been. I am sure that they came to admire him.

I am sure that the one who wielded the knife felt Nick's breath on his hand and knew that he had a real human being there. I am sure that the others looked into my son's eyes and got at least a glimmer of what the rest of the world sees. And I am sure that these murderers, for just a brief moment, did not like what they were doing.

George Bush never looked into my son's eyes. George Bush doesn't know my son, and he is the worse for it. George Bush, though a father himself, cannot feel my pain, or that of my family, or of the world that grieves for Nick, because he is a policymaker, and he doesn't have to bear the consequences of his acts. George Bush can see neither the heart of Nick nor that of the American people, let alone that of the Iraqi people his policies are killing daily.


OK, let me get this straight. The man who brutally cut off his son's head knew Nick's humanity. While the terrorist was sawing through flesh, tendons, and bone while Nick was wailing in pain and terror, he saw a human. This was not a quick painless death. I have heard the audio. This was the most brutal event I have ever witnessed. If the terrorist saw a human, wouldn't he have stopped the slaughter? And Michael Berg says President Bush has more blame?

Berg goes on to praise his son for being a peacemaker while implying President Bush is not. The President does not have troops in Iraq at this point to make war. President Bush has asked Congress for billions of dollars to set up a stable Iraq. The United States is supplying power and water, it has opened schools, it has set up local elections, it is building infrastructure. Is this not the actions of a peaceful nation?

Michael Berg has demonstrated the consequences of moral bankruptcy. He blames a man who is trying to bring peace to another nation while calling the men who literally slaughtered his son "human". We are doomed when the terrorists are considered human while brutally murdering our citizens while the real peacemakers are considered evil.

Wednesday, May 19, 2004

GRE Test day

No blogging in the last week because I was trying not to get pneumonia. Still coughing but I'm back to work.

I took the GRE test to get into grad school today. I scored 640 on the verbal portion and 620 on the quantative. The program I'm trying to get into looks for an average score of 560.

Imagine how I would have done if I had studied.

Tuesday, May 11, 2004

Heroes

The media harps on the stories about a few abused Iraqis. They demand apologies from President Bush and his staff. When they get those apologies, they demand for the resignation of senior staff members.

They do not demand apoligies for Americans brutally murdered by terrorists. They also ignore the heroes of the war, like Capt. Brian Chontosh, USMC.

Last week, Capt. Chontosh received the Navy Cross - the second highest award for extraordinary herosim behind the medal of honor - for actions in combat from March of last year.

Capt. Chontosh was leading his platoon on Highway 1 in Iraq when they drove into an ambush. Capt. Chontosh ordered the driver of the Humvee he was in to drive toward a entrenched enemy machine gun. Capt Chontosh ordered his machine gunner to return fire. When the enemy machine gun was disabled, Capt. Chontosh ordered his driver to drive into the trench the rest of the ambushers were fighting from. The driver did and Capt. Chontosh got out of the Humvee with his M16 and his 9mm pistol.

Capt. Chontosh then began to clear the trench. He fired until his M16 ran out of ammunition. Then he used his 9mm pistol until it ran out of ammunition. He then picked up an AK-47 from a dead Iraqi. When that ran out of ammunition, he picked up another Ak-47 from another dead attacker. One of his troops found a discarded rockect propelled grenade which Capt. Chontosh used to kill more enemy fighters.

In the end, Capt. Chonotosh killed 20 attackers and wounded many more and cleared 200 meters of the enemy trench.

Marine Corps and American heroism at its finest. Why can't we hear more about that?

Friday, May 07, 2004

Why President Bush is a great President

This is another reason why I'll vote for President Bush in November.

Read what he did when someone told him, 'This girl lost her mom in the World Trade Center on 9-11'

The media loves to trumpet when 9-11 family survivors criticize the President. They are noticably silent when victims' families support the President. At the same time, it is good to know President Bush's actions are from the heart and not merely a chance for a photo-op.

My latest interview

My interview with New York Times Best Selling author Tracy Hickman is posted at ENWorld.org.

Tuesday, May 04, 2004

New Computer

Yesterday Honeybun and I bought a new computer. Woohoo! 3.2 GHz of raw computing power. The 19" LCD flat screen is pretty cool too. It makes me want to open her up on the superhighway and see what she can do.

Or maybe I'll just play solitaire on it.

Kerry: wrong man for the job

John O'Neill took over command of a navy swift boat from John Kerry. He wrote an article that says Kerry is unfit to serve as President. O'Neill was still in Vietnam while Kerry was claiming that U.S. troops were committing war crimes everyday (presumably including O'Neill).

Kerry says that Vietnam vets are behind him. This article seems to dispute that claim.