22 July 2006

Getting a jump on the "end times"?

Well, we FINALLY got the satellite link fixed. What a mess. The "perfect" installation had left at least one coaxial cable connector un-crimped on the feedhorn! American professionalism at it's un-best. That does NOT even make it as a rookie mistake!
Anyway, a TRUE professional finally got the site up and running. Now I should be able to keep this updated better. The only outages would be powerful rain storms which cut the TV reception as well as the internet, or maybe an electrical outage. We have a nice generator thanks to Miss Katrina and her sister Rita who stopped by our way last year. Thanks ladies.
Pity the poor nation of Lebanon!
And the Israelis think they can "win" this time? They occupied that country from 1982 until 2000 and were unable to dis-arm Hezbollah. Why do they think they can do better now? America is in a much weaker position than back in 82. We have about 130,000 troops bogged down with Bush's tar baby Iraq. Where will we get more troops from? Our depleted National Guard? It IS hurricane season here along the Gulf and Florida. Maybe Cheney/ Bush haven't looked at the calendar lately.
Of course the poor Lebanese can thank America for all the missiles and bombs dropping on them. The weapons used by Israel are made by huge corporations right here in the good old US of A. Thanks be to Boeing and Lockheed-Martin for all that death from above. War, what is it good for? Corporate profits of course. For every missile fired, for every bomb dropped, there will be new purchase orders to replace them. Ca-ching! More money to the weapons makers. Of course, we American tax payers get the final bill. Much of the money America "loans" Israel comes back as weapons orders to the big defense contractors right here in America. Talk about the revolving doors. And the wheel goes round.........as the Bridgestone commercial says.
As one who has lived through war in Viet Nam, I despise all wars. As Smedley Butler said, there are only two reasons for war; to defend OUR homes and the Bill of Rights. All other war is a racket. War is the most pornographic thing we humans have ever devised. War kills not only the bodies, but the spirits of those who are involved in it. The effects of war stay with the participants for life. Memories, as one song says, are like star light, they go on forever. Many of us who have been to war wish it were not so. Wishing doesn't make it so, however.
I never want to see another human being kill another in war. I never want to see the absolute horror that war makes of lives. As my Veterans For Peace sticker says; No more Lies, No more Lives. Enough of war!
So how, some way, we the people need to stop the war machine. I don't have the answer, if I did, I'd be shouting it from the mountain tops. War kills in so many ways. It kills bodies of course, but it also kills the soul. It kills the humanity of the participants. Oh, sure, after time, we may awake from the nightmares and live "productive" lives, but there will always be that dead part of us, still there, still haunting us, until we are no more in this life.
We need to end wars and realize that people are people, no matter what religion, skin color, sex, race,creed, etc. All most "regular" people the world over want, is to live their lives in peace, provide for their families, and hope their children have as good or better lives than they have.
Just my 2 cents worth for today.