2018: A Look Back

December 19, 2018

“2018, A Look Back”

Well, we find ourselves at the conclusion of another year. It is the season of Yule for us pagans, the season of Christmas for Christians, Hanukkah for the Jewish, and rampant commercialism for the entire Earth.

The year has given us many things but taken so many more. Wildfires have devastated massive areas of North America, hurricanes laid waste to islands, and still, to this day; twenty-two veterans commit suicide per day.

Our nation is prospering, and for one more year we enjoy the bounties of food, warm or cool homes, and smartphones that can do anything but cook your Christmas turkey for you. Time has changed us, socially evolved us, and lead us down a path that we will never return from. We have become slaves to a master that does not care if you are black or white, old or young, or a refugee seeking asylum. Your master is money, and the goal of every person to possess more of it.

Family values have been replaced with commercialism, morbid greed, and the sickness of having a better car than Bob and Karen next door. Our nation is divided between two political parties; one thinking one is greater than the other, and one believing that “God” is on their side, and the other is “the devil.”

For disabled veterans, it’s just another 365 for us. We have done anything we can this year to make it… and watched as the insanity of politics has placed us on the back burner one more time. We’re not ignorant, we know that’s a myth; it will happen again and again. We are that one percent that people have forgotten. We cry as we watch the statistics; 22 veterans a day still commit suicide, and for math’s sake; that’s a staggering 8,030 a year folks.

Something’s really wrong with that. So when you see a veteran who is not so excited about Hanukkah or Christmas, make sure you realize that life is a day to day struggle for him or her, and that holidays are just another day.

Jim Culp

SFC, AR

Retired

November 17, 2018

Farewell Roy

This week, we say farewell to one of Country and Western’s greatest entertainers, Mr. Roy Clark. Roy was one of the greatest musicians of his time. He was a veritable master of the banjo and six and twelve sting guitars. I heard Roy Clark for the first time on my step-fathers’ 8-track tapes. Then I saw him on Hee-Haw, a show that my parents regarded as “wholesome entertainment.” Even as a child, I chuckled every time we watched it, because eighty percent of the women on that show were either Penthouse or Playboy models. Roy was a co-host of that show, along with Buck Owens, another pioneer of Country Music. I saw Roy live for the first and only time of my life when I was about eight or nine years old, at the Las Cruces Civic Center. He was loud, funny, and as good of a guitar player as anyone I knew of. The truth is, Roy Clark was an incredible musician, a smooth vocalist, and an all-around good joe.

Roy Clark was my single greatest influence as an early guitarist. I learned to play guitar using the “Roy Clark Big Note Guitar Songbook,” with numbered stickers that you placed on the guitar’s frets to denote chords. Yeah, there were others like Chet Adkins and Angus Young, but those came years after Roy taught me to play.

I will forever remember Roy Clark best for his English version or “Hier encore,” known worldwide after that as “Yesterday, when I was young.”

That song was awesome to me when I was 15; and is like a life anthem to me at 52.

RIP Roy Clark. You are forever missed, and never forgotten.

-Jim 

Follow me at: http://jimculp.blogspot.com

November 11, 2018

Today is Veteran’s Day. I like to spend days like this going through old photos, thinking about my military career, and hopefully talking with some of my brothers.

Veterans Day was established in 1938 after years of being called “Armistice Day” in regards to the end of World War I. That war was a bloody one, with large numbers of men losing their lives in savage trench warfare and chemical agents used for the first time in declared war. It was to be the “war to end all wars,” but sadly the peace afterwards only lasted for twenty short years, and the world would be at war again, at least in Europe.

Millions of men and women have served in our Armed Forces, and I am proud to have known over seven hundred of them. I have forgotten a hundred names, but I never forget a face. While contracting for Allied Container Systems from 2006 to 2013, I spent a crazy amount of time in airports. I mention that, because I ran into people that I had forgotten, and immediately recognized their face. They might have been out of my life for anywhere from five to thirty years, but I never forget a face. I ran into Generals that I knew as Captains years before. I would look across a bar… and see someone that I knew in Korea when I was eighteen.

These men and women, for whatever reason, served our country in peacetime and war, and gave of themselves in so many different ways. Some were “grunts,” some were tankers, some were guitar players in the Army Band. Whatever they did, they served this Nation with dignity and respect. They deserve that back.

So when you see a veteran today at church, or especially if you see one sitting on the side of the road shivering, take some time to tell him or her that you appreciate their service. Buy them a meal or a drink if you have the money. Get that homeless veteran a coat if you can.

From one veteran to all of you, Happy Veterans Day, and may we never know the horror of war again.

Jim Culp

SFC, USAR

Retired

November 9, 2018

“Ban ALL Guns”

I just read a headline that says “Ban ALL GUNS!” Man, I’ve never heard that before.

Ok…let’s dismantle the Constitution and take away everyone’s firearms.

That will give us a peaceful country with NO SHOOTINGS.

Well, that was what Plato and Buddha had in mind, and that all sounds real chocolate pudding with whipped cream on top, but here’s the reality of that.

The only people that are going to surrender their firearms to anyone are liberal law-abiding citizens and conservative law abiding citizens that want to follow their pastor’s or their elected officials advice.

That’s going to account for the registered and legal firearms of the country, and that will leave about half of the firearms left in private possession still out there. So let’s break that down.

Half of that number will be guns like my old .22 and my bolt action 12 gauge, both legal, just not registered.

They’ll still be there, but I never busted those out and shot innocent people with them in the first place. To be honest, I’ve owned six AR-15’s in my life, and never shot anything but range targets with them.

In 2006, I sold a collection of 40 military rifles in calibers from .223 to 7.62X54R…none of which were ever used to murder anyone.

I’ve owned at least 50 different handguns in my life, and carried .357’s, .45’s and 9mm’s in military service and security work, but never took one into a honky-tonk and opened fire because I was pissed off at Nancy Pelosi or Sarah Sanders for some off-topic bullshit.

So here we’d be…half of the USA disarmed. Great. Crime would triple or quadruple. Deer would be so thick you’d need to run dozers over the interstates every morning before traffic could move. Women wouldn’t walk anywhere- unless they wanted to be raped or captured and sold. No one would be safe, because the police couldn’t dream of holding back the waves of criminals that would flood our streets and cities.

Guess why? Those criminals never turned their guns in. They didn’t buy their tricked-out AK’s or 9mm UZI’s at Walmart or Gun Shows. They appropriated them by way less than legal means.

The government would, in desperation, declare martial law, roll out the Marines and the Apaches, and kill all the bad guys. Absolutely chaos would ensue, and our country would be ripe for invasion, which China and Russia would gladly take advantage of. Take a bite out of that apple, comrade.

The Founding Fathers knew this kind of stuff; and put the Second Amendment in the US Constitution for that reason.

I’m really sorry about the people that died in Thousand Oaks this week. RIP to the families. But don’t…I repeat…DO NOT…be naïve enough to think that firearm confiscation is going to solve the problem of a Marine with PTSD wasn’t properly cared for, or an idiot that hates Black people deciding to shoot them in church. It won’t.

-Jim

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The Amendment Series- The First Amendment

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

If you want to, and only if you want to; read this paragraph. It's the First Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America.

In these modern times of global internet and cellular phones that rule our lives, this Amendment (and the one I will discuss next week, and several thereafter) are documents that were the foundation of the formation of our country, two hundred and twenty-nine years ago. They are not outdated, and they are not disposable. They are the reason that our Republic can stand as the greatest of all time…and the reason that it can fall, just like ancient Rome, in a very short time because they are ignored and dismembered to the point of worthlessness.

I welcome your comments for discussion. Why is this amendment important to you? What does it mean to you?

You’ll get my answer, and the next topic, next Sunday.

You can  follow me on Facebook, or on my blog at: http://jimculp.blogspot.com

“Identification”

By Jim Culp

Today I was filling out a survey for the Veteran’s Affairs prescription system. I came to the last part where they ask about demography. It always asks “are you Latino?”

Then it asks if you are White, Black, Pink, or Purple. I have to tell you, dear reader, that in these days of everyone being offended, nothing could offend me more.

Why in God’s name does it matter what color I am? And why am I specifically asked if I am Latino or not? In my opinion, the very nature of that question is racist and bigoted. Now, if a survey is specifically designed to see what races live in one or the other demographic area, great. Specify that from the start, and we can all be some really happy campers.

The VA though? Sorry, wrong question to ask me. Here’s why folks.

In my wars, (1991-Liberation of Kuwait) and (2003-Invasion and Occupation of Iraq) I had to tell people to do things that I would never normally tell them. Some real life examples would be wearing a chemical suit for days and nights on end, and not showering for almost two months. Others would be guard duty on a hostile perimeter, working twelve hour shifts on a checkpoint when it is 127˚F or pouring rain, or following orders when mortars are landing near you and you have no place to run or hide.

In any of those situations (and many more), I didn’t ask Private Jones if he was Latino or English, or ask him what his skin color was, or what meats he couldn’t eat during Passover. I ordered him to go do his duty because he was a United States soldier, and had previously taken an oath to defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, and to obey the orders of the President and the Officers appointed over him.

When my commanders ordered me to take my unit into harm’s way, they didn’t ask me to check a block identifying myself by my race. My race didn’t matter then, and it sure as hell shouldn’t matter now.

In the age of “Me, too” and “Black Lives Matter,” it’s also important to veterans to be heard when they say they that they are sick of this country’s lack of support for them, and are tired of being identified and segregated into “color groups” for some fucking study that costs millions of dollars that should be used to buy newer equipment and for paying VA doctors and nurses better salaries.

In closing, don’t ask me my race or my color. You might as well just tell me that you are a racist up front, and that way we are straight with each other from the get-go.

-Jim

Rules and Determinations

By Jim Culp

July 15, 2018

 

Just for the record, here's some fun facts.

Yeah, I know I am a boat-rocker. That is nothing new. Anyone that knew me 30 years ago up to now can tell you that.

The fun facts are that if you live in Kansas or Missouri, you ARE NOT DISABLED  when:

1. You run two or three red lights per day because your brain is on another planet.

2. You take three psychotropic drugs per day. These drugs keep you from having panic attacks and claustrophobia, but the side effects suck just as much.

3. You have chronic arthritis in two primary places (elbow and fingers) and can do half of the things you used to do just ten years ago.

4. When loud lightening or large fireworks boom, you are up for 2-3 hours looking for a rifle and set of armor that isn't there.

5. Crowds scare the living fuck out of you.

6. Big dogs render you catatonic.

7. You have dream like seizures during the day while you are at places like Walmart, your car, at the Doctor's office, or out fishing at the lake. These have durations of 15 to 45 minutes.

These determinations are made regardless of 545 pages of documentation from three therapists, two psychiatrists, and two military officers over the rank of Lt. Colonel. There must be people at the Social Security office with the IQ of Galileo Galilei or Stephen Hawking.

Have a great USA day!

-Jim

Follow me at http://jimculp.blogspot.com/

 

 

"Stolen Valor"

June 9th, 2018

By Jim Culp

"Stolen Valor" is a relatively new term, but the issue it covers is as old as when the Greeks attacked the City of Troy 2500 years ago. The term refers to a person portraying himself as a soldier of some sort, or even a soldier portraying himself as a more glorified soldier, such a mechanic telling people that he is/was a Navy SEAL or an Army Green Beret.

I can easily think back to my early teens...and the persons of this type that I had encountered.
I knew a guy that was about 23 when I met him...I was about 14 or 15. We were instant friends, and I loved his Army stories. My best guess now is that he was a transportation type, probably a truck driver, and his unit moved missiles from base to base in what then was West Germany under US Army control. I assume he ran into Special Forces types on these bases, because he used to make that known; ever to a dumb ass kid that had never been further than a few states away from home. But as time passed, we (friends, brothers, and co-workers) could even figure out how much the guy was bull-shitting; simply by the claims he would make such as single-handedly killing 200 or even 400 men by himself. He also claimed to be personal friends with David Bowie and Jeff Lynne. Well, needless to day, the old boy was a joke to most of us, but he could buy us beer.

When I arrived in Korea in early June of 1985, I was immersed into the Army life, and the day to day drudgery of peace-time soldiering. We worked six days per week, and had training exercises every time we turned around. But one thing I knew in that unit was this...I knew where each and every man in my platoon stood, and I knew their abilities. Some guys were better at the boats, some the bridge....but we always kicked those missions in the ass and had the medals to show for it.

One day I was in Yong-san, a part of Seoul; and was looking around in the sword shop.
A guy walked past me, and we bumped into one another. I immediately turned around and saw Colonel rank on his jacket, and snapped to attention.
"Sorry Sir! I belted out."
There is no mistaking that big silver eagle on a Colonels shoulder bar. It stands out proud as if to say "you better get that way!"
"It's ok, troop. Where you stationed?"
"Camp Pelham, Sir...2nd Engineers."
"Well, we're just going to have to come up there one day and see you."
"Yes sir! I belted out again."
"Ok, kid...carry on..." he said as he walked out of the shop."
I turned to the old man that ran the store, and asked him "hey Pop...is that guy a regular Joe?" {Someone that comes in often}
The old man made the sign that elderly Koreans make with his hands. The sign means 'taboo" or "false person."
I returned to my unit, but I kept thinking about that guy, and sure as shit stinks...that night...it popped into my head. I had gone through the In-processing Center at Dongducheon with this asshole that past summer. The guy was a frickin' PFC! (The same rank I was presently...)
Time went by, and I forgot all about it. It wasn't until the next May, and I was out-processing at the same camp (called the Turtle Farm.) I read a newspaper, and in the corner of the first page was a photo of "the Colonel", and the details of his Court- Martial. He was headed to the disciplinary barracks at Fort Leavenworth for five years. Stolen Valor sure didn't work for that old boy.
While contracting with Allied Container Systems in 2011, I was on a job at a Naval Test Station.  I spent a long day out in Fallon, Nevada with three Navy SEALS, because I was building a specialty range for them. They were very ordinary guys, and none of them had been shot 67 times, nor had they dragged six wounded guys to a helicopter 14 miles away in the dark.
I know guys that spent three tours of Vietnam, and have less medals on their chests than most Corporals do today.
I've learned to live with Stolen Valor, because it is rampant in our electronic and uncaring society. Actors and Singers get more praise than teachers, surgeons, or people that genuinely care for the elderly. People play Call of Duty, then go to the mall and think they are something they are not. They're chumps....don't let them bother you.
I don't ever wish prison or Court-Martial for anyone, but there is an old saying that says "Shoot One...the Rest will Listen...."

 

A Change of Scenery

June 8, 2018

This month's first blog is going to take you back a few years...well; 32 years to be mathematically correct. It was 1986. I had completed a tour of Korea, and place I will never forget.  It made me a man, a way better soldier, and lifelong friendships were forged that year.

 I arrived at Fort Riley; the First Infantry Division, and was assigned to the 55th Engineer Company. The Military Occupational Specialty )MOS) that I held encompassed a large array of military bridges. This company was equipped with the Medium Girder Bridge (MGB) that is built with the SALB system (Soldier's Arms, Legs, and Backs.)

Oh boy, I thought... what a change. But life was different here. First of all, I couldn't legally consume alcohol (I was just 19), and there were no ten dollar hookers to be found. Most of all, there were no communist bastards waiting to kill me just a kilometer across the river. Talk about boredom.
But I had some friends here, and things began to get better. A buddy I knew from Korea lived in housing, and we spent time over there just to get "away from the Army" now and then.
Time passed by, and one thing really changed for me...the scenery was very different here, but the Army was the same...except for leadership. I had not like most of my Sergeants in Korea; definitely not my last Platoon Sergeant. Some of my NCO's had been blatant racists, clique organizers, and alcoholics. My new company had the same problems.
But two guys (platoon sergeants) here at "55" showed me what leadership is, and did some things that none of the other ones did. One of them was black; the other was white.
First of all, SSG Oatis didn't care what color you were. He also didn't care how many push ups you did...he just cared that you did your job, and that HE was taking care of you. The second NCO that was like this was SSG Simmons. He had the same ideals. These guys were real people, and real soldiers. That is rare. Sometimes men are great soldiers, but worthless human beings. The opposite can also be true.
The new scene started looking up for me...and although I left the Army for a while in 1988, these men's leadership, character, and moral compass passed on to me. I would later draw on these traits to be a leader myself. Sometimes I was not liked for this, other times I was praised heartily for them. But I carried them with me all of my life, and still do up to this day.

Movies- A Review

By Jim Culp

May 21, 2018

I recently saw two modern movies, both is genres that I love and cherish all the way back to my childhood growing up in West Texas and Southwest New Mexico. I rarely go to theaters these days...either because of the cost, or there being too many people there with children that must have been recently released from mental wards where they were taking methamphetamines for sleeping pills.

A few weeks ago, I saw "Hostiles." It is set in the North American Frontier in the late 1890's, and a very realistic and well crafted movie featuring my favorite Native American actor, Wes Studi. He plays the old chief that a military officer (Christian Bale) must take back to Montana to die in his own burial grounds. It gets a little less realistic at the end, but it is nevertheless a great movie. Being a gun buff, I can tell you the pistol combat in this movie is more realistic than most...

I had never had the pleasure of seeing (that I can remember) the beautiful Rosamund Pike in a movie before, but her performance in this feature is absolutely awesome. On a scale from 1 (really sucks) to 10 (comparable to "Last of the Mohicans" or "True Grit")... I give it a 6.5.

Last evening, I saw "Avengers : Infinity War." The movie had a huge cast of characters, and had a storyline that I thought for a while was going to be a great one. I won't spoil it...you'll have to judge that for yourself. The same actors played the same Avengers... and there was the addition of characters from another movie...they were funny, cool, and dramatic all at once. I won't spoil that one either.

Avengers : Infinity War was really entertaining...between Spider Man and Iron Man's quirks and qualms, Thor's stabs and jabs, and Bruce Banner trying out a new gig...it was fun. The movie's ending was disappointing to me, but that's just me. Of course... Scarlett Johansson,  Elizabeth Olsen, and Zoe Saldana never cease to warm my heart. The romance of the Scarlet Witch and Vision is something I followed in Marvel comics for thirty years... I loved those characters... but I still love them all. On that same scale of 1-10, I give this Avengers movies a 7.

Well, it's May. We'll see what a late Spring and Summer bring us.

Until Next Time...

-Jim

 

 

Movies- A Review

By Jim Culp

May 21, 2018

I recently saw two modern movies, both is genres that I love and cherish all the way back to my childhood growing up in West Texas and Southwest New Mexico. I rarely go to theaters these days...either because of the cost, or there being too many people there with children that must have been recently released from mental wards where they were taking methamphetamines for sleeping pills.

A few weeks ago, I saw "Hostiles." It is set in the North American Frontier in the late 1890's, and a very realistic and well crafted movie featuring my favorite Native American actor, Wes Studi. He plays the old chief that a military officer (Christian Bale) must take back to Montana to die in his own burial grounds. It gets a little less realistic at the end, but it is nevertheless a great movie. Being a gun buff, I can tell you the pistol combat in this movie is more realistic than most...

I had never had the pleasure of seeing (that I can remember) the beautiful Rosamund Pike in a movie before, but her performance in this feature is absolutely awesome. On a scale from 1 (really sucks) to 10 (comparable to "Last of the Mohicans" or "True Grit")... I give it a 6.5.

Last evening, I saw "Avengers : Infinity War." The movie had a huge cast of characters, and had a storyline that I thought for a while was going to be a great one. I won't spoil it...you'll have to judge that for yourself. The same actors played the same Avengers... and there was the addition of characters from another movie...they were funny, cool, and dramatic all at once. I won't spoil that one either.

Avengers : Infinity War was really entertaining...between Spider Man and Iron Man's quirks and qualms, Thor's stabs and jabs, and Bruce Banner trying out a new gig...it was fun. The movie's ending was disappointing to me, but that's just me. Of course... Scarlett Johansson,  Elizabeth Olsen, and Zoe Saldana never cease to warm my heart. The romance of the Scarlet Witch and Vision is something I followed in Marvel comics for thirty years... I loved those characters... but I still love them all. On that same scale of 1-10, I give this Avengers movies a 7.

Well, it's May. We'll see what a late Spring and Summer bring us.

Until Next Time...

-Jim

 

 

April 10, 2018

"Living Legend"

Today I want to pay tribute to one of my idols, Mr. Tony Iommi. Like Jimmy Page and Chet Atkins, Tony has been (and still continues to be) one of my all time favorites.

Tony Iommi turned 70 years old this year. He had battled cancer, and beat it. I saw Black Sabbath in Phoenix in August of 2013, and they were playing all their greatest stuff, and plenty of songs from their new record, "13."
Toni was producing the same sounds (and new ones) that made Black Sabbath famous, and with two of his original band-mates (Ozzy and Geezer Butler) giving the crowd his very best.
Toni Iommi is a unique guitarist. He lost his middle and ring fingers of his right hand when he was a teenager, and the rest is history. The "Great Lefty" was born, and the sounds and riffs that would be the basis for Black Sabbath were engraved in history for all time. Toni is the undisputed Godfather of Heavy Metal guitar, and master of the tuned down Gibson SG, and a line of custom guitars.
If you sit and listen to "13," you'll hear the absolute perfection of a band that goes back 40 years, and to this day will rock a crowded event center with the very best.
Cheers to you Tony...you are forever regarded as one of the greatest musicians of all time.

-Jim Culp, 2018

 

April 8, 2018

"A Better Way"

           Well, the first week of April is past us. Here in Kansas City, it's 37˚F as I write this at 08:49 hours. They weatherman saws that it will snow this afternoon and tonight, but if history proves anything; we'll also have swim trunks and hotdogs ready for a year party.

            Last evening, my daughter and I watched a movie by Michael Moore called "Where to Invade Next." I thought it was going to be about going to war with Iran or Russia, or some extremely scary proposition of the sort. I was pleasantly surprised that, just like "Fahrenheit 911..." it was based upon interviews, fact gathering, and downright honesty on Michael's part.
            I'll preface this by saying that I don't agree with everything Michael Moore stands for, and I do not think that everything presented in this or any other documentary is a perfect doctrine or has all the "stand alone" facts to make us change our policies. I understand processes, and I (believe me) know full well that the wheels of government are slow to turn, and excruciatingly slow to implement change. The movie entails Mr. Moore visiting schools, factories, and prisons in countries such as Germany, Portugal, Italy, Norway, and France. He visits schools where students enjoy their day at school, eat nutritious lunches, and treat one another with respect and dignity. He speaks with teachers and administrators that all agree on two things about education in the United States... 1) that standardized testing is a pathetic joke, and 2) that charging students outlandish tuitions and placing them in insurmountable debt after college is ludicrous and self defeating.
            In several of the countries, he talks with chefs who prepare children's school lunches. The meals look like fancy restaurant dishes, and the children are taught the proper methodology of using utensils, as well as table manners. I found it incredibly awesome that Mr. Moore offered the children at one table a drink of Coca-Cola, and they all declined to taste it, except one girl.
            The big surprise was the visits to two factories; one for motorcycle, and the other for clothing. The workers at both places were happy to go to work, unionized, and receive excellent vacation packages and liberal benefits. He spoke with an Italian couple whose husband had been thinking of migrating to the United States. I think Mr. Moore might have dissuaded him when he told him that he wouldn't have nine weeks of vacation at any job in the USA, unless he worked in Congress. The managers at the motorcycle plant explained to Mr. Moore that their company has these workers's happiness in mind. They furthermore explained that they were not on a path to get richer, just to be happy...like their workers. They also explained the importance of liberal maternity leaves, and creating stress free environments.
            There was a visit to prison systems in Norway. The prison ideology is very different there, because it focuses on rehabilitation and the ideology of humanity. I believe these are good concepts, but would be very hard to apply in the USA; we have more people in prisons that most of these country's populations. The police officers that were interviewed commented that the death penalty should never be used. I strongly disagree with that, but that is another topic for another time.
           The final topic I want to discuss was Mr. Moore's trip to Germany. The schools and workplaces had similar ideologies and policies as some of the other countries, but Germany stands out in two major areas. The corporations had employees on their review boards. The employees represent the views of the workers. You can say that this is the same as a union, but it operates differently. I highly suggest you reading that whole thing for yourself. The biggest and most profound item that I was overjoyed to see in Germany was this; the Germans teach the children very thoroughly about the events of World War II, the rise of Hitler, and the holocaust. The children are taught that the country was at fault of allowing this to happen, and that it was wrong. They don't get a sugar coated story about these events the way that American kids are told about the plight of the North American Indians, or the truths about Vietnam or 911. Children are encouraged to search out the truth, and study the facts pertaining to their subjects.

I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Moore's movie, and highly recommend it.

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March 28, 2018

"A Cry for Seizure"

-By Jim Culp

I saw this ludicrous article posted on Facebook today. It's like pulling an old VHS tape out of a drawer and watching a movie that's I've seen a hundred times.

"14 day waiting periods"

"No sales at Gun Shows"

"No sales by private owners"

"10 rounds magazine limit"

"No bump stocks"

"No cranks"

"Licenses for all arms"

"Child locks requirements"

"Minimum age of purchase at 21"

"Assault Rifle Ban"

"Universal Background Check"

"Domestic Violence Ban"

This is the same bullshit they wanted to do in 1994. But it doesn't stop criminals from obtaining guns, because criminals don't obtain guns legally. Also, an Assault Rifle is an automatic rifle. AR-15's are not automatic rifles. Lastly, 14 day waiting periods were exercised under the Brady Bill. They accomplished one thing and one thing only: they made law abiding citizens wait 14 days for their gun purchases. The Domestic Violence addendum to gun purchase on ATF forms has been in place since the mid-90's. Automatic firearms, machines guns, grenades, and rocket launchers have been illegal for a private citizen to own (without a special clearance and license) since the Gun Control Act of 1968.

I'm not sure when people are going to wake the fuck up and realize that thugs, gangs, and habitual drug users are the problem in the USA, and not firearms. There will also never be any change until they stop crime rings from operating inside prisons. The Second Amendment was written and placed in our Constitution for the very reasons/events that are happening today.
The Government that you allow to abolish the Second Amendment is going to the same one that one day will deny you the First, then all the rest in turn. When you remove a gun from a free man's hands, you take away a big part of his Liberty. You know... the thing that the founding of our nation was built upon?

January 31, 2018

“State of the Union, 2018”

By Jim Culp

 Last night I watched the State of the Union address on CBS. I was fairly long, and the President covered a large variety of topics; everything from immigration to ISIS, heroes to zeros, and all of the stuff that he plans to see to fruition over the next three years.

President Trump paid respect to soldiers, police officers, and families that had lost loved ones to gang violence. He praised himself for publicly recognizing the city of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and patted himself on the back for lowering taxes on the middle class and corporations. Finally, he embarked on a sermon of epic proportions about how we will rebuild our infrastructure, put millions back to work, keep North Korea at bay, and make ISIS a memory. He declared us a nation “under God,” but I hope he remembers that “god” has many names…like Allah, Krishna, and many others.  
I listed all these things to say this; I’ve heard all of this many times. I’ve paid particular attention to these addresses over the past twenty or so years; all the way back to President H.W. Bush around the time of the Gulf War.
What astounds me (among a hundred other things) is that many of these Senators and Representatives have been seated in that same chamber for this address for all of that time, and some much longer. For a short list, McConnell has been there for 33 years, Pelosi for 31 years, Graham for 25 years, and Schumer for 37 years.
I could name many others that have been there even longer, and the list is long.
All the way back to that address that I mentioned a while ago, Presidents (Democrat and Republican) have been saying roughly the same thing. They are going to lower taxes, end poverty, seal the borders, rebuild infrastructure, and defeat evil around the world.
Just one guy talking here, but it’s been 28 years and five Presidents since that speech I remember so well in 1990, and I haven’t seen any of that stuff change very much. I still see thousands of homeless veterans, I still pay outlandish taxes, and the largest and most powerful military on the Earth still can’t defeat “those evil terrorists” that wreak havoc on our lives every day across the world. We’ve been in Afghanistan for a little over 16 years now, lost over 67,000 lives (coalition forces and civilian personnel), and spent a little over a trillion dollars there. The same roads and bridges that you drive over every day are still crumbling, and tolls and fees just get higher and higher with each passing year.
I remember when President Obama talked about these things, and promised that they would come to fruition in his or at least his predecessors tenure. When he did so, I remember Republicans like McConnell and Boehner asking him questions like “how are we paying for that?” and “where the hell is that money coming from?”
I watched the faces of Democrats and Republicans alike as the President promised these same wet dreams, and all of them were of the “what the fuck did he just say?” type.
I wonder when (this week or next?) some of those same Republicans will ask President Trump where all of that money is coming from?
I watched Rex Tillerson’s face light up as the President announced the multi-billion dollar deal with Exxon-Mobile. How special. Kind of reminds me of Dick Cheney and Halliburton in 2003. Laugh all you want; I was there and watched it unfold on the ground right under my nose in Iraq.

But here we are. It’s the end of January, and I still can’t believe that it is 2018.

We’ll see what happens in the coming months and years.

I’ll be right here, like that chigger that bites your leg.

Cheers-

Jim

January 22, 2018

Today marks a special anniversary for me. 33 years ago today, I enlisted into the U.S. Army. I was 18, and being told I had two more years of high school, I was ready to do something different. I'll never forget the look on my parent's faces when I told them. I was my Mother's baby, and that meant our house would be pretty empty for the years to come. Sure, the grandkids would come and visit, but things just wouldn't be the same.

My Army career consisted of eight and a half years in the active Army, eight years in the National Guard, and six years in the Army Reserve. I held four Military Specialties, served as a Combat Arms Instructor at KSRTI, and always served in a position one level above my rank. I endured three major peacetime deployments, and served in two wars. In 2007, I retired at the rank of Sergeant First Class.
Thanks to all of those that made that path a little brighter, and some of the hardest times a little easier.

Cheers,

Jim Culp
SFC, USAR
Retired

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January 21, 2018

"No More"

By Jim Culp

I no longer regard anyone in Washington, D.C. as a competent person. I think we've given them long enough to pull their heads from their anal orifices. I now simply regard them as a massive, money corrupted conglomerate of mindless tools that wish to impose their will on one another; and the people of the USA keep taking the backlash and consequences for their actions. I DO NOT care if you regard yourself as a Democrat, a Republican, or a Martian. Vote with me to reform the Federal Government of the United States of America. Stop voting for these parties that keep Washington in deadlock time and time again. When your ballot is in your hand, write in your name, and thereby cast a "no confidence" vote. When there are millions of those in the voting boxes, they will have no choice but to acknowledge it. It is time for the middle class American to stand up and say "no more."

 

January 14, 2018

"Games and Rules"

By Jim Culp

(A little prelude: If you've never read my blogs before, let me say up front that they are opinionated, well considered, and not always nice. That's me. I'm a retired soldier, a proud American, and a very concerned citizen. If you have thin skin, or think that unicorns and leprechauns will fix the world, this blog is definitely not for you.)

               It's the end of the second week of 2018, and we are already shaping up to another year here in the USA. It's been colder than a well digger's boot here in the mid-west, and as I write this today; it's snowing and we have about an inch on the ground. It's about 19˚F, the way January should be. I can say it is the first year in a long time that I can remember seeing both of the big rivers being frozen solid.
It's the end of the year for professional football. The best teams of the year are in the playoffs, including my Pittsburgh Steelers. We'll watch these games with family or friends, and cheer our favorites; lose or not.
But one thing about NFL Games that has always bothered me is the referee calls.
Let me digress a minute, and tell you that I have loved games all of my life. I was a chess player starting way back in junior high school, and have been so all of my life. I broke my wrist in football when I was young, and ended my illustrious football career.
I love games, and even design my own line of them. But here's my big caveat...games have rules. Rules dictate whether you can do this or that, how much you advance after that run or catch, and whether your King can "castle" at a certain point or not.
The NFL has a rulebook, but I am inclined these days to believe that either A)the rule book some days must be written in Arabic, and therefore the referees can't decipher it; or B) they interpret the rules as they are either paid or coerced to do.
I do not think that (A) is the case. Every referee can consult the rules anytime he wants with the latest electronic technologies, and coaches and referees alike know the rules very well. That leads me to believe that (B) might just be the deal.
Game after game, I see referees make calls about whether a player is "down" or if he had "possession or control." Great! Make that call, Ref! But here's the issue. Many times (and sometimes in the same game), the referees will make a different decision about the exact same occurrence! Ludicrous...right? So why does the NFL keep allowing this to happen?
My conclusion is that it has something to do with little pieces of green paper, and they typically have a U.S. President's portrait on the front of them.

-Jim

 

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January 1, 2018

It's a bone chilling -4˚F as I look out over the frozen yards of my neighborhood this morning. It is a New Year, and that means new things.

For me, I'll keep working and writing songs. I'll be busy just keeping my fingers nimble enough to play the guitar. Life will go on, and I hope the New Year will bring me more completion as a person.
For all of you that are my friends and relatives, I wish you a prosperous New Year. Just remember that "prosperous" doesn't always mean more money in the savings account or the 410k. Sometimes it means that you just grew as a human being during a time, and that means more than any stock, credit increase, or new car could ever hope to mean. To my readers, gamers, and blog followers, get ready for more of the same and some new and very different stuff. This year will bring my next science fiction novel, and soon after that, my first non-fiction book. I'll continue writing RPG's; my gamers are anxiously awaiting more of the 10th Millennium®.
Whatever you do, and wherever you go, find time to enjoy life. As you trudge along that winding road of reaching retirement, don't ever lose track of one of life's most important paths... that one of the pursuit of happiness.  
HAPPY NEW YEAR, and may you and your families enjoy the blessings of the universe for years to come.

Cheers!

-Jim