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

Follow me on twitter--- Jim Culp@gmjim13

Follow my blog--- http://jimculp.blogspot.com

 

 

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

 

Follow me on twitter Jim Culp@gmjim13

Follow my blog: http://jimculp.blogspot.com

 

 

 

 

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