European Bailout of Greece

I don't know how many of you pay attention to world news but I do.  My extended family doesn't (didn't keep track while I was deployed to a war zone for 5 years but that is another story).  If you were listening to the news on Monday night you might of heard about the European Bailout of Greece.  This is the second bailout by the European finance community.  They are doing this to try to stabilize the Euro.  According to some experts in this country that is a bad thing.  They felt that the first bailout should of fixed the problem.  Does throwing more money at something fix it?  I guess we know the answer is no.  $170 billion is a lot to try to fix a problem but when you think about that figure remember that this is the second really huge amount that has been given.  I was in Germany in the late 80's and returned in the early 90's and also in 2003.  While I was there the first time it was the Deutchemark as the local currency.  The second time there is when they changed to the Euro.  Now it is the major currency for that continent.  If you have ever listened to any signs of the end of times one of those warning signs is a one world currency.  Are we headed that way?  Is there really any currency right now that is stronger then any other?  Are any of these currency actually backed by any hard material.  We were taken off of the gold standard in the late 40's and all we do now is print money that is really not backed by anything then the word of the federal reserve.  Our dollar has depreciated so much in just the last 10 years that the buying power is shameful.  Image if you will that you were lucky or blessed and won one of the current lotteries.  Would you take the lump sum or the yearly payments?  A lot of people I think would take the yearly payments.  The only drawback to that from my viewpoint is the increasing decline of the buying power of our dollar.  By taking payments you receive the same amount every year but you will actually be able to buy less and less if the standard continues in the same fashion that it is now.  I really believe that the way to fix an economic problem is to give to the lowest denominator and let the money move its way back up the system.  Why reward the people who made the bad decisions and investments by wiping the board clean and letting them do it all over again.  Where is the accountability?  If that was you or me we would already be out on the street or sleeping in our car.  We sure wouldn't be living in mansions and having a golden umbrella retirement plan.

Random Thoughts

The more I watch TV and read the news the more I think about the what ifs.

What does the future hold for us?  Where is our country headed?  Is 2012 really the end?  What do we do if there really is a major disaster?

How many people would really step forward to lead and how many would just step forward to take - burn, pillage, and kill?

Do Americans really know what "EVIL" looks like?

After spending almost 5 years in the Middle East and seeing people who have no regard for life at all I know that I know what evil looks like and have no qualms about stopping it before it spreads.

The whole idea behind prepping for things is that you want to be ready when they happen.  You could be prepared for something totally outlandish but isn't that better then having to react to a situation that is totally out of your control.  You prep for it but at the same time you hope and pray that it never happens.

This isn't supposed to be a downer blog.  It is supposed to get you thinking about things that are not in your comfort zone.  That is what makes us different then the other animals on this planet.  We can think about and discuss things and try to make the world a better place each day instead of letting it go to hell in a handbasket.

Doomsday Preppers

This show hit the airwaves last week and I have watched the first 3 episodes and have liked some of the things but some of the things that some of these people are doing or not doing is totally maddening.  Some of them don't think that people will turn dangerous if some of these doomsday things happen.  That is totally unrealistic if you just pay attention to the way people react today in a "normal" society.

I know some of the things that I would do and be prepared for if one of those situations happened and the main one is being prepared to defend myself and my loved ones.

Lin Mania

If you watch sports then you will know what I am talking about when I say "Lin Mania".  The New York Knicks and the city of New York have been going crazy for the the last week because of the exceptional play of a player that had been cut from 2 other teams and was on the verge of being cut again.  If it weren't for injuries he probably would of been.  Jeremy Lin is taking advantage of the opportunity that has been presented to him.  He has stepped forward to showcase his talents in the last few days.  People have been surprised to say the least.  This has caused people to react almost as they did for Tim Tebow.  Mr. Lin was so unsure of his future with the team that he hadn't even rented an apartment.  He started sleeping on his brothers couch and now he is sleeping on a team mates couch.  Maybe now he can finally set down some roots.  The man definitely doesn't lack confidence in himself and now his teammates are behind him.  Just watching their reactions makes watching their game worthwhile.  I am in no means a Knicks fan.  My team is the Dallas Mavericks but I like and enjoy watching players who don't lack confidence and yet aren't so conceited that it is a totally impossible to like them.

Changes to my life because of 9/11

By growing up in a small town farming community I know that a lot of people might read the paper or listen to the news.  The one thing about a small town community that I enjoyed was the closeness of the people and yet at the same time the lack of grasping the importance of some events since they don’t impact the everyday life of the individuals in the community.

                After the events of 9/11 you might have paid a little more attention to start with but as time went by and your life was greatly affected you went back to doing your business as usual.

                As for myself, my life was turned upside on 9/11.  The military immediately went to a high state of alert and security.  It would take you hours to get to work because of the check points that were established to enter the military bases.  I only lived one mile from base and it would take me two hours to drive to work or only 20 minutes to walk.

                A usual day prior to 9/11 was 0530 morning platoon sergeants meeting and then work until around 1700 (5pm).  After 9/11 we were working around 18-20 hours a day preparing for any mission or contingency we might be called upon to do.  To come to work your vehicle was searched, your identification card was verified and then you were allowed to proceed.  To go into any military building you had to show your identification card and your bags were checked even if you were in uniform.

                Even today while working on a military base in Iraq I have to show my identification card to enter the mess hall, the MWR building, and the Post Exchange.  Yes they are an inconvenience but they are only looking out for our safety by ensuring that no insurgent gains access to these areas.

                Every day that goes by I look at the soldiers who are defending our great country and our way of life and my chest swells with pride knowing that not too long ago I was one of those people.  I say a small prayer every time I see them headed out the gate to go do a recon mission, a route clearance mission, a raid, or an escort mission.  I pray that they can come back in one piece.  

                These are just some of the thoughts running through my head as I go through my days here in Iraq supporting our great troops.  If you have thoughts of your own please feel free to give me a message and let me know. 

Time

I watched the move "In Time" today and had some very rewarding thoughts on the concept of the movie.  What if everything we had we paid with by using the time remaining in our lives.  What could we live without?  It would really put the saying "Hard days work for a hard days pay."  You would have to work very hard to meet the quotas in order to get the time you needed for even a cup of coffee.  How easy or hard would this make your world?  Just my thoughts.