The Opinionator

My Hero Takes a Fall

I was eleven when I first saw his name on the wall of my father's new squadron at NAS Miramar, VF-121. The squadron was the Pacific Fleet Fighter Weapons Squadron and upon first entering the building, there was a wall painted with an F-4 Phantom firing a Sidewinder at a Mig. Underneath the picture were the names of Squadron alumni that had kills in the recently ended Vietnam War. At the top of that list was "Cunningham/Driscoll" accompanied by five red stars denoting the five Migs they had shot down in Vietnam; including the notorious Col. Toon, North Vietnam's leading ace. At that time, before the eye exam that ruled it out, I wanted nothing more out of life than to become a Naval Aviator. Randy "Duke" Cunningham was my hero.

Years later, in college, I attended a meeting of the Young Republicans to see now-Congressman Randy Cunningham speak. He spoke glowingly of our military and he still had that strikingly similar appearance to the great John Wayne that led to him being called "Duke." Afterwards, I told him about that wall and what it meant to me. He was as gracious as anyone could be when surrounded by a throng of admirers. Even though I could not Fly Navy, he was still a hero.

When the charges of corruption were leveled against him earlier this year, I was confident they would be exposed as the equivalent of the political smear against Tom Delay. The more I read about the charges, the less convinced I was that they were.......so I stopped reading. Yesterday, Randy "Duke" Cunningham pleaded guilty to taking bribes and Tax Evasion. While the adult that I have become is resigned to reality, the eleven year old boy that still lives inside of me is devastated. To that boy, he will always be a hero.

Sometimes I wish I were still eleven.

Other Blogs discussing this story: Captains Quarters,  A Blog for All and Right Wing News.

Thanks to the Mudville Gazette for the Open Post.

Happy Thanksgiving to All, Especially Our Troops Around the Wolrd

Happy Thanksgiving to all. Here at The Opinionator household we have an awful lo to be thankful for and we have certainly reflected upon that today.

I especially want to wish a Happy Thanksgiving to our soldiers, sailors, airman, marines and coasties deployed around the world. I spent four Thanksgivings deployed thousands of miles away from home and know how difficult that can be on our troops so I want to ensure that they know they have the highest appreciation of my family and I for that they are doing. Thank you for all you do!

Some Get Thanksgiving; Some Clearly Do Not

Instapundit points us to two distinct views of Thanksgiving. One, thankful and appreciative from John Tammes, one clearly not (Get the link from Instapundit, I refuse to put a link to that asshat Jensen on my blog). Reading them reminds me of a co-worker that had wanted to be a teacher until she had worked with K-12 schools as a sales rep. She said that teachers were the most miserable people she had ever met; that no idea was ever good enough, that they just loved to bitch endlessly. This was my experience selling to schools as well.

Liberals, and teachers are overwhelmingly liberal, cannot allow themselves to enjoy the present nor the progress we have experienced. In the Jensen piece, he cannot celebrate Thanksgiving because of the wrongs done in the past. And in his worldview unless we cannot dive in and bathe in the misery of Thanksgiving past and white guilt, we are the problem. He cannot celebrate or give thanks for what he and we have, nor the progress we have made in our treatment of minorities as we have not reached an ideal state. As I used to say about my K-12 customers, they would not accept a good or great solution to a problem because they preferred to wait on the perfect solution, which was never forthcoming, and bitch the whole time. As was mentioned on another blog, that unfortunately I cannot recall, the left is filled with miserable people. Certainly this has been a common thread for many of the hard lefties I have met as well, especially academics. Perhaps it is being on a campus filled with adolescents and never having to grow past the "it's not fair" way of thinking. Who knows for sure?

Giving thanks for what one has and we have is a good thing, It does not mean the world or our lives are perfect. Nor does it mean that our history is pristine. Rather, it is about appreciating what we do have. John Tammes, having seen life in a third world country and endured hardships as a soldier abroad understands this while Jensen, safely ensconced in Austin, does not.

Nor do some of his commenters it would seem as this comment shows us:

Genocide and slavery are the economic “ Plymouth Rock” of the U.S economy. Throw in the indentured servitude of some Europeans and you have the essence of what the U.S. is all about. This crap about great white men who did great white deeds to build a great white world sickens and enrages me. I had to unlearn all this stuff to come to some understanding of why it seemed that such a small number of untalented parasites had so much and the rest of us had squat. I blamed myself and my family. False history does great, emotional, economic and spiritual damage to us all. The U.S is the greatest terrorist nation on the planet. It’s the most racist country in the world and with the possible exception of the years when the Nazis controlled Germany, it is probably the most racist nation or empire in recorded history. The genocide of Native peoples on this continent was a dispicable act done by despicable people. The enslavement of Africans fascism, most foul.

If you really believe all that tripe, you must be a miserable person.

This Sums Up Last Friday's Vote

Polipundit links to John O'Neil of the Swiftboat Vets commenting on the John Murtha and his calls for the withdrawal of our troops in Iraq. He pretty much hits this one on the head regarding last weeks vote on immediate withdrawal from Iraq,

Indeed, this past Thursday night, the nation watched the bizarre spectacle of a Democratic Party speaking in favor of immediate withdrawal but too afraid to even cast a vote recording for posterity these convictions.

I agree. If the democrats really wanted to stay the course, there would have been no rancorous debate. They would have gladly lined up to cast their votes in favor of staying the course. But they do not want to stay the course, thus they squealed like pigs. Long story short, O'Neill is right, they want to leave yesterday but do not have the courage to come right out and do something about it.

"I Support the Troops, but..." Deep in the Heart of Darkness; Dispatches From Behind the Lines in Blue State America, Part II

"I support the troops," said Y reflexively, "but....they enlisted knowing what they were getting into in Iraq so if something happens to them, well..." "So you are saying that if a soldier is injured or killed fighting in Iraq, it is their own fault.," I replied. "Not all of them, she said. " A lot of them enlisted because they had no other options. They were poor and uneducated with no where else to turn. The military recruits in poor areas you know." The military recruits everywhere they can I replied.  In fact, they are having to go to court so they can recruit at Yale Law School. "It seems to me that you are saying that the military is made up of the bloodthirsty or society's victims for whom the military is the last option. That is insulting on the one hand and condescending on the other," I said. "Look Joe", she replied, "It may hurt your feelings, but that is the truth regarding the military. They do not want people that think for themselves, they want people they can brainwash and those are the the stupid, the poor, and those that want to kill." "Do you even know anyone in the military," I asked her. "No, she said, "but I once met a former military guy at a protest. He mentioned that his education benefits had been cut off because he was against the war." Sounds to me like he is full of shit, I said in not so many words. I told Y that the military wants those that can think, adapt and take initiative. That is what has made the American soldier the better of his enemies. However, they did want people to understand that in the heat of battle, they wanted people that would follow orders without debate. Y remained unconvinced. She is also convinced that our troops are targeting innocent civilians in Iraq. But that is another dispatch. Well at least she supports the troops, eh? Imagine if she did not.....

Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post.

Alfred Anderson, 1896-2005 R.I.P.

From the Times of London, "The last veteran to have personally heard the guns of the Western Front fall silent during the Christmas Truce of 1914 has died at the age of 109." Go read this remarkable story. Rest in Peace Mr. Anderson. It was a long life, well led. Imagine the horrors that he witnessed and the changes that followed in the many years since. Men like Mr. Anderson are national treasures. Godspeed, sir.

Hat Tip: Blackfive.

Note, post corrected to remove reference to Mr. Anderson's brother. I misunderstood the post at Blackfive.

To Which Race of Middle Earth Do You Belong?

Hugh Hewitt guides us to this quiz which helps you find out what race of Middle Earth you belong to. My result:

Rohirrim

To which race of Middle Earth do you belong?
brought to you by Quizilla

A Salute to Our Veterans; Dad and Big Brother Included

It has been said of our veterans that, "All gave some, some gave all." With that in mind, The Opinionator and family would like to thank and salute our nation's veterans for their service to our country. For some that service meant the ultimate sacrifice and we especially remember you on this day. You are not forgotten in our home.

Special thanks and a tip of the hat to my father, (Vietnam, two tours), and brother, (Afghanistan), for their service as well. We are very proud of both of you!

Thanks to Mudville Gazette for the Open Post.

Why Are today's Elections a Test for Republicans And Not Democrats?

The AP, reprising it's role as democrat party house organ, says that today's elections are a test for Republicans. This is especially true, they say, of the two Governor's races in Virginia and New Jersey. I do not buy it. Both of those seats are currently held by democrats. It seems to me that it is just as much a test of the democrats ability to defend their territory as anything else. And were it not for a third party candidate in Virginia splitting the Conservative vote, the GOP would likely pick that seat up. Mayor Bloomberg, ostensibly a Republican, will win handily in NYC. And the ballot initiatives supported by The Governator in California, one of the Bluest of states, would face an uphill battle regardless of who was Governor. So there really is not much that can be read by these elections in my estimation.

Of course, let the democrats win in those gubernatorial races and the initiatives in California lose and the AP and the democrat's friends in the media will never let us forget about it. Next year's elections will be interesting. If the dem's do not take over one house of Congress after having so much favorable media to latch onto and build their expectations, the bitterness and pain will be exquisite to watch!

Thanks to Stop the ACLU for the Trackback Party and Mudville Gazette for the Open Post.

A Sign You Might Be With the Wrong Person

The Opinionator was sitting at the bar of a casual chain restaraunt when two average looking mid-twenty's guys sat down next to me. I did not pay them any attention until one of them mentioned he needed $2000 to bail his girlfriend out of jail this afternoon. Now The Opinionator has made plenty of relationship mistakes and is not a therapist or anything like that. But I think I can safely say that if your girlfriend is in jail and needs to be bailed out, you may want to reconsider the relationship. Trust me guys, no matter how attractive she is, this is about as clear a sign as you will ever get warning you to run, not walk, away!

MoBlogged from my Treo 650.

Thaks to Stop the ACLU for the Open Trackbacks!