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My Love/Hate Relationship with the Blue Angels
The cons are starting to outweigh the pros for me.
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Compassion
Compassion, defined as the “sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings and misfortunes of others,” is something you either have or you don’t. At this moment in history, perhaps more than any other, it is obvious that no fence-sitting on this issue is acceptable. Pick a side. Own it. One shouldn’t have to have experienced…
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Want to Defeat ISIS?
Every paramilitary organization on the face of the earth is only as powerful as its bottom line. Without money, there are no bullets for guns, gas for tanks, or food for soldiers. Without money you are simply throwing a tantrum in the wilderness. It is now estimated that ISIS makes up to 3 million dollars…
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Have We Forgotten the Ukraine?
I get it. We have neither the money, the time, the moral currency, nor the manpower to intervene in every international atrocity. God knows we’ve left Tibet dangling since 1951, Burma since 1962 and I could talk for hours about various coups in Africa and the Middle East. But what stuns me is how quickly…
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Respect for the Presidency
During Obama’s recent State of the Union address, there was a moment that made me sick to my stomach. Don’t get excited, Republicans. I actually agreed with everything he had to say, as predictable as most of it was. No, what made me sick was the way some Republican congressmen reacted to something he said.…
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Okinawa Dreaming
This week I applied for a job on Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa, Japan. I qualify for it, and what the heck? Nothing is holding me here. I could use an adventure! Since then I’ve been reading about that beautiful island, and my imagination has taken off. I can already visualize my life there.…
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Sworn Virgins in Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo
In the isolated areas of Albania, Montenegro and Kosovo, the gender roles have traditionally been extremely restrictive for women. They could not inherit, own land, vote, work outside of the home, choose their own spouses, smoke, drink, wear pants or watches, sing or dance, interact with men, or own businesses. They weren’t even supposed to…
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Sometimes a Teapot is Just a Teapot
There’s such a thing as being too sensitive. The other day the mayor of Culver City, California absolutely freaked out over a teapot, because if you squint hard enough it resembles Adolph Hitler. I kid you not. Check out the article. The sh**storm was so immediate that JCPenney actually had to pull the pot from…
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Chaos: The New Normal?
A coworker of mine was describing a situation in which he and his brother were watching TV and they got into an argument which then escalated into a fist fight, and the police had to be called. Just a regular Tuesday night at Chez Coworker, apparently. I remember thinking, “Huh. My whole life, the police…
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Security Guard Blues
Times being what they are, I was feeling the need to expand my career skills, and Security Guard work seemed the way to go. As the economy gets worse, crime goes up. As crime goes up, there’s more need for security. That was my thinking, anyway. Here in Florida, even unarmed guards must take a…