CHARITY BEGINS AT HOME

It is better to work on not being offended and not offending others.

Then if that fails, try to forgive those who offend you.

Dredging up old offenses is only destructive and never produces anything but anguish.

No good ever comes from hurting others even if they have wronged you. If you feel you have been wronged, approach the offending party and tell them, in love, what it is that they did to offend you.

It is best to do this after you have forgiven them.

LOVE REALLY IS THE ANSWER.

GRANDMA KNEW BEST

The June 2008 issue of Consumer Reports' ON HEALTH confirms that a number of "home remedies" do work.

* Saltwater nasal baths, "Neti Pots" help relieve symptoms of Sinusitis, Colds, and Rhinitis. I know this to be true from personal experience. Since using one I have not had a sinus headache.
* Chewing gum hastens normal bowel activity after abdominal surgery, relieves heartburn, and may dull appetite.
* Chicken Soup reduces symptoms of a cold and has a mild effect on inflammation.
* Yogurt relieves diarrhea, eczema in children, urinary infections, shortens a cold, and improves digestive problems.
* Honey works better against coughs than OTC drugs. Honey also has anti-viral and anti-oxidant qualities.
* Cranberries are an almost sure guard against bladder infections. You can also use them as soon as symptoms appear with good effect.
* Staying warm will stop a cold. "An old wives tale"? Nope! Not getting chilled will help you stay cold free.

So there! Yo Momma don tole you! Yo Daddy too.

CAR-15 and the Old Warbird

The first picture shows the CAR-15, I carried in Vietnam and mentioned on Aaron's blog. Carried is too strong a word. I slung it over my seat in the Chopper. It was originally designed for Special Operations Forces (Green Berets), and the Air Force adopted it for it's Special Ops people, with a few mods. Note the 30 round magazine, not used much in Vietnam except for SOF.

The other picture shows the Huey N Model in full war gear. Note the gunner standing in the slipstream. He is not grandstanding. That was his battle position, ready to "rock and roll", or "Hose" as we called it. We called what the Mini did "hosing" because the tracers (every 5th round) looked like a red stream of water coming from the gun. The gunner could fire at 2000rpm or 4000 rpm depending on the situation. And could bring fire to bear within 3 meters of friendlies in a close fire fight.

He wore a "chicken plate", front and back and an armored helmet. He could aim and fire the Minigun in a 179 degree arc. A gunner was on each side of the chopper.

The 2 pilots sat in armored seats with a "chicken plate" on their torsos, and an armored helmet. The plate could stop an armor piercing AK-47 round.

Look below the gunner's feet at the round canister laying horizontally. It held 2.75 inch rockets used to soften up an enemy that was closing on our SOF Team. Most rounds were HE, but up North we used fleshette rounds for the first 4 we shot. This rocket round had 15,000 little nails about 2 inches long. When fired the rocket went out about 1 Klick then exploded sending the nails in a large cloud into the target. The jungle was so dense and the holes where a chopper could land were so few that the VC had all the holes manned with ambush teams. So before we inserted a team we "nailed the hole". That took care of any ambushers waiting for our team. We found a few VC that got "nailed", so to speak.

NEW MEXICO INTERLUDE

We had a great time in Santa Fe and Taos. I'll let Lizzie speak about her adventures while I was busy learning a little about my profession. I will say that the most moving part of the trip was the back road to Taos and our visit to the Pueblo Taos.

We departed from the four lane way and took, "the road less traveled" through the old Spanish land grant area South and West of Taos. The Santuarios (Chapels) of Chimayo and Las Trampas we visited are nearly 300 years old. That is older than our nation! Many still speak the Castilian Spanish there and often the Catholic Church sends priests from Spain to be their Padres. In many ways It was like traveling back in time. And that made all the difference.

The next day we visited the Pueblo Taos. See the picture. It is the one you see when they want to show a typical Pueblo. Nearly 5 stories tall, made all out of adobe, and logs they call vigas. This village has been under continuous occupation for over 1000 years! I felt something akin to a spiritual experience as I contemplated this rare expression of humanity in a beautiful desert setting.

THAT FOXEY HILLARY

The far left bloggers and news media are all in a lather about Hillary's interview on O'Reilly's Show the other night. They had threatened all Demo candidates that bad things would happen if they went on FOX at all. Well, Obama went on FOX with Chris Wallace and now Hillary went into the very "Devils Den"!!

And she did well. She and Bill sparred on various issues. Bill pulled no punches and she fought back with well reasoned and hard hitting answers. I was impressed. She didn't come across as shrewish or mean, just tough.

Hill's points are going up since O'Reilly. Some show her within 5 points of Obama in North Carolina.

You have to ask: Why is the left wing so afraid of FOX? Do they worry that their doctrine, for want of a better word, won't stand the scrutiny? Don't they tell us that they are the intellectuals and we "little people" are lost? And what ever happened to Freedom of the Press which really, more broadly, means freedom of expression and free exchange of ideas? You would think they would welcome the opportunity to engage us witless sheep with the idea of leading us back to the "Promised Land. And with their enlightened teachings, maybe we would feel less bitter and cling less to our guns and religion. Umm...maybe not.

ITS THOSE CARSON BOYS AGAIN!

Those Carson boys are in what nation?
On what structure are they doing their thing?
Why is Ben threatening to jump?

JUDGEMENT

We had just concluded a successful telephone negotiation with a contractor when, as we walked out of the room, I remarked lightheartedly to my bright, young engineer colleague, that our discussion went a lot better than Hillary's campaign. He laughed and said, "I'm for Obama". I couldn't let this moment go without finding out what motivated this 25 y/o obviously intelligent man to want Obama for his President. So I asked him, "Why?"

He then parroted back the Obama campaign slogan of "Change and Hope". Trying to keep this discussion non-confrontational (not my strong suit!) I asked him what Obama was going to change. "Politics as usual", was his reply. I suggested that change can be good, bad or neither, and did he understand that? He acknowledged that was true, but "believed" that Obama would do great and wonderful things if President.

Moving on, I asked my intrepid engineer if he was disturbed by Obama's associations. He wasn't sure what I was referring to, so I mentioned the Rev. Wright and Bill Ayers. He honestly did not know one thing the Rev. had said, so I gave him 3 examples. His rather flippant comment was, to the effect, why condemn someone because their preacher said come controversial statements. I related to him that the Reverend's comments were not controversial. They were lies and completely untrue as anyone in the country with an ounce of sense would know. He reluctantly agreed. Further, I said Obama has picked this man to be his spiritual advisor and freely associated with him for 20 some years. He seemed somewhat befuddled with that statement as if he didn't know that little factoid. I asked him if he or any common man would associate and sit in the pew of a preacher that spewed hate for blacks? He said he wouldn't, but why should you hold bad associates against someone. I suggested that in the world we are judged by the associations we make. He did agree to that.

Finally, I suggested that the candidates, during this election, will promise all kinds of things. They always do, and they seldom deliver because of the built in inertia of our system. I said when it comes down to selecting a President it really comes down to judgement. "Who, when this very dangerous world starts coming apart, will have the good judgement to navigate the country through the mess, without making the mess worse." Then I said, "The common citizen is looking at Obama's associations, his and his wife's elitist statements, and asking, "do I want this man's finger on the nation's trigger"?"

We parted on friendly terms, but I think I gave him some things to think about. In retrospect, however, my engineer is almost the stereotypical Obama supporter. And his views can be summed up in what he told me as he left. He said, "Younger people want change."

I guess all I want is good sound judgement in my President. Something that seems to be in short supply lately.

God Bless America! We need it now more than ever.