hero of the month: november

without a doubt, these two are the heroes of the month.

Sergeants MARK TODD and KIMBERLY MUNLEY of the ft. hood civilian police responded to the call of a mass murder in progress on NOV. 5 and went right into action against nidal hasan, an ARMY major who was shooting NON MUSLIMS as they prepared for deployment to southwest asia. some controversy has arisen in the wake of the shooting, which left 13 dead and more than 30 wounded including MUNLEY. initial reports were that MUNLEY was hit by friendly fire after taking hasan out, and later still that it was TODD that actually shot hasan. makes no difference to me, you are both hereos, and richly deserve the accolades.

honorable mention:

Cpl. CHRIS STURGEON and Off. TRENTON GINN of the topeka, kansas police. on NOV.17, Cpl. STURGEON arrived ahead of fire at a residence that was heavily involved smoke and flames and was told a person was trapped inside and could hear screaming. without hesitation, STURGEON kicked in a rear door and crawled into the inferno to search. STURGEON located a victim but had to keep retreating outside for fresh air. upon GINNS arrival, the two officers were able to work together to pull the victim to safety. both officers were taken to a local hospital due to smoke inhalation. keep in mind they did this without SCBA (self contained breathing apparatus) or bunker gear (coats, helmets) like the firemen are issued. great job guys!!

a note about the hero of the month. these are people that i have read about. certainly there are others who deserve recognition. if you see a story, let me know so i can consider it, during the month the incident occurs. they can involve fire, ems, law enforcement and ordinary citizens, and of course our military.

rule detroit, the red wings rule the ice

so i took a little liberty with rule britaania. we just got back from st. louis and another RED WING thumping of the lowly blues. we have been going a couple of times a year for the last 10 years and the Wings have only lost once.

i wasn't so confident down 2 nothing at the end of the first, and 2-1 at the end of the second, i figured we came a long way to see a loss. but when draper tied it in the third i thought we were in pretty good shape, right up until there was about 6 minutes left in the game. st. louis went up 3-2 and with a minute left zetterberg scored from behind the net on a centering pass!!!, to send it into OT.

that is not one of the wings strong points so i was pretty apprehensive especially at the end of the 5 minutes as we went to the shootout. pavel scored for us and andy mcdonald scored for them 1-1 at the end of 3 shooters. the blues shoot first and their 4th guy missed so we trot out, todd bertuzzi?!

i liked todd about 12 or 13 years ago when he was young and still played hard. this is his second stint with the Wings, which i am less than happy about. i give the wife the what the fuck look(he only scored about 10 goals last season), and stand dejected as bertuzzi skates wide left, cuts back to the goal, roofs a backhander and ........scores!!!!!!! the only person more surprised than me in the arena was blues goaltender chris mason.

whatever, it counts, and we saw another great game. to all the blues fans with the dee-troit sucks chants--scoreboard.

the lions and thanksgiving

real old school logo

it is an nfl tradition. the lions will show up for their once yearly national tv broadcast and.......probably lose, on thanksgiving day. we have gone to a couple of the games, but it is hard as we live out of state. we have seen a loss to kansas city and a win over the pack. both were very good games. this time of year i'm thankful for many things, my health, my wife and the 3 beautiful children she gave me, my job and family, and also the lions.

what's wrong with this guy? nothing. if it wasn't for the lions and a running back from oklahoma state by way of wichita, kansas, dad and i might never have found common ground after moms death. i was off playing soldier in europe when mom passed. dad and i were so alike, according to mom, we couldn't get along, which was one of the reasons i signed up. after her death, i figured i wouldn't be hearing from home much. then the lions drafted the heisman trophy winner barry sanders. i remember watching (on AFN tape delayed) as barry returned a kick for a TD. i grabbed up some marks and called dad. the run had electrified the crowd, and helped us connect in a way we could not have before.

the lion king takes off on another long run.

we shared the teams ups and downs, and were dazzled by barry's astounding array of moves, got to go to several games, and learned to accept our shared similarities and vast differences.

never a great team, the lions really took a nose dive in the shitter when barry unexpectedly retired after 10 frustrating seasons. they set an all time record by losing all 16 games last year.
my heart sank when we took matt stafford number 1 in the draft. i watched as he beat a mediocre michigan state (favorite college team) in the capital one bowl. his performance, i felt was also mediocre. i would have rather the lions taken an offensive lineman, and gone after tebow this year.

fast forward to november 22, 2009. stafford, after getting smashed at the end of regulation against cleveland, comes back into the game moaning and wincing and throws a TD to give the lions a tie and win on jason hanson's PAT. in this gutty performance, stafford proved he has the heart of a lion. we're 2 and 8!!!!!!

stafford walks off the field with a probable dislocated shoulder.

dad and i laughed about our win/loss record for awhile, and are already plotting the next draft.

so while it may seem silly to some, i can say with PRIDE i'm thankful for the lions on thanksgiving. i think mom would be thankful for them too.

call you at halftime dad.

check with your doctor?

that little saying is everywhere. any over the counter medicine-it's on the label. going to start exercising-check with your doctor first. going to see about taking some pharmaceuticals so it'll get stiff again? check with your doctor to see if you are healthy enough to engage in sexual activity. nobody worries about you more than mom, except your doctor.

that's until this week. seems the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (the government) has broken with the American Cancer Society and its long years of suggestion that women conduct monthly self breast exams, and beginning at 40, have yearly mammograms.

the study by U.S.P.S.T.F. claims that self exams are worthless and the value of doctor administered exams is unknown. based on that, and i hope some medical studies, the government determined that women should start getting mammograms at 50 then every two years until age 75. why not 74 or 76, round numbers, to match the round thingies?

here is where it gets personal for me. mom developed breast cancer in her mid 40's and was dead by 52. had she been following the governments new guidelines, i doubt she would have made it to the age of their first recommended mammogram. i know she suffered, but i'm glad for those extra years we had.

from what i can see,this is to more equally align us with the rest of the world as the WHO recommends every 2 years and average britian says every third year is ok for mammograms. ladies, looks like you will be the crash test dummies for the Lincoln of Our Times socialized medicine program. i hope for your own benefit and those you love, you continue with the monthly self checks and yearly mammograms. i still think early detection saves lives.

check with your doctor first. what the fuck for?

this guy has nothing but your best interest at heart. bend over and say ahhh.....

obamas ramblings at arlington

alright commodore, get the fucks out the way, it's my turn to talk.


didn't get to see the lincoln of our times speech yesterday as i was at work. so'kay, i wouldn't have watched anyway.

heard a sound byte which prompted me to checkout the transcript, as a couple of things stuck in my mind.

the nobel prize winner stated, 'America will not let you down. We will take care of our own.

And to those who are still serving in far flung places today, when your tour ends, when you see our flag, when you touch our soil, you will be home in an America that is forever here for you, just as you have been there for us. That is my promise--our nations promise--to you.'

ideas anyone? does that, 'forever here for you', include the department of homeland security sending out advisories on returning vets having possible anti-government leanings, which could cause them to become right wing terrorist? does 'forever here for you', mean as you, mr. president, procrastinate and dither about sending more troops to help win the fight you described as the right war?

i'll say this for the guy, he is learning. in delivering the teleprompters 17 or 18 paragraph speech, it took barry until the 12th, 13th, and 14th paragraphs to really mention himself in a self aggrandizing way. who said he was untrainable?



you want me to say what? ah, fuck no!


barry still has some rough edges, and has not let go of his liberal elitist views as he concluded with, 'There will be a day when these servicemen and women step out of uniform. They will build families and lives of their own. God willing, they will grow old. And someday, their children and their children's children, will gather here to honor them.'

this may come as a shock to you dear leader, but those service members lives already belong to themselves. most have families currently, and those kids you might have seen crying at funerals (when you are not too busy playing golf, accepting a peace prize, or sucking up trying to get the olympics) are that service members children, not some DNC plant whose mom worked in/on your campaign.

an open letter to our veterans

on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month, in a train car parked at a siding in versailles, france, a peace treaty was signed, putting an end to 'the war to end all wars.' what was hoped to ring in a bright future has been relegated to history. today we remember armistice or veterans day.

today, take the time to pause and reflect on the sacrifices of veterans of past and present wars, and remember, it is through their devotion to duty, love of country, and gift of life, that freedoms light has continued to shine, down those long 91 years.

today i want to say thank you. thank you for enduring the cold of bastogne, the po river valley, roberts ridge and the frozen hell of the chosin . the sweltering heat of guadalcanal, the a shau valley and the sunni triangle.

for the malaria, dysentery, pneumonia, trench foot, frost bite, gulf war syndrome and agent orange sickness you have suffered, thank you.

for all of the christmases, 4th of july barbecues, birthdays, anniversaries, first proms, football games missed, due to deployments or just field training exercises, thank you.

for putting up with the household goods lost in transit, during moves from one duty station to the next, the screwed up pay, the inadequate or unavailable family housing, thank you.

for friends made and lost during times many would say are better forgotten, thank you.

on veterans day remember this; every time you get in your car and take the kids to school, go to the store, work, the gym, a restaurant, it is because some young man or woman literally gave up everything they had for a certain period of time, and in some cases forever. all so that you can enjoy freedom and a standard of living that are the envy of the world.



~ But the freedom that they fought for, and the country grand they wrought for, Is their monument to-day, and for aye. ~ Thomas Dunn English

god bless don cherry

grandma and grandpa immigrated from canada. i was raised in a northern climate, where a trip to a foreign country cost 50 cents and took 5 minutes. the wait is much longer now and i need a passport.

i grew up watching hockey night in canada, complete with peter puck between periods, and so many lanny macdonald references you thought he never left the ice. for the last several years i have purchased nhl center ice, to entertain myself and the brood. i also get the nhl network, which includes hockey night in canada with all the pre-game and intermission stuff.




that means hockey broadcasting legend don cherry. grapes spent most of his career in the minors, (ahl) and made his name on tv, with his outrageous suits and unapologetic commentary. love him or hate him, his controversial style keeps people watching to see what's next.

This is a toned down Don Cherry look.

something i personally admire him for is his support for the troops. since the war, don has consistently recognized fallen canadian soldiers killed in the war on terrorism. tonight as the wings took on the leafs, it was no different.

in addition to the hockey hall of fame game, canada as well as the u.s. is remembering veterans day. 3 former wings; hull, robitaille and captian cup, stevie y were recognized in a special pregame introduction of this year's inductees. at the first intermission, during coaches corner, cherry reminded the viewers who the true hall of famers were, as the CBC and cherry took an estimated 2 full minutes to show the names and faces of canada's recent war dead.

this is a national broadcast, and watching is as much a cultural norm as placing ones hand over their heart during the nation anthem, fireworks on the 4th, and the evening news with walter kronkite used to be here in the states. think of the last time an american "co-anchor" on a major weekly broadcast did this. take your time, i'll give you all you want. can't come up with an example can you?

neither could i. don isn't one dimensional either. he regularly recognizes cops and firefighters killed in the line of duty, and kids who succumb to disease. and there is true emotion on display when he does this.

in a country that takes special measures to remember and celebrate her war veterans, cherry stands apart in my mind.





as an american of canadian lineage, i could not be prouder of the example you set. god bless you grapes.

p.s. 1/14/10 this is getting lots of traffic from north of the border. someone please leave me a note why. i figure grapes did something recently, but can't figure it out. thanks for stopping by.

never a soldier

nidal hasan was never a soldier. not in our army. not in my army. he wore the uniform and lived in the housing, worked in the facilities, drew his pay and accepted the salutes of those he was appointed over. but he was never a soldier.

he was a doctor, never went to the field, or even deployed from the states. what is a soldier? it's the kid down the street, who can't get along with his dad, cause they are too much alike. he is a patriot who wants to give back, serve. or who can't currently find a job in the civilian sector, due to high unemployment, like the 10.2% we currently have with obama. it's the guy bored with the confines of his small to medium sized town or the ridiculous crime rates in his big city, longing for something else, an adventure. or who needs a way to save for college.

once in, he discovers he is just like the rest of the shaved heads in camo. he becomes a boot size, pants size, blouse size, weapons number. he becomes 7 out of the next 6 in the chow hall. he is fire guard from 0100 to 0300 or CQ from 2300 to 0100. after the basic stuff he begins to learn a skill. he becomes an 11B, 13C, 19K, 21E, 31B, 42A or 68W.

as he builds skill and learns and demonstrates leadership qualities, he advances. and makes friends that last a lifetime. and due to being taken out of the comfort zone that is his neighborhood or hometown, he learns responsibility and trust. and respect. that is something nidal hasan never learned, in my opinion.

i doubt nidal hasan ever saw the soldiers creed, or read it or understood its meaning and significance. some will see it as just words, but it is a pact. an agreement between me and the guy to my left and right. i am here with you, rely on me, together we can do this, you are not alone.

nidal hasan put self before others and a radical ideology above his duty to what were supposed to be his brothers in arms. a true soldier shares his food, water, shelter, socks, whatever with another troop. and have given up their lives on so many occasions, for men they don't even know, just because 'those guys are pinned down', or 'that guy in the open has been shot by a sniper and needs help.'

he never understood this, others over self, sacrifice, only blind following of his faith, and slaughtered his brothers. strip him of the uniform and any decorations, he was never a soldier.

breaking news

12 dead and 31 wounded, BY THEIR OWN, today at ft. hood, texas. i'm not going to play politics with this like some shit bag lib talking head or elected" official". the who and why will come out later. right now, pray for those troops, and their families.

limerick attempt

disclaimer: i never claimed to be the second coming of THE BARD.
GIA over at A GIA'S LIFE, wrote a haiku which i expressed appreciation for, but told her i was a limerick guy. that meant i get them, not write them. she suggested i try, so here is the first and probably last stab at it. feel free to criticize, i'm sure i deserve it. also, give it a try yourself, it was kinda fun.


there once was a president from kenya,

who said bend over as i stick socialism in ya,

but to his surprise,

conservative tea parties arise,

and his hood winking ended in virginia.

rainy days and mondays always get me down

it wasn't raining, but i'm still sad. monday the 2nd, crown vickie, my second true love, left me rather suddenly. while driving south bound, i noticed a blue pickup tearing ass out of a private lot. i immediately thought, "what did this fucker do?" my next thought was, "there's going to be an accident", based on this blue trucks proximity to a south bound white truck.

as it turned north at a high rate of speed, the blue truck fish tailed, crossed the double yellow, side swiped the white pickup, bounced off and-------headed towards me. i slowed as soon as i perceived the potential of the ass wrinkle, and steered right to try to avoid impending doom, but ended up sentencing crown vickie to her demise.

we got hit head on. not too hard, but enough to shove us sideways. as i was thinking, "hey, can't be that bad, the air bag didn't BANG, deploy, (the air bag deploys)". fuck, now i'm mad. vickie was new and fresh. 7,000 miles, and straight down the shitter.

i jump out as, mr. i can drive, is roasting off the tires trying to get the fuck out of my area of operations. politely i tell him i require his presence outside the truck, on the ground. turns out he doesn't have a drivers license, but does have an outstanding warrant and some weed. my monday is bad, but his is worse. based on his shitty understanding of the rules of the road, genius goes to the house of many doors for reckless driving ,and also for taking out the nice old guys white truck and vickie.

she was a good, faithful ride that always came to life at the caress of my hand and i'll miss her. rumor is a new girl (dodge charger) is looking for a man. i'll still remember you fondly, but it's time to move on with my life. we'll always have the summer of '09, darling.




p.s. no policemen or citizens were injured in this incident.