The real enemy
OK, so a lot of things are on my mind today. It's Veterans' Day. I'm a veteran, but I'm not a combat veteran. It wasn't my job to get shot at. My job was to fix planes that delivered gas to planes that delivered bombs on the guys shooting at the guys whose job it was to get shot at. We all have a part to play but I can't and won't compare my service to the real heroes. I just did my job.
And I did a good job, because when I left they got along fine without me. That means I trained up the people to take my place. The show went on. It was supposed to. And when the guys that I hired move on to the next stop in their lives, that show will go on. It's supposed to. I have every faith that it will.
I got out at the right time for me. When I had to as a Chief Master Sergeant, "When did an ass chewing cease to be an effective management tool in the United States Air Force?", I knew my days were numbered. A couple of weeks before I got the job at Hill I actually asked my boss this question: "Who's running this shop, me or you?". It was time to go. If I stayed around much longer, I was going to become the problem and I had a lot more respect for the institution. It was good to me, and I didn't need to sit down where I was and become a bigger problem than I already had become.
No hard feelings on my part. I think a lot of folks showed up at my retirement ceremony just to see what I was going to say. My final speech to the troops consisted of these words: "Thanks. I had a lot of fun." And this is no word of a lie: This character in the movie just said "It's not the company's fault. It changed and I didn't" Sometimes the story just writes itself.
So happy Veterans' Day.
About this Starbucks' nonsense. If they went simple for Christmas. If they want to call it "Holiday Blend" instead of Christmas Blend coffee, so what? I'm not gonna boycott them for not saying Merry Christmas. You can't take Christ out of Christmas, because what's the whole point of Christmas? Yes, I know how the church adopted the celebration and why, but I know what it's supposed to mean to us, and still means to me. I'm outraged by the persecution of Christians. I'm outraged that you can donate $19 a month to save the animals, but nobody's asking for $19 a month to save the baby humans that are murdered every day in America. They're baby humans. Not fetuses. Not embryos. They're baby humans.
Save the baby humans!
Next Wednesday, we may not have Bible study but may be helping the folks at the Rescue Mission prepare bags for holiday dinners they're helping provide to our community. I'm appalled that there are hungry people. (and not like the guy who I talked to on Sunday who told me he hadn't eaten in three days but refused food. He wanted money. I didn't have any.) Wanna fix the world? Start by quit moaning about red coffee cups and start having your heart broken by the things that break Jesus' heart.
And then do something.
Anything.
Lastly, if you watched any of the Republican debate yesterday, you should want John Kasich for President. That's the guy! And think about this: the next time one of those guys starts rattling sabers and saying we need to go here and there with the military, think about their service to this country. If the closest you've been to the military is having your picture taken with a service member, that's not it. You're talking about sending these folks into the fray and away from their families.
Again.
The Air Force has been at war since 1990, non-stop!
You're a hawk? Great. Put your money where your mouth is. Joe Biden's son served in the National Guard. He did his duty. Joe is a stand up guy. His son was a good man and a good officer, by all accounts. He knew the real cost of war because his kid was in the service.
I can respect that. How about your kids follow his example, anybody that wants to be President? Or better yet, put on a uniform first and then run for the office when you're done serving. Just sayin'
Lastly, I heard an interesting thought. All the things I talked about today are tactics the real Enemy uses. Our country is unrecognizable, wars are waging across the world, we kill babies and call it "choice", we call sin a lifestyle choice; we don't help the poor, we vilify them. It's not about us anymore, it's about me and mine and you and yours. Good is now bad and bad has become good. I can't even watch TV anymore. It's TCM for me most of the time.
The real enemy is the Evil One.
Just sayin'.........
And I did a good job, because when I left they got along fine without me. That means I trained up the people to take my place. The show went on. It was supposed to. And when the guys that I hired move on to the next stop in their lives, that show will go on. It's supposed to. I have every faith that it will.
I got out at the right time for me. When I had to as a Chief Master Sergeant, "When did an ass chewing cease to be an effective management tool in the United States Air Force?", I knew my days were numbered. A couple of weeks before I got the job at Hill I actually asked my boss this question: "Who's running this shop, me or you?". It was time to go. If I stayed around much longer, I was going to become the problem and I had a lot more respect for the institution. It was good to me, and I didn't need to sit down where I was and become a bigger problem than I already had become.
No hard feelings on my part. I think a lot of folks showed up at my retirement ceremony just to see what I was going to say. My final speech to the troops consisted of these words: "Thanks. I had a lot of fun." And this is no word of a lie: This character in the movie just said "It's not the company's fault. It changed and I didn't" Sometimes the story just writes itself.
So happy Veterans' Day.
About this Starbucks' nonsense. If they went simple for Christmas. If they want to call it "Holiday Blend" instead of Christmas Blend coffee, so what? I'm not gonna boycott them for not saying Merry Christmas. You can't take Christ out of Christmas, because what's the whole point of Christmas? Yes, I know how the church adopted the celebration and why, but I know what it's supposed to mean to us, and still means to me. I'm outraged by the persecution of Christians. I'm outraged that you can donate $19 a month to save the animals, but nobody's asking for $19 a month to save the baby humans that are murdered every day in America. They're baby humans. Not fetuses. Not embryos. They're baby humans.
Save the baby humans!
Next Wednesday, we may not have Bible study but may be helping the folks at the Rescue Mission prepare bags for holiday dinners they're helping provide to our community. I'm appalled that there are hungry people. (and not like the guy who I talked to on Sunday who told me he hadn't eaten in three days but refused food. He wanted money. I didn't have any.) Wanna fix the world? Start by quit moaning about red coffee cups and start having your heart broken by the things that break Jesus' heart.
And then do something.
Anything.
Lastly, if you watched any of the Republican debate yesterday, you should want John Kasich for President. That's the guy! And think about this: the next time one of those guys starts rattling sabers and saying we need to go here and there with the military, think about their service to this country. If the closest you've been to the military is having your picture taken with a service member, that's not it. You're talking about sending these folks into the fray and away from their families.
Again.
The Air Force has been at war since 1990, non-stop!
You're a hawk? Great. Put your money where your mouth is. Joe Biden's son served in the National Guard. He did his duty. Joe is a stand up guy. His son was a good man and a good officer, by all accounts. He knew the real cost of war because his kid was in the service.
I can respect that. How about your kids follow his example, anybody that wants to be President? Or better yet, put on a uniform first and then run for the office when you're done serving. Just sayin'
Lastly, I heard an interesting thought. All the things I talked about today are tactics the real Enemy uses. Our country is unrecognizable, wars are waging across the world, we kill babies and call it "choice", we call sin a lifestyle choice; we don't help the poor, we vilify them. It's not about us anymore, it's about me and mine and you and yours. Good is now bad and bad has become good. I can't even watch TV anymore. It's TCM for me most of the time.
The real enemy is the Evil One.
Just sayin'.........
Comments
Post a Comment