Tough Decisions, some wrong

Lennie, Sherry and Collette the Three Sisters I married. (Marry one you get them all was the saying) I think that is Sonny in the back ground, Married to Collette.
Sherry and Her mother, Susie, who came to Biloxi, Miss when Jack was born. Great time dome funny stories.

Lennie, Susie the mom, Sherry and Collette the girls fo the Harris family.

Now today's exciting adventure!!!!

I Just finished Robert Parker’s ‘Perish Twice’. It is one of his ‘Sunny Randall spoofs. Sunny is a lady detective. If you do not know, Robert is the originator/author of the ‘Spenser’ series. Remember the TV program from Boston, ‘Spenser for Hire’. I liked the series but always wondered what happened to the Bahston accents in the series.

I also Perused Robert McNamara’s book, did not read it all. Gave a lot of insight (IN hind sight) about Viet Nam. I got a little sick, really, reading the book. After the war was lost, he looked back and said you know we were wrong, we should have pulled years before at the time of President Diem’s assassination. (I can appreciate someone being honest about his mistakes, but it doesn't FIX anything.) He was right of course, but we pay men in that position to make better decisions where lives are at stake. To make the better decisions when they are needed not in hind sight.

(I mentioned long time ago I thought about anyone could make a great president it he picked the right advisors, 'cause HE cannot know it all!)

WE have historical records of Presidents making TOUGH decisions, and facing criticism. Two come to mind, Truman firing MacArthur for one. He was right, but took a lot of licks. Mac wanted to continue the war on into China through North Korea and President Truman was suing for peace. You cannot have a General tell a President what to do.
More recent history; When we went in against Saddam in Kuwait. Then President Bush, once Iraqi troops were out of Kuwait, said pull out. ME AND HUNDREDS of other folks said, GO ON TO BAGDAD! He did not listen to us. HE WAS CORRECT! He listened to the right advisors, in my opinion. He took a lot of hits at the time, but he stuck to his guns. There are enough folks to tell you that President G.W. Bush was wrong in his policies, so I won’t venture there. I thought he was right to topple Saddam.

I do know one thing, Thank God, we have not had anything close to the terrible acts of 9/11 repeated.
I believe Egypt is the most progressive of the Arab nations, but I do not see any other Arab Nation even close to a possibility of a Democracy.
Thanks for coming by the log.
Nite Shipslog.
PS:
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BUT MIGHT NOT!
11. Chocolate affects a dog's heart and nervous system; a few ounces will kill a small sized dog

12. Orcas (killer whales) kill sharks by torpedoing up into the shark'sstomach from underneath, causing the shark to explode.

13. Most lipstick c/05/03ontains fish scales (eeww).

14. Donald Duck comics were banned from Finland

because he doesn't wear pants.

15. Ketchup was sold in the 1830's as medicine.

I musta lied again! Becoming a habit!

The above picture of Sherry and the boys + a friend, near the spot On GITMO BAY where Columbus once landed.

The boys on the ferry in GITMO on their way to a moto cross race.

Sherry, Mark & Jack outside our house in GITMO. These years are rated by our family as the best years of our lives as a family.

The family at Ferry landing GITMO

Today is not my birthday. I never explain things right. I am not sending the gifts back!!!! Dad was born Jan. 14, 1903, M.L. King Jr. was born Jan 15, 1929, I was born Jan 17, 1939. So I will be 70. (If Sherry lets me live three more days. I am on her last nerve.) Now one more….


This is just to correct another misconception I see going around. Guantanamo Bay is not closing. GITMO BAY as it is affectionately called by Sailors and Marines over the world, is a forty square mile Naval Base. Housed on the base is the FTG (Fleet training Group), NSD (Naval Supply Depot), NAS (Naval Air Station) and Camp Buckley (USMC CAMP). There was a prison on or near Camp Buckley to house Cuban & Haitians awaiting transport to their countries or the USA. It was closed years ago by a judge who deemed it unconstitutional.

That prison was reopened and expanded and upgraded to hold Terrorists. I think this was an unwise move and it has become a thorn in our sides. Our new President plans to close the prison facility at GITMO, that is my understanding, I concur. There are some great prisons in Iraq, put 'em there.
I visited GITMO on a ship a few times, and Sherry & I lived there for 3 ½ years. I am sure the residents of Gitmo will be thrilled for the prison to be closed so that their lives can get back to normal. They have been over ridden by politicians, the press and do-gooders for years now.
GITMO is primarily a training facility which allows near perfect weather to train and shake down a ship and crew. It is no picnic for the ships crew, and a dreaded six weeks. The only break is liberty in Jamaica and Haiti for the crew. They get liberty on GITMO but most don’t consider that great liberty.
Anyway I just wanted to clear the air for those that do not know, the Base is not closing, just the prison.
I have said it here on this blog, I did not vote for our new President, but I certainly wish him well and hope he is the best president we have ever had. I was proud to hear him say he supports normalizing relations with Cuba, I certainly agree with that also.
Thanks for coming this way,
Nite Shipslog
PS:
GROWING OLD..

Sixth ~ I don't know how I got over the hill without getting to thetop.

Seventh ~ One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

Eighth ~ One must wait until evening to see how splendid the day has been.

Ninth ~ Being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

Tenth ~ Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, itwas called witchcraft. Today it's called golf

And finally ~ If you don't learn to laugh at trouble, you won't have anything to laugh at when you are old.

Just a normal Winter here!

Sherece and Ben helping in my office when I used to work.

Grandma and some of her grand children. Steve is wearing the Red Skins outfit, oh Josh is too.

Matt is the baby and Sherece the Reececup.

Now today's exciting entry!!!!!!

Life here in Florida is going good. As usual we are getting the normal cold snaps. It is raining outside, but at least the Coach is warm and we have power. Well I guess everyone understands, it should be raining outside and not inside. I just this minute got up to check where the coach has leaked in the past, no wet carpet, thank goodness.
Tomorrow we call for the mail. We will also visit with friends while there. Probably have breakfast with our former pastor & his wife Juanita.
It is sort of a let down here in Florida, these towns around here; Mt. Dora, Eustis, Tavares, Leesburg really go all out with outside decorations. They are absolutely awesome. Now they are off. Do all cities go out more for decorations than in years past? I can remember in years past the main decorations were trees in folks windows and lights strung overhead on Main Street down town. That was a big deal!

I love the Christmas season and do hate to see it pass, but then you know it really won’t be long until Spring. Spring when life seems to begin anew and hopes soar.
I know it is getting close to the inauguration. In a few days another man will feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. That must be a frightful realization, but it is a position men/women fight to achieve. Lord help this administration to hold the proper course of the ship of state. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if by some stroke of genius we could reclaim the jobs that have left he country. It would be great to hear of steel mills cranking up again and cotton mills going back on line.
Mentioning cotton/textile mills, Belmont is losing the last of its many cotton mills. The National Mill closes its doors soon. Belmont once teemed with Textile Mills and villages, now is a bedroom town for Charlotte. No longer can folks complain about the ‘low paying’ mills, because now they are ‘no-paying’ mills.
Hope you have a great week and thanks for coming this way.
Nite Shipslog
PS: ABOUT GROWING OLDER...

First ~ Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.

Second ~ The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting inline for. Third ~ Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me, I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of theroads weren't paved.

Fourth ~ When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

Fifth ~ You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

I'll SAy I'm Sorry When......

And please tell me when you hear a leader (or one of the family members) from an Arabic country apologize for calling people sons of dogs, children of satan, Satan and evil. Let’s hear them apologize for throwing the Christian Bible in the trash, burning our flag, stomping or beheading captives. Then I will feel sorry that a Prince called one a raghead. I would hope we had learned our lesson, but I guess we have not.
I wish we would become oil independent so we can say good bye, kill each other off and forget them. We as a nation must want to be dependant. I put ‘rag head’ in the same class as ‘red-neck’ just another by-word, and no, it does not equate to the ‘N’ word in the least. Nuff said! (on my part)

WE are having a cold snap down here, down to the 40’s they are predicting a night and in the 60’s in the day time. That is cold for us. I know you guys feel sorry for us. Thanks.

Mama told me once of an Uncle who had been in the Civil war. Around the fireplace one night he told them of an incident in middle Georgia. He said during the night he was on watch beside a creek, and heard something moving in the leaves on the other side. Then a voice, “Hey Reb, you over there?” He said he froze for a moment then said. “Yeah, Yank, what do you want afore I kill you.”
“Aw don’t do that, I just wanted to know if you got any smoking tobacco?”
“Yeah, why?”
“I’ll trade you a news paper for some.”
He said sure enough they both laid down their rifles and traded. They threw it back and forth in a shoe. Then stood there and jawed for awhile. Said they both agreed they didn’t have nothing agin the other, it was just stupid orders.
Her uncle said he hoped many times he had not killed or wounded that fine man. And was glad he made it back. He said he passed the paper around and finally he gave it to his commanding officer, who commended him for getting the paper.( At least the civil war ended. It has taken many many years to get over it, but as a whole we have. A southerner can go north and vice versa, the most that is usually said is ‘Y’all sure talk funny.” LOL)
That would have been a good thing to run across a newspaper like that in an old trunk. (Thinking of Randy’s steamer trunk)
Thanks for reading this drivel.
Nite Shipslog
PS:
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BUT PROBABLY DON'T
6. 40% of McDonald's profits come from the sales of Happy Meals.
7. 315 entries in Webster's 1996 Dictionary were misspelled.
8. The 'spot' on 7UP comes from its inventor, who had red eyes. He was albino.
9. On average, 12 newborns will be given to the wrong parents, daily.
10. Warren Beatty and Shirley MacLaine are brother and sister.
Most of the PS stuff I just copy and paste, I don’t guarantee accuracy. Ha!
http://www.flixxy.com/presidents-morphing.htm
The above is fun and informative, it is all the US presidents, Some I sure did not remember.
My face is RED....My wife & Lindie inform me I put out the wrong skinny on Phillis Diller She ain't really whats her names mama. That is a story that has been going around a long time they say.

DID YOU HEAR WHAT THE PRINCE SAID!

The Prince got into international trouble by using the term 'raghead'. That gave me a chance to show the cover I am playing with for 'Rags' the book. What do you think? (Sherry & Shirl gave their thumbs up on it.)

Today's dissertation and ramblings:

It is hard not to cast stones, even at the ones who cast stones. Does that make any sense? My life has mostly been centered around the Christian religion. In his teachings Jesus said once, “He that is without sin, cast the first stone!” No one did.
This was spurred by the publicized statement by an English Prince for something he said that was more or less private. It was picked up by a ‘fellow cadet’ and sent to the media. He said something about a ‘raghead’.

I love it when a writer or media person reports this like one of the worst possible things the Prince could have said. Then when the cameras are off them they probably joke about the actual word and use it themselves. I think we all sort of despise hypocrisy (unless it is me). HA! You cannot beat the media, no matter what you say. The Prince cannot come back and say, ‘what I say is my business’, because then the media would make it much worse. So he swallows real deep and makes an humble apology. Down deep he would like to strangle the ‘fellow cadet followed by the media folks who have nothing better to do than try to ruin his day.
I do think public figures should be held to higher standards than us mere mortals, but where do you draw the line.
Most of us think the law should go harder on a:
Politician who takes a bribe.
A policeman who steals.
A preacher/priest who takes advantage of their position.
A fireman who commits arson.
A lawyer who lies to get a conviction. And so on, and rightly so.
Somehow I think that is correct to do that, but where is the line drawn?

Anyway I think today I am closer to being back with the living. I had honey butter and biscuit for breakfast.
Thanks for coming by the log.
NIte Shipslog
PS
THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW BUT PROBABLY DON'T

1. Money isn't made out of paper, it's made out of cotton.

2. The Declaration of Independence was written on hemp (marijuana) paper

.3. The dot over the letter 'i' is called a 'tittle'.

4. A raisin dropped in a glass of fresh champagne will bounce up and down continuously from the bottom of the glass to the top.

5. Susan Lucci is the daughter of Phyllis Diller.

The president/queen/ prince have to watch what they say, but some wise ass can do this:

http://www.aksalser.com/game.htm and nothing can be done about it.

Who knows about the PAST?

Mom & Dad in the early 40's.

This is all that is left of a memory that I wish I would have asked Mama about. Shirl saved this ragged piece of a calendar advertising her dad's store. I can remember bits and pieces but nothing substantial. I don't even know where it was, other than in or around Toccoa, Georgia in the late 1800's.

I just feel ‘so unneccessary’ is another of mama’s many sayings, if she was not feeling up to par, and that had to be less than five times in my whole life. Mama was never sick, I think she felt like she did not have time. I can remember dad have a cold, but I cannot remember mama being ‘down sick’. What a woman my mama was.
She had insight into people and especially children. I always knew Dad prayed and stayed in touch with the Lord, but somehow I knew mama had an open line to him. Do you remember the song “If I could hear my Mother pray Again’? It was used at a lot of funerals, caused a lot of weeping and wailing from husbands and children that knew their mama was the one who held them up in prayer. Some folks don’t believe in prayer, and that is okay, but I sorta enjoy believing in it. It gives hope in a world gone crazy.
I put another twist to the song the other day I was thinking, I would like to hear my daddy preach again. Dad was known as an ‘Old Testament’ preacher. He loved the stories from the OT, and made them come alive. Then brought them into the present time to make them useful. Dad loved Optomists, Caleb and Joshua were his very favorites. Seems like I have said that before. If so forgive me and blame it on a sickly guy. I said sickly not sick. LOL.
I would urge you that still have Older parents and grandparents, who still have presence of mind to think of all the things you might want to know about their past, and ask them. Funny I never thought of asking, they were going to be here forever.
Their favorite meals as kids?
What was the longest trip they ever took? Who was their first friend? Do they know what happened to them?
When did they first eat Ice Cream? Was it bought or homemade?
How much did they earn on their first job? What was it?
Those are a little light and my mind want go much deeper but one day we all will wonder about the past, I do.
Thanks for coming by the log.
Nite Shipslog,
PS:
WHAT IS A GRANDPARENT? (Taken from papers written by a class of 8-year-olds)*They wear glasses and funny underwear.

**They can take their teeth and gums out.

***Grandparents don't have to be smart.

****They have to answer questions like 'Why isn't God married?' and 'How come dogs chase cats?'

Do you Make you bed?

This is my boot camp graduation picture. So I did graduate from something. I am the one in uniform, I also held the position of High shooter. I am 8th from the left front row. I told mama it was because I was important, but they put the smallest guys up front.

I remember when making up a bed was a terrible chore. Now it is not so bad, with the heavy bed spreads that fit. Now days some folks do not make their beds. I know Paula in Texas does because she spilled the beans once on her blog. We normally do here. But the last two days have been an exception, I have been in and out it. It is nice to be able to do that. I am not what you call really sick, just washed out as my mama used to say, what ever that means.
Now in the USMC especially, there is a rule. You make your rack (bed) first thing. Top or bottom bunks were no big deal, just time consuming. And when I tried you could bounce a silver dollar on mine. AT Camp Geiger we marched to chow every meal and ‘straggled back to the barracks’. The last thing the sergeant would do in the mornings was tour the barracks, then call us to attention and march us to chow. Once I decided to change the Corps policy. I did not make my rack. After the Sgt. Called the Co. to attention he announced, “Darnell, fall out!”
I said, “What’s the problem Sergeant?”
“You did not make your rack.”
“I’ll just mess it up again tonight.”
“Yeah boy, and If I let you go eat, you will just get hungry again.”
They marched off without me. If you try hard you can understand Marine Corps logic.

Sometimes I still wonder why I stayed an E-3 for eight years. Oh well, sometimes I am hard to understand. LOL
Well it is off to bed again.
Nite Shipslog
PS:

Will Rogers died in a plane crash, with his friend Wylie Post, in 1935; he was widely known and a beloved figure of his time -- as a political sage and as "just a good ol' country boy." These are some of his"philosophies."

**The quickest way to double your money is to fold it and put itback in your pocket.

*** There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. Thefew who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fenceand find out for themselves.

***Good judgment comes from experience, and a lot of that comes frombad judgment.

*** If you're riding' ahead of the herd, take a look back every nowand then to make sure it's still there.

***Lettin' the cat outta the bag is a whole lot easier'n puttin' itback.

**** After eating an entire bull, a mountain lion felt so good hestarted roaring. He kept it up until a hunter came along and shot him.

Themoral: When you're full of bull, keep your mouth shut

The Beam & Mote

Sherry at Fishermans's Warf, San FRancisco

Me & My cousin Dewey (referred to by some as the Nut). San Francisco also.

From atop Pompii's pillar. Land mark visited by Lewis & Clark.

You don’t have to be religious to ‘GET THE POINT’ sometimes. Jim Page, a dear friend forwards a lot of stuff to me. Most I cannot load through the cell so I can’t read it. Every once in a while I get a good one I can read. One that has a hidden message in it. Many of our conversations would be null or void if it wasn’t somehow discussing someone ELSE’s short comings or a neighbors ignorance.
Shoot, the RV park doesn’t escape my sharp eye as we walk i.e.
**** ‘Hey sweetheart that RV isn’t level, wonder how they live in it like that?’
****‘You would think they would have the courtesy not to park so close to their neighbor, their awnings almost touch.’
****‘That lady always rides her bike on the wrong side of the street.’
****‘Why would ANYONE buy an RV that color?’
****‘Why would they park right beside us, there are plenty of open areas?’
****‘That is a dumb looking man in that van, he just sits there all day.’
****‘She walks the dog, her husband is picking up the poop (or vice versa).’
Now I would not be so discourteous to do that all in one walk, but over the year she could probably write a book about what I say.
One guy that did not level real great. Come to find out had only one arm. Oh, and the dumb looking guy? Yeah, you guessed it. He is a dummy. Sherry tells me the lady travels alone since her husband passed away. Her daughter insists that she carry the dummy so it will not look like she is traveling alone. (Shirl came to our house a few years ago with an ugly guy in the car with her, I forget his name, but we all got a kick out of it.)
Now for the story Jim sent:
A young couple moved into a new neighborhoodThe next morning while they were eating breakfast,The young woman saw her neighbor hanging the wash outside.'That laundry is not very clean,' she said.'She doesn't know how to wash correctly.Perhaps she needs better laundry soap.'Her husband looked on, but remained silent.Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,The young woman would make the same comments.About one month later, the woman was surprised to see aNice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:'Look, she has learned how to wash correctly.I wonder who taught her this.'The husband said, 'I got up early this morning andCleaned our windows.'And so it is with life. What we see when watching othersDepends on the purity of the window through which we look.Now I like that story because it is the GUY who brings light into the subject.
Bible scholars will remember the ‘mote and beam’ parable.
Thanks Jim, This was worth passing along.
Nite Shipslog
PS:
‘VINNIE!!!’ THAT WAS THE NAME OF Shirl’s dummy.(I think)
. Some things to think ponder:
*****No one ever says "It's only a game." when their team is winning.
**** I've reached the age where the happy hour is a nap.
*** Be careful reading the fine print. There's no way you're going to like it.
**The trouble with bucket seats is that not everybody has the same size bucket.