Mad Mikey's Blog

December 24, 2004

Merry Christmas 2004

I'm starting the 'final stretch' for Christmas - last minute shopping, wrapping a ton of presents, and getting the house 'clean' for our guests tomorrow.

So with that in mind, I hope that everyone who reads Mad Mikey's Blog has a wonderful Christmas, that you have a great day filled with fun, family, friends, and more fun, that Santa brings everyone what they asked for for Christmas, and that no one gets a lump of coal or a bag of onions.

I personally am looking forward to the great Christmas Dinner that my wife makes - turkey and ham and the works.

Ugggghhhghghghghghghghghhh - turkey and gravy.......[/Homer Simpson]

Merry Christmas to all!!

Posted by Mad Mikey at 01:42 PM | Comments (7)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 01:42 PM | Comments (7)

"All We Want for Christmas"

By way of Citizen Smash:

A CHRISTMAS POEM by Major Dad:

Twas the night before Christmas, the house seemed so sad,
Early this year, this family lost â€œDad.â€
Heâ€™d been a soldier, in Afghanistan serving,
To help people live free, now thankful, deserving.

His wife and the kids have cried a river of tears,
They had known this could happen, through all of the years.
Itâ€™s a dangerous business, no place for wimps.
Some donâ€™t come home, some others with limps.

As I slipped down the chimney, I really did dreadâ€¦
That Iâ€™d fall straight apart in this house with war dead.
I crept from the hearth, wondering what would I see,
What my eyes would behold, in this land of the free.

The home was decorated, with the tree and some lights
The milk, plate of cookies, and some other tasty bites.
Next to this was a note, from the boys up in bed,
I picked the page up and hereâ€™s what it said.

"Dear Santa we know that youâ€™re busy and need to be speedy
So weâ€™ll keep it short, we donâ€™t want to sound greedy.
You know already that our Daddyâ€™s not here,
He went to heaven, that's perfectly clear.

Tonight as you travel across the cold Christmas skies.
We want you to help, take the tears from the eyes.
Of the other kids missing a Mom or a Dad.
Please help them to realize that itâ€™s not so bad.

Our Dad died doing what was just, what was right.
His nation had called him, to head off to the fight.
To free the oppressed and protect us all here,
He went with a smile, a heart without fear.

One month ago, we had gotten the news
An airplane was missing, along with its crew.
Up in the mountains with weather so cold,
One of the missing, our daddyâ€¦a pilot, so bold.

Later we learned that God had called him that day
He needed a pilot, so tough and so brave.
We cried and we cried, the tears would not cease,
Daddyâ€™s West Point friends wrote, â€œMikeâ€¦be thou at peace."

We need your help Santa, for our Mommy tonight,
She misses him so, they were so tight.
All we want for Christmas is for her to be happy,
Knowing Daddy still watches over us, a flier so scrappy."

Could I help these kids? I scratched my old head.
I snuck up the stairs and found Mom in bed.
Her eyes were still red, it was plain sheâ€™d been crying.
But a smile on her face, in her dreams she was flying.

Along with her pilotâ€¦her husbandâ€¦her mateâ€¦
This lady was special, so obviously great.
My task wasnâ€™t tough, really it ainâ€™t.
After all, my name is Nicholas and I am a saint!

I straightened my suit, combed back my long hairâ€¦
Then as quiet as a mouse, I pulled up a chair.
I touched her calm face and closed tight my eyesâ€¦
My mind it was reeling, I started to cry.

Then inside my head, I heard a soft voiceâ€¦

â€œSanta itâ€™s Mike. Buck up, you donâ€™t have a choice.
You know where I amâ€¦and Iâ€™ll tell you quite clear,
If I canâ€™t have Christmas thereâ€¦itâ€™s not so bad being here.

Iâ€™m no longer with them, they know that itâ€™s true,
That doesnâ€™t mean I canâ€™t see what they do.
When you pray for my wife and my kids Christmas night,
Let them know Iâ€™m on duty and I am alright.

My crew's here too and weâ€™re flying tonightâ€¦
Take a look over your shoulder, make it your right!
You need to be careful. You need to â€œcheck six.â€
Thatâ€™s us behind youâ€¦Chief, give the lights a few flicks.â€

Santa itâ€™s time:
Your job here is throughâ€¦
The nightâ€™s not half over,
youâ€™ve still plenty to do.

No need to worry, you need to be quick.
Theyâ€™re in great hands, Jeanetteâ€™s got the stick,
You prayed for them all and showed them the way,
A soldier still stands guard over them every day.â€

I knew Mike was right,
it was getting late.
The world only half covered,
I just couldnâ€™t wait.

I stopped by the rooms of each of his boysâ€¦
I had to be careful to avoid clothes and some toys.
Mike Jr., Thomas, and Ricky lay snug in their bedsâ€¦
I gave this blessing to each as I touched their heads.

â€œYour daddy was special, fighting for peace.
May you boys be spared from combat when all conflicts have ceased.â€

With that I took leave from this Hawaiian home,
Through the skies Iâ€™d be flying, though not alone.
I did look back a number of times, more than a few.
And yes, on the horizon was my escort crew.

Across the world tonight, I saw the same scenes,
Homes full of sorrow, homes full of need.
After you read this, give it some thought.
Can I be happy with just what Iâ€™ve got?

Dig deep into your pockets, youâ€™ve got spare cash.
Drop it in the kettle; itâ€™ll help tighten your sash.
It will make you feel good; it will make you feel rightâ€¦
Merry Christmas to all, and to allâ€¦.a good night!

In memory of LTC Mike McMahon (USMA Class of 1985), and his family.

Posted by Mad Mikey at 01:11 PM | Comments (1)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 01:11 PM | Comments (1)

December 22, 2004

Twas' the Night Before Christmas

Something I came across this evening; it was so good - it gave me goosebumps reading it.

Read it, let it sink in, and pass it along.

Read More of "Twas' the Night Before Christmas"

Twas' the Night Before Christmasâ€¦
GI Version

The embers glowed softly, and in their dim light,
I gazed round the room and I cherished the sight.
My wife was asleep, her head on my chest,
My daughter beside me, angelic in rest.

Outside the snow fell, a blanket of white,
Transforming the yard to a winter delight.
The sparkling lights in the tree, I believe,
Completed the magic that was Christmas Eve.

My eyelids were heavy, my breathing was deep,
Secure and surrounded by love I would sleep.
In perfect contentment, or so it would seem,
So I slumbered, perhaps I started to dream.

The sound wasn't loud, and it wasn't too near,
But I opened my eyes when it tickled my ear.
Perhaps just a cough, I didn't quite know,
Then the sure sound of footsteps outside in the snow.

My soul gave a tremble, I struggled to hear,
And I crept to the door just to see who was near.
Standing out in the cold and the dark of the night,
Alone figure stood, his face weary and tight.

A soldier, I puzzled, some twenty years old,
Perhaps a Marine, huddled here in the cold.
Alone in the dark, he looked up and smiled,
Standing watch over me, and my wife and my child.

What are you doing? I asked without fear,
Come in this moment, it's freezing out here!
Put down your pack, brush the snow from your sleeve,
You should be at home on a cold Christmas Eve!

For barely a moment I saw his eyes shift,
Away from the cold and the snow blown in drifts,
To the window that danced with a warm fire's light,
Then he sighed and he said, "It's really all right,

I'm out here by choice, I'm here every night.
It's my duty to stand at the front of the line,
That separates you from the darkest of times.
No one had to ask or beg or implore me,
I'm proud to stand here like my fathers before me.

My dad stood his watch in the jungles of 'Nam,
And now it is my turn and so, Here I am.
I've not seen my own son in more than a while,
But my wife sends me pictures, he's sure got her smile."

Then he bent and he carefully pulled from his bag,
The Red, White and Blue....an American Flag.

"I can live through the cold and the being alone,
Away from my family, my house and my home.
I can stand at my post through the rain and the sleet,
I can sleep in a foxhole with little to eat.

I can carry the weight of killing another,
Or lay down my life with my sister and brother
who stand at the front against any and all,
to ensure for all time that this flag will not fall.

So go back inside," he said, "harbor no fright,
Your family is waiting and I'll be all right."

But isn't there something I can do, at the least,
Give you money, I asked, or prepare you a feast?
It seems all too little for all that you've done,
For being away from your wife and your son.

Then his eyes welled a tear that held no regret,
"Just tell us you love us, and never forget
To fight for our rights back at home while we're gone.
To stand your own watch, no matter how long.

For when we come home, either standing or dead,
To know you remember we fought and we bled
is payment enough, and with that we will trust,
That we mattered to you as you mattered to us."

All done with "Twas' the Night Before Christmas"?

Posted by Mad Mikey at 05:43 PM | Comments (3)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 05:43 PM | Comments (3)

Bad To The Bone

Don't mess with Stevie, especially at work:

Fuckin' bitch is gonna rue the day she fucked with me AGAIN about this.

She likes Stevie Ray Vaughan, but posts like these make me think more of George Thorogood cause she's 'bad to the bone'.

She's definitely one lady you don't want to cheese off.

Posted by Mad Mikey at 12:30 PM | Comments (2)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 12:30 PM | Comments (2)

December 20, 2004

Huh?

Stuff to contemplate while sitting in traffic this afternoon:

If you take an Asian person and spin him around several times, does he become disoriented?

If people from Poland are called "Poles," why aren't people from Holland called "Holes?

When cheese gets its picture taken, what does it say?

Why are a wise man and a wise guy opposites?

Why do overlook and oversee mean opposite things?

If horrific means to make horrible, does terrific mean to make terrible?

If 99 is Ninety Nine and 22 is Twenty two, why isn't 11 pronounced onety one?

Do infants enjoy infancy as much as adults enjoy adultery?

Why is a person who plays the piano called a pianist, but a person who drives a race car not called a racist?

If a pig loses its voice, is it disgruntled?

Why do women wear evening gowns to nightclubs? Shouldn't they be wearing night gowns?

If love is blind, why is lingerie so popular?

When someone asks you, "A penny for your thoughts," and you put your two cents in, what happens to the other penny?

Why is the man who invests all your money called a broker?

Why do croutons come in airtight packages? It's just stale bread to begin with.

If you mixed vodka with orange juice and milk of magnesia, would you get a Philips Screwdriver?

Why do we say something is out of whack? What is a "whack"?

"I am" is reportedly the shortest sentence in the English language. Could it be that "I do" is the longest sentence?

If lawyers are disbarred and clergymen defrocked, doesn't it follow that electricians can be delighted, musicians denoted, cowboys deranged, models deposed, tree surgeons debarked and dry cleaners depressed?

Do Roman paramedics refer to IV's as "4's"?

Why is it that if someone tells you that there are 1 billion stars in the universe you will believe them, but if they tell you that a wall has wet paint you will have to touch it to be sure?

(Nicely glommed from Grouchy Old Cripple)

Posted by Mad Mikey at 01:26 PM | Comments (5)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 01:26 PM | Comments (5)

Yeah....So What?

By way of Miller's Time (new URL):

You are 29% geek

You are a geek liaison, which means you go both ways. You can hang out with normal people or you can hang out with geeks which means you often have geeks as friends and/or have a job where you have to mediate between geeks and normal people. This is an important role and one of which you should be proud. In fact, you can make a good deal of money as a translator.

Normal: Tell our geek we need him to work this weekend.

You [to Geek]: We need more than that, Scotty. You'll have to stay until you can squeeze more outta them engines!

Geek [to You]: I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain, but we need more dilithium crystals!

You [to Normal]: He wants to know if he gets overtime.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

I think this is a bit off cause there weren't any Monty Python quote questions.

Posted by Mad Mikey at 12:31 PM | Comments (1)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 12:31 PM | Comments (1)

Here is What a Man Does for his Shipmates

Here is a hero that won't be featured in the news since he didn't call the media ahead of time.

By way of Rob at Left & Right and Powerline, Oliver North tells of one Marine's actions:

"It's stuff you hear about in boot camp, about World War II and Tarawa Marines who won the Medal of Honor," Lance Corporal Rob Rogers of the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment told the Army Times. Corporal Rogers was describing the actions of his fellow Marine, Sgt. Rafael Peralta, a Mexican immigrant who enlisted in the Marine Corps the day he received his green card.

Read More of "Here is What a Man Does for his Shipmates"

Most readers of this column probably haven't heard about Rafael Peralta. With the exception of the Los Angeles Times, most of our mainstream media haven't bothered to write about him. The next time you log onto the Internet, do a Google search on Rafael Peralta. As of this writing, the Internet's most used search engine will provide you with only 26 citations from news sources that have bothered to write about this heroic young man. Then, just for giggles, do a Google search on Pablo Paredes. Hundreds of media outlets have written about him. The wire services have blasted his story to thousands of newspapers. Television and radio debate programs gladly provide the public with talking heads that can speak eloquently on the actions of Pablo Paredes.
You see, Pablo Paredes, a Navy Petty Officer 3rd Class, did something the liberal elites consider "heroic" and the media consider "newsworthy" - he defied an order. Last week, Paredes refused to board his ship bound for Iraq along with 5,000 other sailors and Marines. He showed up on the pier wearing a black tee shirt that read, ``Like a Cabinet member, I resign.''

We know this because Petty Officer Pablo Paredes had the courtesy and forethought to notify the local media that he would commit an act of cowardice the following day. Perhaps he hoped to follow the lead of another famous war protestor who went on to become a U.S. Senator and his party's presidential nominee by throwing away his military medals. Petty Officer Paredes stopped short of trashing his military I.D. in front of the cameras because he said he didn't want to be charged with the destruction of government property. The media, we are promised, will continue to follow this story intently.

It is a shame that the media focus on such acts when they could tell stories about real heroes like Rafael Peralta who "saved the life of my son and every Marine in that room," according to Garry Morrison the father of a Marine in Peralta's unit - Lance Cpl. Adam Morrison.

On the morning of November 15, 2004, the men of 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines awoke before sunrise and continued what they had been doing for seven days previously - cleansing the city of Fallujah of terrorists house by house.

At the fourth house they encountered that morning the Marines kicked in the door and "cleared" the front rooms, but then noticed a locked door off to the side that required inspection. Sgt. Rafael Peralta threw open the closed door, but behind it were three terrorists with AK-47s. Peralta was hit in the head and chest with multiple shots at close range.

Peralta's fellow Marines had to step over his body to continue the shootout with the terrorists. As the firefight raged on, a "yellow, foreign-made, oval-shaped grenade," as Lance Corporal Travis Kaemmerer described it, rolled into the room where they were all standing and came to a stop near Peralta's body.

But Sgt. Rafael Peralta wasn't dead - yet. This young immigrant of 25 years, who enlisted in the Marines when he received his green card, who volunteered for the front line duty in Fallujah, had one last act of heroism in him.

Sgt. Rafael Peralta was the polar opposite of Pablo Paredes, the Petty Officer who turned his back on his shipmates and mocked his commander in chief. Peralta was proud to serve his adopted country. In his parent's home, on his bedroom walls hung only three items - a copy of the United States Constitution, the Bill of Rights and his boot camp graduation certificate. Before he set out for Fallujah, he wrote to his 14-year old brother, "be proud of me, bro...and be proud of being an American."

Not only can Rafael's family be proud of him, but his fellow Marines are alive because of him. As Sgt. Rafael Peralta lay near death on the floor of a Fallujah terrorist hideout, he spotted the yellow grenade that had rolled next to his near-lifeless body. Once detonated, it would take out the rest of Peralta's squad. To save his fellow Marines, Peralta reached out, grabbed the grenade, and tucked it under his abdomen where it exploded.

"Most of the Marines in the house were in the immediate area of the grenade," Cpl. Kaemmerer said. "We will never forget the second chance at life that Sgt. Peralta gave us."

Unfortunately, unlike Pablo Paredes, Sgt. Rafael Peralta will get little media coverage. He is unlikely to have books written about him or movies made about his extraordinarily selfless sacrifice. But he is likely to receive the Medal of Honor. And that Medal of Honor is likely to be displayed next to the only items that hung on his bedroom wall - the Constitution, Bill of Rights and his Boot Camp graduation certificate.

Yes, Virginia, there are still heroes in America, and Sgt. Rafael Peralta was one of them. It's just too bad the media can't recognize them.

All done with "Here is What a Man Does for his Shipmates"?

Posted by Mad Mikey at 11:46 AM | Comments (4)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 11:46 AM | Comments (4)

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Comments on Here is What a Man Does for his Shipmates

Jeezus.

Man, you keep making me laugh, then cry, laugh, then cry.

Just WOW.

|| Posted by Stevie, December 23, 2004 06:08 PM ||

Response to Mr Oliver North's recent editorial:

Mr North criticizes Pablo Paredes and states that his acts are acts of cowardice and shame. He also complains that the media has chosen to cover this and many other related stories and do not cover the actual heroic feets of those in battle.

Cowardice: Mr. North how brave is it to invade a third world country, kill hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians, destroy full towns, commit the human rights violations (with the prisoners) that we claim to have removed Saddam from power for, etc.? Where is the bravery in putting our young men in a position where they need to kill innocent, unarmed, injured civilians? And surely we all see a great deal of bravery in our president's service to the military. Why donâ€™t the very brave senators and congressmen in support of the war send their own sons and daughters to fight for this their "righteous" cause?

Deciding to stand up for life, for justice, for humanity is far from being cowardice Mr. North. It is probably one of the greatest acts of patriotism and citizenship.

As a technician on defense system that is yet to actually be used in a combat situation, Pablo Paredes stood little to no danger himself. However, the thousands of Marines that were being transported would be going into harms way, forced to fight a cruel and unjust war. Perhaps hundreds of them will not return home alive and perhaps they will be forced to contribute to inflicting further inhumane and irreparable damage to the Iraqi people. This is something Pablo's conscience could not accept.

As a member of the military, you have not only the right, but the obligation to disobey illegal and immoral orders. The Iraq war is clearly both. Our leadership claimed before us and the world community that Iraq possessed weapons of mass destruction and was a threat to freedom. We are halfway done destroying the country and still not even a hint of the potential of being close to evidence that suggests it. In addition, there are still no identified ties between 911, Al Qaeda and Iraq. So why are we waging war there? Why are we sacrificing the lives of our young men? And more importantly, why are we doing it against the will of the American people? Virtually all polls show that half, or slightly more than half, of the population does NOT support the US decision to go to War. These same polls show constant decline in the approval ratings for the management of the war, or they directly disapprove of it. Kindly take a moment to see these figures at: http://www.pollingreport.com/iraq.htm

There is absolutely no shame in standing up for life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Our principles state that everyone has the right to these 3 things. We currently have taken it upon ourselves to deprive the Iraqi people of all three. Since the inception of the war, over 5,500 servicemen have deserted. Are we to assume that there are 5,500 crazy cowards who joined the military or perhaps should we begin to entertain the thought that this war is wrong, illegal, immoral and cruel? This year suicide rates among the Marines have reached record highs, again she we assume they too are crazy cowards, or should we question the righteousness of our actions in Iraq? Better yet, should we assume that half this country consists of crazy, shameful cowards or should we ask our leadership in what math text book did they get the algebraic formula that says to hard headed leaders = a COALITION of the willing? Or even yet, maybe we should ask what is it they were willing to?

I must say for a conservative majority that supposedly voted Bush back into to office due to "moral" issues, you all sure have an interesting disregard for human life. Abortion not okay, but killing hundreds of thousands of civilians is your way of providing "enduring freedom". Back when I was in school, the word used for such murder in masses was genocide. Invading a country solely for economic gains was called imperialism. I guess I must have been absent the day they taught that genocide + imperialism = enduring freedom. Then again, I was never very good at math.

Your complaint about the media attention is also quit frankly foolish. The news is FILLED with recounts of heroic feats such as those of the New York gentleman who had a limb blown off by a grenade launcher and was replaced by another soldier who unfortunately was killed shortly after. The young brave newyorker said his biggest suffering was not that he had lost a limb but that he now had to live with the fact that someone died in his place. In fact if you did indeed take the time to actually do that google search for giggles, you would notice that the majority of your findings are blog stuff 100% against Pablo's actions. Actual news coverage has not been so dramatic as you claim.

Besides, with so much dissent for this war and its inhumanity, the media has an obligation to cover that dissent. When half the nation is against the war, the media must listen to that side of the story.

Let me end by saying that the young men and women currently serving in the War are indeed brave in my eyes. Those young folks sacrifice their lives with the FAITH that their country is doing the right thing. God Bless them. I have nothing against them. But we are betraying their faith in us by having them commit cruel, inhumane acts of aggression. And it is also brave, unselfish and patriotic to take a stance (at great personal risk) to say this is wrong. Waging war is wrong. Cruelty and inhumanity is wrong. This great country went from having a secretary of war to a secretary of defense. Why do think that is Mr. North? I'd like to believe that it is because we are not to be in the business of waging war. As the nation with the strongest military we should use that strength to defend this great nation and aid others, not invade others. Maybe that's what happened to W, given his challenges with English, maybe he mixed those two up. Who knows.

Regards,

|| Posted by Victor Hugo, December 29, 2004 09:08 PM ||

How nice of you to use a form letter with all of the talking points included.

You too are a worm.

|| Posted by Mad Mikey, December 30, 2004 10:39 AM ||

|| Posted by replica watches, August 26, 2009 05:14 AM ||

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Operation Pity Pablo

Good stuffing this past weekend here in San Diego - Protest Warrior San Diego was there to counter - effectively counter - a 'Support Pablo' rally.

And as we found out later, Pablo surrendered to Naval authorities so it turned into a 'Free Pablo' rally.

Smash has the debrief of this op; the protestors were owned by Protest Warrior.

Posted by Mad Mikey at 08:22 AM | Comments (3)

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Posted by Mad Mikey at 08:22 AM | Comments (3)

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Response to Mr Oliver North's recent editorial:

Deciding to stand up for life, for justice, for humanity is far from being cowardice Mr. North. It is probably one of the greatest acts of patriotism and citizenship.

Regards,

|| Posted by Victor Hugo, December 29, 2004 09:08 PM ||

Pablo isn't a man for refusing to deploy - he is a worm.

|| Posted by Mad Mikey, December 30, 2004 10:38 AM ||

|| Posted by replica watches, August 26, 2009 05:29 AM ||

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About Me

Who is Mikey?

Mikey playing with digital camera
Mikey is a forty-something U.S. Navy veteran that is currently taking a break from being a full-time student at UC San Diego studying electrical engineering.

He's also a husband, a father, a former Independent/Democrat and is currently dealing with dialysis and getting on the national kidney transplant list.

The words written here are his opinions and his observations on the stupid things in life. If you do not like them or do not agree with them: tough squishies. In America, you're entitled to Freedom of Speech not Freedom to Not Be Offended.

Help Mikey by not being part of the problem and instead, be part of the solution so that he doesn't have to comment on your sorry actions.

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December 24, 2004

Merry Christmas 2004

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"All We Want for Christmas"

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December 22, 2004

Twas' the Night Before Christmas

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