Beyond the Rim

EDIT: Sorry about the blank post

Gone, but never forgotten.   Rest in Peace boys.

A listing of Soldiers that gave their lives in support of Operation Enduring Freedom

A listing of Soldiers that gave their lives in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom

Over 1.5 million American Soldiers have died due to combat in the past 234 years.  Take a moment today to think about the sacrifice they made.  I'm sure if you thank them, they'll hear you.

I have a problem. 

I recently acquired 2 video games i once enjoyed and wished to enjoy once again.  Might & Magic VII and VIII.  The will not work on my laptop.  it doesn't recognize the version of Direct X or my operating system(which is Vista).  I went online and tried a patch i found.  Nothing has worked.  If any of you out there with more computer savvy can think of anything I would appreciate it. 

Premise I:	Knowledge is power.
Premise II:	Power corrupts.
Conclusion:	Therefore, knowledge corrupts.

In other news, today I had blood drawn, i got a smallpox vaccine, typhoid, and anthrax(3rd in a series) and a tb test.(all in all 19 pokes(the small pox is 15). And that was the fun part of my day. TIme for a nap before Heroes.

A couple of days before the Declaration of Independence was officially approved by Congress, John Adams wrote this to his wife;

"The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more."

Let's not let the man down.  Enjoy your day, celebrate our country, and remember all those that came and went before us to make it great.


On a side note, Both John Adams and Thomas Jefferson died in their respective homes the evening of July 4, 1826.

I know i don't post often(hopefully once i get some internet issues worked out that might change, but i digress)but i just wanted to do a little political commentary

I visited the websites of Hilary Clinton, John McCain, and Barack Obama, to get some info straight from the source. Well, somewhat close to the source.

The first issue i looked at was Iraq(b/c that's going to greatly affect my immediate future).

Obama:
He has been against us going into Iraq from the beginning. He says he will bring the troops home.
"He will remove one to two combat brigades each month, and have all of our combat brigades out of Iraq within 16 months. Obama will make it clear that we will not build any permanent bases in Iraq. He will keep some troops in Iraq to protect our embassy and diplomats; if al Qaeda attempts to build a base within Iraq, he will keep troops in Iraq or elsewhere in the region to carry out targeted strikes on al Qaeda."
-direct quote from his page

His plan is basically to leave and force the Iraqi government to keep everything stable.  Also the pace seems rather fast.  For those unfamiliar with the breakdown of Army units, a brigade has 4000-5000 soldiers.  We are talking a lot of people and equipment to have moved out in less than a year and a half. 

Clinton:
Like Obama Hilary says she wants to bring the troops home asap.
"one of Hillary's first official actions would be to convene the Joint Chiefs of Staff, her Secretary of Defense, and her National Security Council. She would direct them to draw up a clear, viable plan to bring our troops home starting with the first 60 days of her Administration."
-d.q.f.h.p.

Notice her plan is to have other people figure out how to do it.  She has no idea how she is going to do it, just that she says she will do it.

Both Obama and Clinton say that as they back the U.S. troops out they will increase diplomacy in the region.

McCain:
McCain has a different view.  He says we need more troops, and better training for the Iraqi police and military. 
"While it is crucial to focus military efforts on insurgents, particularly against Sunni fighters using violence to strengthen their political position, John McCain believes there must be a greater emphasis on non-military components promoting economic development and representative, accountable governance"

McCain basically wants to setup more long term operations.  Having troops stay in one area and securing it, while the local economy and government can get on their own two feet. 


I gotta say, as much as I do not want to spend half of my military career deployed, i agree more with McCain's plan the Obama's or Clinton's.  Politically and militarily it makes the most sense, and in my opinion has the best chance for success.

That's all for today, perhaps another issue andother day

http://link.brightcove.com/services/link/bcpid1272014315/bclid1125909605/bctid1328166808

Since I lack the skill needed to write a deep meanigful post about those that have given their lives for our country, I decided to post a few quotes from some people that are far better at such things.

"War is an ugly thing but not the ugliest of things.  The decayed and degraded stae of mind that thinks nothing is worth fighting for is far worse."
-John Stuart Mill

"God grants liberty only to those who love it and are always ready to defend it."
-Daniel Webster

"Let every nation know, whether it wishes us well or ill, that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe, to assure the survival and success of liberty."
-President John F. Kennedy

"A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself."
-Joseph Campbell

This is just too funny

I am finally doing it, I am selling of my extensive collection of Babylon 5 CCG card.  I have the first 7 auctions up already and plan to do several more tomorrow.  I would appreciate it if you could all let anyone you know who might be interested know about it.  Also feel free to bid yourselves if you like.  This is somewhat hard for me, I spent  agreat deal of time, money and energy massing my collection, but I need the money.  

Thanks

Cpl. Howard V. Ramsey

Create your own Friend Test here

I felt like shit yesterday.  I had chills and body aches, and my nose was runny.  I took some cold/flu medicine while on my lunch break and went back to school(OH yeah, I finally started classes yesterday). When I got home I went to sleep, Katie woke me up to eat and then I went to sleep again.  I woke this morning feeling a little better.  The chills are gone, but I still ache all over.

In other news, we have guests coming over tomorrow night.  The First Sergeant and the Captain form my Battery are coming over for a quarterly inspection.  They just come by and make sure I really do live here and that I have my utilities on and I don't have a meth lab in my garage.

I feel good now that we are settling into a routine.  I wake up got to PT, come home and change and then it's off to school.  Afterwards I come home for dinner and quality time with the fam.

I'd tell you about all the cool stuff I've learned(some of it is really cool), but none of you are cleared for it.