My family and I were watching "A Walk to Remember" together last night, when my son Michael read on his iPhone that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. I wasn't sure whether to believe it or not, so we turned on the news and watched as the information and misinformation came in. Funny how the news sources never get the news right in their attempt to scoop each other. It usually takes 12 to 24 hours before everything is known.
OBL has been living in a compound in Obbottabad, Pakistan that was built 5 years ago. It is possible he has been there the whole time. He lived with a courier that the CIA had been following for quite some time. They often suspected that OBL might be there, but they didn't have proof. Some leads back in September led them to believe it was OBL, so they had surveillance on the place until it was confirmed in January that it was indeed OBL. They continued the surveillance and planning until the official word was given by Pres. Obama to take him out. They didn't want to capture him, just kill him.
A team of Navy Seals from a unit known as Team 6 (the best of the best) worked in conjunction with the CIA to perform the mission. They flew in with helicopters and the Seal team shot and killed OBL and 4 others. During the exercise, one of the helicopters failed, and they set explosives to destroy it, protecting the advanced technology in the helicopter. They retrieved the body of OBL and did DNA testing to verify his identity, which was confirmed. Then they buried the body at sea.
Thus ends an era. There has been a lot of rejoicing and dancing in the streets. But the next question is, what will be the next era? I believe that there will be some retaliation, so security should be increased everywhere. No time to celebrate, really. Now is the time to be even more vigilant.
Monday, May 2, 2011
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Those Arrogant, Capitalist, Imperialist, Uneducated Americans!
Well the 4th of July is here again, and patriotism will be in the air all over America. Flags, fireworks, parades, and people going on and on about how much better they are than the rest of the world. I mean really, who do they think they are! After all, look how mean they were to the Indians, oh, and don't forget the slaves. This country is really a horrible country that has oppressed people and committed atrocities around the world. The world hates us, and they are all just biding their time till they see an opportunity to take us down (think 9/11). Anyway, it sure is a good thing that we have Pres. Obama to make them all like us again and move us quickly toward Western European Socialism (think Canada).
OK, so now let me paint you a different picture. More than 200 years ago a bunch of men got together, risking their own lives to get out from under the tyranny of a truly imperialist government. They had some interesting ideas about being endowed by God with certain rights that are universal to all men. They had this notion that freedom was more important than peace; that governments are inherently corrupt and should exist only to serve the people. They were willing to give up all that they had for these ideals, and many did.
Now, this country has been anything but perfect, but the ideals have always remained, and they are strong in the hearts of many people. Eventually, these rights were truly extended to all men. The country fought a war with itself, in part to end the practice of slavery. This country came to the rescue of Europe when a madman had so easily taken over the continent. My father fought the Japanese, who were doing the same in the South Pacific. We fought against tyranny, genocide, fascism, communism, and who knows how many other "isms." And in spite of the fact that we have had many victories, we did not keep the territory, but rebuilt the countries and left them to be governed by their own people. That has never been heard of in the history of the world! After all, the spoils were supposed to go to the victor.
This is something I think about a lot. I'm proud of the heritage of this country and of the service my father gave to it. I celebrate the 4th of July proudly, without any shame. I take pride in the fact that this country became a place where freedom of religion and thought and speech thrived. If for no other reason, that makes this country very important.
OK, so now let me paint you a different picture. More than 200 years ago a bunch of men got together, risking their own lives to get out from under the tyranny of a truly imperialist government. They had some interesting ideas about being endowed by God with certain rights that are universal to all men. They had this notion that freedom was more important than peace; that governments are inherently corrupt and should exist only to serve the people. They were willing to give up all that they had for these ideals, and many did.
Now, this country has been anything but perfect, but the ideals have always remained, and they are strong in the hearts of many people. Eventually, these rights were truly extended to all men. The country fought a war with itself, in part to end the practice of slavery. This country came to the rescue of Europe when a madman had so easily taken over the continent. My father fought the Japanese, who were doing the same in the South Pacific. We fought against tyranny, genocide, fascism, communism, and who knows how many other "isms." And in spite of the fact that we have had many victories, we did not keep the territory, but rebuilt the countries and left them to be governed by their own people. That has never been heard of in the history of the world! After all, the spoils were supposed to go to the victor.
This is something I think about a lot. I'm proud of the heritage of this country and of the service my father gave to it. I celebrate the 4th of July proudly, without any shame. I take pride in the fact that this country became a place where freedom of religion and thought and speech thrived. If for no other reason, that makes this country very important.
Sunday, August 9, 2009
City Slickers
I was driving back from a river rafting trip near Jackson Hole last week. There I was in my pickup truck driving through parts or Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming listening to country music. What would my younger self have thought if he would have seen me!
True, I was born and raised in Wyoming, and by all rights I should be wearing boots and a hat, driving a pickup truck and listening to Country Music. But that does not describe my youth. I was considered a "City Slicker" by the true cowboys in Wyoming. I had longish hair most of the time, listened to Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull, and wouldn't be caught dead with cowboy boots.
Well, I have to admit that as time goes on, I find myself wanting to be more of a cowboy. Folks where I grew up had common sense. Arguments in school were settled with fist fights. No one would blink if I carried a hunting rifle down the hallway in high school. And nobody was shooting anybody. Weird huh?
I know a few people who hold contempt for small town folk. They think they are uneducated and ignorant. But I'll take the common sense and attitudes of a small town over west or east cost sophistry any day.
True, I was born and raised in Wyoming, and by all rights I should be wearing boots and a hat, driving a pickup truck and listening to Country Music. But that does not describe my youth. I was considered a "City Slicker" by the true cowboys in Wyoming. I had longish hair most of the time, listened to Led Zeppelin and Jethro Tull, and wouldn't be caught dead with cowboy boots.
Well, I have to admit that as time goes on, I find myself wanting to be more of a cowboy. Folks where I grew up had common sense. Arguments in school were settled with fist fights. No one would blink if I carried a hunting rifle down the hallway in high school. And nobody was shooting anybody. Weird huh?
I know a few people who hold contempt for small town folk. They think they are uneducated and ignorant. But I'll take the common sense and attitudes of a small town over west or east cost sophistry any day.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Ironport
One of the best memories of my youth involves a corner drug store, a soda fountain, and an obscure soft drink. It is funny how many of my fond memories of life boil down to simple pleasures. Things that once were, but seem now to be lost forever. Well, sometimes what was once lost can be found again.
A hot summer day in Evanston, WY is about 85 degrees. That is just about hot enough to require some refreshment on occasion. So, as a young boy on a hot day, I would often make the 4 block trek down the hill from my home to the corner drug store called City Drug. It was a small store, where I suppose, people filled prescriptions and bought band-aids. But that wasn't what sent me there on any given day.
City Drug had a soda fountain where you could buy Cherry Cokes, Fresh Limes, Chocolate Malts, and Ironport. I'm sure there were other things you could buy there, but as far as I was concerned, those were the most important. All but one of those drinks are fairly easy to find today.
Ironport is a drink so rare that Wikipedia lists all the places where you can actually buy one. It is a syrupy sweet drink with some very unique flavors. Some have compared it to root beer or sarsaparilla, but it really is different. City Drug was the only place I knew where you could get one, but the soda fountain at City Drug had been closed for many, many years. Until recently.
Yesterday, I took the family to my home town to celebrate the graduation of two of my nephews and one niece. We had the regular pot-luck dinner and B.S. sessions at the pavilion by the old ice ponds. During one of those sessions, someone mentioned that City Drug had recently re-opened its soda fountain. And, apparently, you can get an Ironport!
I wasn't able to go there that day, but on my next trip I plan to revisit City Drug and try an Ironport again. Ah, the simple pleasures of life! What seems so commonplace and ordinary, sometimes turns out to be precious and rare.
A hot summer day in Evanston, WY is about 85 degrees. That is just about hot enough to require some refreshment on occasion. So, as a young boy on a hot day, I would often make the 4 block trek down the hill from my home to the corner drug store called City Drug. It was a small store, where I suppose, people filled prescriptions and bought band-aids. But that wasn't what sent me there on any given day.
City Drug had a soda fountain where you could buy Cherry Cokes, Fresh Limes, Chocolate Malts, and Ironport. I'm sure there were other things you could buy there, but as far as I was concerned, those were the most important. All but one of those drinks are fairly easy to find today.
Ironport is a drink so rare that Wikipedia lists all the places where you can actually buy one. It is a syrupy sweet drink with some very unique flavors. Some have compared it to root beer or sarsaparilla, but it really is different. City Drug was the only place I knew where you could get one, but the soda fountain at City Drug had been closed for many, many years. Until recently.
Yesterday, I took the family to my home town to celebrate the graduation of two of my nephews and one niece. We had the regular pot-luck dinner and B.S. sessions at the pavilion by the old ice ponds. During one of those sessions, someone mentioned that City Drug had recently re-opened its soda fountain. And, apparently, you can get an Ironport!
I wasn't able to go there that day, but on my next trip I plan to revisit City Drug and try an Ironport again. Ah, the simple pleasures of life! What seems so commonplace and ordinary, sometimes turns out to be precious and rare.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Not really my first, but more first than not...
Once I owned a Palm Centro. It is the last in a long line of devices from Palm, Inc. that uses the venerable old Palm OS. It came with a program that allowed you to take photographs, upload them to a blog, and comment on them. I tried it out, because that's just the kind of thing that I like to do with a new device. I created a blog on Vox, which I'm not sure anyone but me has heard of. I uploaded a few pictures and made a few inane comments. That was my first attempt at blogging.
Well, so now here I am on Blogspot, and this is my first post. I can't technically say it is my first submission to a blog, but it really is my first blog. At least, it is my first blog with more than two sentences (check out http://paesano.vox.com).
What will I talk about in this blog? Hard to say. I'm the kinda guy who can't keep focused very well in a conversation. If I am talking to someone about a topic and the subject changes to something else, I will converse about that something else, but keep a thread of thought spinning in my head about the previous subject. There is no telling when that other topic will randomly pop up in our conversation again. I get a lot of strange looks when that happens.
But I digress...
A lot.
So, we will just have see what kind of randomness comes out of my brain-damaged head.
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