Heart of Oak Are Our Ships...........

I got in from VA late yesterday, a little road worn and tired, but not too tired to toss down a wee bit of rum to commemorate the 203rd anniversary of the battle of Trafalgar and the death of Nelson. As was noted on one of list that I belong to, Nelson was:

"He may have been a weaselly little hypochondriac adulterer with one arm and
virtually one eye who ruthlessly promoted himself, was permanently seasick at
sea, and was lucky to get away with self-serving insubordination, but he was an
incomparable leader of men and the finest example of a fighting admiral in the
great age of sail."

Perhaps the fact that he died at the moment of his greatest triumph made him seem more glorious than he deserved, but with all his faults it appears that he was graced with that touch of genius that made him the greatest admiral of the age of fighting sail.

May he rest in peace....

Hey Ridley, Ya got any Beeman's?

Man, it's been busy. The weekend before last went to Statesville NC for a French and Indian War event, this past weekend Colonial Williamsburg for a Rev War event. This week, qualification on the pistol range with my old department and this coming weekend the Battle of the Hook near Yorktown Va. Sorta reminds me of the lyrics to a old Charlie Daniels song,

"I had them all out there steppin and fetchin
Like their heads was on fire and their asses was catchin"

I will catch up on all that has been going on later, but I did want to take a moment to mark a date in history. Today, October 14th 1947, Captain Charles "Chuck" Yeager while flying the X-1 rocket plane broke the sound barrier. If you didn't see it, the movie "The Right Stuff" covers the event. I don't know how historically accurate the film is, but it SHOULD have happened like this. -GRIN-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDWh-qKkRNg&feature=related

Hooray for Hollywood........

If you are bored, take this quiz........

http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/the-classic-leading-man-test

Hard to believe, but I came back as John Wayne. Of course it didn't hurt my feeling either. -grin-

We're In The Money.....

The Senate passed the bail out bill last night.

I guess Will Rogers said it best:

"American is the only country in the world where we will ride to the poorhouse in a Cadillac."

AND

"The only difference between death and taxes is that death doesn't get worse every time Congress meets."

*SIGH*

Since Cromwell Pushed us Westward, To Live Our Lowly Lives

Day two on the pistol range has come and gone. Every one seems to be doing well. More bullets in the targets than out of them so things are good so far. When I got home this afternoon, I poured myself a drink and flipped on the tube and check out the latest gnashing of teeth and rending of hair from Washington.

Folks, I have seen much more organization, leadership and sense of purpose in a shit fight in the monkey cage at the zoo than I have seen coming out of the Senate and Congress in the past little little bit.

What we need is someone to speak with the words of Oliver Cromwell to the nabobs in Washington.

Here's today's very short, Reader's Digest history lesson, boys and girls.

In the early 1640's Charles I, King of England and the English Parliament were at loggerheads over money and power. The King believed in absolute authority of the monarch since in his belief the King was appointed by God to rule over the nation. The King could do no wrong since each decision was ordained by the almighty. Parliament however didn't see life as being that simple. They wanted a control over the King as the elected representatives of the people of England. Of course, the two side never could see eye to eye and a long and bloody civil war resulted. There were of course other issues such as religion, personality and ego involved. The war resulted in the King being beheaded and Parliament wining absolute authority.

In the course of the war one man, burst forth like a meteor in a cloudy sky. Oliver Cromwell. Cromwell, a leader of a Parliamentary cavalry unit, showed aptitude in the leading as well as training of men for war. As the war progressed Cromwell continued to take on more responsibilities for the war effort until he because the unofficial commander of Parliament's army. When the war was over, Parliament took the reins of the government. They tried to disband the army as it was the only force that could contest with them for power. Basically they wanted to sit in Parliament for life. Cromwell heard that this war going on and that the members had refused to write a new constitution for England so he headed to London from Ireland where he had been bloodily putting down a rebellion among the Irish Catholics. After going to Parliament and listening to a few speeches Cromwell called in some troops and closed Parliament after allegedly giving this speech.

"It is high time for me to put an end to your sitting in this place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice; ye are a factious crew, and enemies to all good government; ye are a pack of mercenary wretches, and would like Esau sell your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas betray your God for a few pieces of money.

Is there a single virtue now remaining amongst you? Is there one vice you do not possess? Ye have no more religion than my horse; gold is your God; which of you have not barter'd your conscience for bribes? Is there a man amongst you that has the least care for the good of the Commonwealth?

Ye sordid prostitutes have you not defil'd this sacred place, and turn'd the Lord's temple into a den of thieves, by your immoral principles and wicked practices? Ye are grown intolerably odious to the whole nation; you were deputed here by the people to get grievances redress'd, are yourselves gone! So! Take away that shining bauble there, and lock up the doors.

In the name of God, go!"

Could you imagine someone going to Washington and cutting loose with that? I would pay good money to see that. And with the bunch up there, it wouldn't be too far out of line.

However, no matter how cool the speech was, I don't think I would have liked Cromwell in person. After shutting down Parliament, Cromwell called himself the "Lord Protector" of England and ruled as a military dictator. He was a religious bigot and could be considered a war criminal for his killing of prisoners of war. He crushed freedom of the press and there was freedom of religion as long as he agreed with the religion. Not some things that would go over too well in this country. I know I wouldn't be able to deal with the lack of freedom the Lord Protector would bring.

But you know something? I wouldn't be surprised if the way things are going, that there aren't people out there who think that someone like Cromwell wouldn't come in handy today. After all Germany in 1933 was looking for a savior, wasn't it? We know how THAT turned out don't we?

I just hope that we as a people are not led down that path through our fear or anger.

But All I Got Is A Photograph..................

LATEST DISPATCH FROM THE FRONT..................

My glacial creep into the technology of the 21st century continues. I now have a digital camera and hopefully will be getting some photos of whatever I am talking about or working on and place them on this blog.

Now, if I can just figure out how to do it.

It might not be pretty to watch folks. -grin-

My Little Runaway..........

I just recently saw in the newspaper that a employee at Home Depot was recently fired for chasing a shoplifter out of his store. Not more than a week later one of our local police agencies instituted a "no chase" policy for it's officers.

Now I know no one asked me, but I think that is a piss poor policy to have.

I know the logic, that by chasing the bad guys it may cause them to do stupid things to get away and endanger the public. That's why the no chase policy came up in the first place, a woman shoplifted from a store got into her car and ran from the police and hit another car killing two people. I have the greatest sympathy for the folks that got killed and the feelings of their loved ones, but somehow it got turned into the police officer's fault because he chased the crook. The letters to the editor in the local paper were full of that kind of thing. Folks, If the woman hadn't first shoplifted then tried to get away, well then NONE of this would have happened.

All I can see happening with policy like this is that folks WILL try to run because they know that once they hit a certain speed, then the police will give up and let them go. Just like with Home Depot putting it out that they will not try to stop you if you shoplift. I bet you a fat man (and here he sits) that they have a fairly significant rise in thefts.

Back when I was a young pup and limber I would run bad guys until I would drop. If I caught 'em fine and good, if not, well there was always next time. I never had a boss that would make the call for me. He trusted my judgement. Have we gotten to the point where we are so scared of law suits and taking responsibility for our actions that we can't do the right thing anymore? Lord I hope not.

Speaking of which, I figured I would share a war story with you. I was patrolling at one time when I was much younger and saw a fellow that just looked like he was up to something. I went over to talk to him and he took off running. Of course I gave pursuit and caught up to him and found some controlled substances as well as a concealed weapon on his person as a result of a "terry frisk" Well, sometime later, while testifying in court, this gentleman's P.D. started giving me grief about chasing his client when he took off running. It seems that he didn't think I had a good reason to chase him. Well, again I was young and full o' beans, so I told the P.D. that I was somewhat religious and when the defendant took off running, a voice told me Proverbs 28:1 "The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion." That ended the session and I was dismissed from the stand. After the case was over, the D.A. called me over and told me that while it WAS funny, if I ever pulled a stunt like that again in his court, bowing to my religious beliefs that he would crucify me.

I behaved myself in court after that.