Friday, November 11, 2011

Veteran's Day Thoughts

Apple Seeds -
Living near an Army base, and having lived here the majority of my life, I am constantly aware of the military presence. We lost our family farm to the expansion of the army reservation. Not the best of memories but one I came to terms with a long time ago. I consider that our sacrifice, just like veterans have made their sacrifices. Well, not just like but in a parallel fashion.

I've seen the military experience take so much from veterans.... limbs, life style, lives. For us, our farm and childhood home. But I've seen the military experience give back so much..... protecting us of course, but building exemplar individuals of young people, giving us all a tremendous sense of pride and patriotism, not to mention the important part they play in the local economy here in our community.

I believe so strongly that we have a tremendous responsibility to select the best leaders we can to lead and utilize our military men and women in the best possible way, and not put them in harm's way for unjust causes. If I am ever critical of decisions we have made, it is because I love and respect our military men and women and want them led in the best way possible. Not an easy task, I know!

Friday, October 21, 2011

Straddlin' the fence.... as usual

The pressures to "believe as I believe" are being hurled at us from all sides. Gives me pause to wonder, Just what DO I believe.

The unhappy conservatives are so full of hate. They want their freedom to make it or die, at any cost. Less government, less interference. Now I can buy that. Let me compete, go for it, maybe become a rich woman on my own. Don't tell ME what to do.

But wait, why is it under that system the rich got rich and the rest of us got.... unemployed? Or foreclosed on? As much as I want to be free to fail, I don't want to fail because I was handed a loaded deck. I've been lucky. I have a job. But what if I didn't have one and couldn't find one. Don't tell me that letting the big corporations have free rein will create more jobs when I'm unemployed. I don't see any proof that that works.

Still, I know that hand outs do not a self reliant people make. And someone has to pay for them, they just don't fall off trees.

Can you see where I'm going here? We're damned if we do and damned if we don't.

All of that aside, I don't see how being hateful and disrespectful is getting us anywhere! What ever happened to the old fashioned Christian value of love thy neighbor!

Oh my!

Monday, May 9, 2011

Some random thoughts

Apple Seeds
I haven't blogged in so long, its been ages and ages.
I guess I can blame it on getting hooked on Facebook. I find it fun to communicate with a lot of folks on a daily or more often basis without getting too deep into things.
But today I want to make a few comments that may be too much for good old casual facebook commentary.
Fact is, I question whether I should even put my neck out but I feel a need to get a few things off my chest or out in the open or something.... Guess I can always delete them if I feel I should.
Some observations -
At the time of 9-11, I remember a woman being interviewed with some others. Her husband or boyfriend was missing and presumed possibly killed in the towers. As far as I could tell from later findings, I believe he had died. I think he was a waiter or something in a restaurant up high.
Now remember, we did not yet know who had done this horrible thing. Her comment was that if he was dead, she was fairly certain that he would say that he did not want others to die because he was killed. That such would not avenge or requite his death. I was so surprised that this woman could be so together at this time of unbelievable sorrow to think that thru and utter such a thought.
I also thought that there was no way such a thing would not happen. It seemed to me our need to defend coupled with an eye for an eye mentality would explode and indeed it did.
Once we determined that the perpetrator was centered in bin Laden we went after him. But for reasons I didn't understand (or more correctly think I do understand) we went after him not where he might be, but in another country.
Now, after what, ten years, and how many lives, we finally have killed the s.o.b. I do not mourn his life. But I do mourn the many who have died because of him on and since 9-11. And I mourn all those who have yet to loose their lives because of him.
Should we hav gone after him? Of course we should have. If a varmit raids the chicken house or the lamb pen, you don't just leave it to continue its horrible habit. But could there have been a less destructive way to have gone after him? I have to wonder.
I do not intend to disrespect our military men and women with these thoughts. They continue to give their most and sacrifice their best to protect me. But I have to wonder if the direction they were sent was the most prudent.
I wonder what that woman who lost her man in 9-11 now thinks?