So Long, Farewell...

In exactly one week I will kiss the civilian world "goodbye" for at least the next nine years. It's funny, in a strange sort of way, to think how my point of view will be different from the one I have held for the past eighteen years. When I look at myself and try to see what I have done in order to prepare for what is to come, the temptation to flounder and get those nasty butterflies in my un-worked lower abdomen is strong. But when I look back at my past and the events surrounding me, I can see little things that point to God's sovereignty and His method of preparing me for what He knows I am going to struggle through. I see family, friends, organizations, camps, schoolwork, etc. Even the seemingly inane events, such as assisting in a car accident scene before the emergency crews arrived, stand out in my mind. Those individuals present in my life, whether they be complete stooges or upright persons, have all played a part in this and I thank God for that (whether I thank those persons is another story...). Even while I write this my anticipation has grown. I am excited about the opportunity to work with fellow Navy folks through academics, physical activities (Competitive spirits will abound! Huzzah!), and moral development.

My time this summer will be spent in seven weeks of the equivalent of Navy basic training. This means three phone calls and practically no internet, which I think will be good for me. Please (please) write letters, for it is the third highest form of human communication. I promise that I will seek opportunities to write back, even if my handwriting cannot be read.


Let it rise about the four winds
Caught up in the heavenly sound
Let praises echo from the towers of cathedrals
To the faithful gathered underground
Of all the songs sung from the dawn of creation
Some were meant to persist
Of all the bells rung from a thousand steeples
None rings truer than this...

It's all God's children singing
Glory, glory, hallelujah
He reigns, He reigns!


Hooyah.

USNA Address

This will be my address for the summer:

MIDN BENJAMIN O'NEILL
Class of 2013
M Company 24 Platoon
Annapolis, MD 21412

Hooyah. If you want to send something for my eyes only, send it in a regular envelope and not a package. No porn, muscle magazines, drugs, weapons, junk food, or anything that recognizes the existence of the other branches of the military, for they do not exist at Annapolis. Not that any of my good friends are into that kind of stuff...


:P

True Love Waits...

Mom gave me a handout from the pregnancy center that contains a list of witty responses to "pressure lines". Their candor/wit makes some worth posting.


"It's only natural." - "So is death, but I don't want to practice that either."

"I can't stop now!" - "Could you if my dad walked in?" (With a baseball bat...)

"I lost the keys to my chastity belt and all my zippers are locked." (My favorite...)

"I'd hate to lose my virginity, I've heard it's hard to find."

"I look much better with clothes on."

In A Tree By The Brook, There's A Songbird Who Sings...

There's a lady who's sure
All that glitters is gold
And she's buying a stairway to heaven.
When she gets there she knows
If the stores are all closed
With a word she can get what she came for.
Ooh, ooh, and she's buying a stairway to heaven.

There's a sign on the wall
But she wants to be sure
'Cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
In a tree by the brook
There's a songbird who sings,
"Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven."
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it makes me wonder.

There's a feeling I get
When I look to the west,
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
In my thoughts I have seen
Rings of smoke through the trees,
And the voices of those who standing looking.
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
Ooh, it really makes me wonder.

And it's whispered that soon
If we all call the tune
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
And a new day will dawn
For those who stand long
And the forests will echo with laughter.

If there's a bustle in your hedgerow
Don't be alarmed now,
It's just a spring clean for the may queen.
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
But in the long run
There's still time to change the road you're on.
And it makes me wonder.

Your head is humming and it won't go
In case you don't know,
The piper's calling you to join him.
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
And did you know
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

And as we wind on down the road
Our shadow's taller than our soul.
There walks a lady we all know
Who shines white light and wants to show
How everything still turns to gold.
And if you listen very hard
The tune will come to you at last.
When all are one and one is all
To be a rock and not to roll.


And she's buying a Stairway to Heaven...

It Brings Home the Memories

I am on a 90's music binge. I am so glad I did not grow up with 80's music.


You'll say, "We've got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And were falling apart."
You'll say, "The world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
So I know you just don't care."


And I said, "What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?"
She said, "I think I remember the film"
And as I recall laughing we both kinda liked it
And I said, "Well that's one thing we've got"

I see you, the only one who knew me
Now your eyes see through me
I guess I was wrong
So what now? It's plain to see we're over
And I hate when things are over
When so much is left undone

And I said, "What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?"
She said, "I think I remember the film"
And as I recall laughing we both kinda liked it
And I said, "Well that's one thing we've got"

Don't say that we've got nothing in common
No common ground to start from
And we're falling apart
You'll say the world has come between us
Our lives have come between us
Still I know you just don't care

And I said, "What about Breakfast at Tiffany's?"
She said, "I think I remember the film"
And as I recall laughing we both kinda liked it
And I said, "Well thats one thing we've got"

Life Comes at You Fast

I actually have Allstate, not Nationwide.


I just signed three pieces of paper that obligated the next nine years of my life to the Naval service.




Jeez.

My Thoughts Exactly

Shed a tear cause I'm missin' you
I'm still alright to smile
Girl, I think bout you every day now
Was a time when I wasn't sure
But you set my mind at ease
There is no doubt you're in my heart now

Said, "Woman, take it slow
It'll work itself out fine
All we need is just a little patience"

I sit here on the stairs Cause I'd rather be alone
If I can't have you right now I'll wait dear
Sometimes I get so tense but I can't speed up the time
But you know love there's one more thing to consider

Said, "Woman take it slow and things will be just fine
You and I'll just use a little patience"
Said, "Sugar take the time cause the lights are shining bright
You and I've got what it takes to make it
We won't fake it, I'll never break it
Cause I can't take it"

I've been walkin' the streets at night
Just tryin' to get it right
It's hard to see with so many around
You know I don't like being stuck in the crowd
And the streets don't change
But maybe the names
I ain't got time for the game 'cause I need you
Yeah, 'cause I need you
All this time...

It's Been a While Since I Could Hold My Head Up High...

I know, I know. I have refrained from posting anything and everything for the longest time simply because....well, I forgot.


The fourth and final quarter of the senior year is coming to a close, and I have come to realize that I need to cut back on the Cookout shakes and start preparing for the Academy. Though the thought of attending there for the next four years frightens me, it's not as severe as it could be because I still have yet to realize the fact that I am going there in the first place....Ha.

I have lost my train of thought, so I shall leave it at that for now. The LORD is my provision, and He will prepare me for whatever may come.

Subdivisions

Sprawling on the fringes of the city
In geometric order
An insulated border
In between the bright lights
And the far unlit unknown

Growing up it all seems so one-sided
Opinions all provided
The future pre-decided
Detached and subdivided
In the mass production zone

Nowhere is the dreamer
Or the misfit so alone

Subdivisions ---
In the high school halls
In the shopping malls
Conform or be cast out
Subdivisions ---
In the basement bars
In the backs of cars
Be cool or be cast out
Any escape might help to smooth
The unattractive truth
But the suburbs have no charms to soothe
The restless dreams of youth

Drawn like moths we drift into the city
The timeless old attraction
Cruising for the action
Lit up like a firefly
Just to feel the living night

Some will sell their dreams for small desires
Or lose the race to rats
Get caught in ticking traps
And start to dream of somewhere
To relax their restless flight

Somewhere out of a memory
Of lighted streets on quiet nights...

-Subdivisions-Rush

King Heroin

Ladies and Gentlemen
Fella Americans
Lady Americans
This is James Brown
I wanna talk to you about one of our most deadly killers in the country today
I had a dream the other night
And I was sittin' in my living room
Just dozed off to sleep
So I started to dreamin'
I dreamed I walked in a place and
I saw a real strange, weird object
Standin' up talkin' to the people
And I found out it was Heroin
That deadly drug that go in your vein
He said...

I came to this country without a passport
Ever since then I've been hunted and sought
My little white grains are nothing but waste
Soft and deadly, and bitter to taste
But I'm a world of power and all know it's true
Use me once and you'll know it, too
I can make a mere schoolboy forget his books
I can make a world-famous beauty neglect her looks
I can make a good man forsake his wife
Send a greedy man to prison for the rest of his life
I can make a man forsake his country and flag
Make a girl sell her body for a five-dollar bag
Some think my adventure's a joy and a thriller
But I'll put a gun in your hand and make you a killer
In cellophane bags I've found my way
To heads of state, to children at play
I'm financed in China, Ran in Japan
I'm respected in Turkey and I'm legal in Siam
I take my addicts and make 'em steal, borrow, beg
Then they search for a vein in the arm or the leg
So be you Italian, Jewish, Black, or Mex
I can make the most virile of men forget their sex
So now... So now, my man, you must... You know, do your best
To keep up your habit until your arrest
Now the police have taken you from under my wing
Do you think they dare defy me? I, who am king?
Now, you must lie in that county jail
Where I can't get to you by visit or mail
So squirm with discomfort, wiggle and cough
Six days of madness and you might throw me off
Curse me in name, defy me in speech
But you'd pick me up right now if I were in your reach
All through your sentence you've become resolved to your fate
Fear not, young man or woman... I'll be waiting at the gate
And don't be afraid, don't run... I'll not chase
Sure, my name is Heroin and you'll be back for a taste
Behold! You're hooked
Your foot is in the stirrup
And make haste, mount the steed, and ride him well
For the white horse of heroin will ride you to Hell

To Hell
Will ride you to Hell until you are dead
Dead, brother... Dead!
This is a revolution of the mind
Get your mind together
And get away from drugs!
That's a demand.

- James Brown "King Heroin"

.....

I



Still



Hate



Valentine's



Day!

The Wonders of the English Language...

1. Verbs have to agree with their subjects.
2. Prepositions are not words to end sentences with.
3. And don't start a sentence with a conjunction.
4. It is wrong to ever split an infinitive.
5. Avoid cliches like the plague. (They're old hat.)
6. Comparisons are as bad a cliches.
7. Also, always avoid annoying alliteration.
8. Be more or less specific.
9. Parenthetical remarks (however relevant) are (usually) unnecessary (in most cases).
10. Also too, never, ever use repeating repetitive redundancies.
11. Bad sentence fragments.
12. Foreign words are not apropos.
13. Do not be redundant and use more words than necessary as it's highly superfluous and simply not helpful.
14. One should never generalize.
15. Don't use no double negatives.
16. One-word sentences? Eliminate.
17. Analogies in writing are like feathers on a snake.
18. The passive voice is to be ignored.
19. Use words correctly, irregardless of how others use them.
20. Eliminate quotations. As Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "I hate quotations. Tell me what you know."
21. If you've heard it once, you've heard it a thousand times: Resist hyperbole; not one writer in a million can use it correctly.


Take those for what you will...

The Beginning of the End....

An in-depth analysis of Obama's term by Dick Morris. Thought it would be interesting enough to post here.

The Obama presidency: Here comes socialism
By Dick Morris
Posted: 01/20/09 06:12 PM [ET]
2009-2010 will rank with 1913-14, 1933-36, 1964-65 and 1981-82 as years that will permanently change our government, politics and lives. Just as the stars were aligned for Wilson, Roosevelt, Johnson and Reagan, they are aligned for Obama. Simply put, we enter his administration as free-enterprise, market-dominated, laissez-faire America. We will shortly become like Germany, France, the United Kingdom, or Sweden — a socialist democracy in which the government dominates the economy, determines private-sector priorities and offers a vastly expanded range of services to many more people at much higher taxes.


Obama will accomplish his agenda of “reform” under the rubric of “recovery.” Using the electoral mandate bestowed on a Democratic Congress by restless voters and the economic power given his administration by terrified Americans, he will change our country fundamentally in the name of lifting the depression. His stimulus packages won’t do much to shorten the downturn — although they will make it less painful — but they will do a great deal to change our nation.


In implementing his agenda, Barack Obama will emulate the example of Franklin D. Roosevelt. (Not the liberal mythology of the New Deal, but the actuality of what it accomplished.) When FDR took office, he was enormously successful in averting a total collapse of the banking system and the economy. But his New Deal measures only succeeded in lowering the unemployment rate from 23 percent in 1933, when he took office, to 13 percent in the summer of 1937. It never went lower. And his policies of over-regulation generated such business uncertainty that they triggered a second-term recession. Unemployment in 1938 rose to 17 percent and, in 1940, on the verge of the war-driven recovery, stood at 15 percent. (These data and the real story of Hoover’s and Roosevelt’s missteps, uncolored by ideology, are available in The Forgotten Man by Amity Shlaes, copyright 2007.)


But in the name of a largely unsuccessful effort to end the Depression, Roosevelt passed crucial and permanent reforms that have dominated our lives ever since, including Social Security, the creation of the Securities and Exchange Commission, unionization under the Wagner Act, the federal minimum wage and a host of other fundamental changes.


Obama’s record will be similar, although less wise and more destructive. He will begin by passing every program for which liberals have lusted for decades, from alternative-energy sources to school renovations, infrastructure repairs and technology enhancements. These are all good programs, but they normally would be stretched out for years. But freed of any constraint on the deficit — indeed, empowered by a mandate to raise it as high as possible — Obama will do them all rather quickly.


But it is not his spending that will transform our political system, it is his tax and welfare policies. In the name of short-term stimulus, he will give every American family (who makes less than $200,000) a welfare check of $1,000 euphemistically called a refundable tax credit. And he will so sharply cut taxes on the middle class and the poor that the number of Americans who pay no federal income tax will rise from the current one-third of all households to more than half. In the process, he will create a permanent electoral majority that does not pay taxes, but counts on ever-expanding welfare checks from the government. The dependency on the dole, formerly limited in pre-Clinton days to 14 million women and children on Aid to Families with Dependent Children, will now grow to a clear majority of the American population.


Will he raise taxes? Why should he? With a congressional mandate to run the deficit up as high as need be, there is no reason to raise taxes now and risk aggravating the depression. Instead, Obama will follow the opposite of the Reagan strategy. Reagan cut taxes and increased the deficit so that liberals could not increase spending. Obama will raise spending and increase the deficit so that conservatives cannot cut taxes. And, when the economy is restored, he will raise taxes with impunity, since the only people who will have to pay them would be rich Republicans.


In the name of stabilizing the banking system, Obama will nationalize it. Using Troubled Asset Relief Program funds to write generous checks to needy financial institutions, his administration will demand preferred stock in exchange. Preferred stock gets dividends before common stockholders do. With the massive debt these companies will owe to the government, they will only be able to afford dividends for preferred stockholders — the government, not private investors. So who will buy common stock? And the government will demand that its bills be paid before any profits that might materialize are reinvested in the financial institution, so how will the value of the stocks ever grow? Devoid of private investors, these institutions will fall ever more under government control.


Obama will begin the process by limiting executive compensation. Then he will urge restructuring and lowering of home mortgages in danger of default (as the feds have already done with Citibank).

Then will come guidance on the loans to make and government instructions on the types of enterprises to favor. God grant that some Blagojevich type is not in charge of the program, using his power to line his pockets. The United States will find itself with an economic system comparable to that of Japan, where the all-powerful bureaucracy at MITI (Ministry of International Trade and Industry) manages the economy, often making mistakes like giving mainframe computers priority over the development of laptops.


But it is the healthcare system that will experience the most dramatic and traumatic of changes. The current debate between erecting a Medicare-like governmental single payer or channeling coverage through private insurance misses the essential point. Without a lot more doctors, nurses, clinics, equipment and hospital beds, health resources will be strained to the breaking point. The people and equipment that now serve 250 million Americans and largely neglect all but the emergency needs of the other 50 million will now have to serve everyone. And, as government imposes ever more Draconian price controls and income limits on doctors, the supply of practitioners and equipment will decline as the demand escalates. Price increases will be out of the question, so the government will impose healthcare rationing, denying the older and sicker among us the care they need and even barring them from paying for it themselves. (Rationing based on income and price will be seen as immoral.)


And Obama will move to change permanently the partisan balance in America. He will move quickly to legalize all those who have been in America for five years, albeit illegally, and to smooth their paths to citizenship and voting. He will weaken border controls in an attempt to hike the Latino vote as high as he can in order to make red states like Texas into blue states like California. By the time he is finished, Latinos and African-Americans will cast a combined 30 percent of the vote. If they go by top-heavy margins for the Democrats, as they did in 2008, it will assure Democratic domination (until they move up the economic ladder and become good Republicans).


And he will enact the check-off card system for determining labor union representation, repealing the secret ballot in union elections. The result will be to raise the proportion of the labor force in unions up to the high teens from the current level of about 12 percent.


Finally, he will use the expansive powers of the Federal Communications Commission to impose “local” control and ownership of radio stations and to impose the “fairness doctrine” on talk radio. The effect will be to drive talk radio to the Internet, fundamentally change its economics, and retard its growth for years hence.


But none of these changes will cure the depression. It will end when the private sector works through the high debt levels that triggered the collapse in the first place. And, then, the large stimulus package deficits will likely lead to rapid inflation, probably necessitating a second recession to cure it.


So Obama’s name will be mud by 2012 and probably by 2010 as well. And the Republican Party will make big gains and regain much of its lost power.


But it will be too late to reverse the socialism of much of the economy, the demographic change in the electorate, the rationing of healthcare by the government, the surge of unionization and the crippling of talk radio.



Morris, a former adviser to Sen. Trent Lott (R-Miss.) and President Bill Clinton, is the author of Outrage. To get all of Dick Morris’s and Eileen McGann’s columns for free by email, go to www.dickmorris.com. To order a signed copy of their new best-selling book, Fleeced, go to dickmorris.com.

It should be interesting to see how much of this turns out to be true.