Kevin Lee got married Saturday to the beautiful Lauren. She’s a sweet gal whose love for my son is something to behold. I know she will make him a happy man. Kevin, you done good!
Lauren and Kevin
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Author Archives: John McCrarey
On Marriage
You were born together,
and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings
of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
and together you shall be forevermore.
You shall be together when the white wings
of death scatter your days.
Aye, you shall be together even in the
silent memory of God.
But let there be spaces in your togetherness,
And let the winds of the heavens dance between you.
Love one another, but make not a bond of love.
Let it rather be a moving sea between
the shores of your souls.
Fill each other’s cup but drink not from one cup.
Give one another of your bread but eat not from the same loaf.
Sing and dance together and be joyous,
but let each of you be alone,
Even as the strings of a lute are alone
though they quiver with the same music.
Give your hearts, but not into each other’s keeping.
For only the hand of Life can contain your hearts.
And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other’s shadow.
And stand together, yet not too near together.
For the pillars of the temple stand apart,
And the oak tree and the cypress
grow not in each other’s shadow.
–Khalil Gibran
Wish I could be there. Live well, live long, be happy!
Yoja of the Week
Here comes the bride:
Honey, lets stay in and order Canadian food
Heh, how many times have you heard someone say that?
Anyway, Happy Canada Day!
Your tax dollars at work
Er, not so much…
“This week’s spending cut, developed by Phil Gingrey, addresses one of the perpetual roadblocks to American private-sector job creation and economic recovery: federal-employee unions,” Cantor announced. “There are many who collect generous salaries and benefits entirely paid for by taxpayers while simultaneously working for unions that spend a lot of money on political activities and lobbying. Taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize a union’s activities. Not only is this a bum deal for the American people, it also wastes well over $100 million a year and more than a $1 billion over the next decade. I encourage my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to vote for this fair and fiscally responsible proposal.”
Whiplash
The schizophrenic American left is always entertaining:
- It was wrong for George H.W. Bush to have left Saddam Hussein in power.
- Regime change of Iraq under Bill Clinton: Good!
- Regime change of Iraq under George W. Bush: Really, Really, Really Bad!
- It was wrong for George W. Bush to have removed Saddam Hussein from power.
- General Petraeus under George W. Bush’s command: General Betray-us.
- General Petraeus under Barack Obama’s command: help us Obi-Wan Petraeus, you’re our only hope!
And let’s flash back to good ol’ Harry Reid:
Liberal advocacy groups and senators at the time accused Petraeus of misrepresenting the success of the surge of nearly 40,000 troops. …
[Harry] Reid told CNN in April of 2007 he did not believe Petraeus’s claim that the surge was working in Iraq.
“I don’t believe him, because it’s not happening,” Reid said. “All you have to do is look at the facts.”
At a press conference a few months later, Reid said: “For someone, whether it’s Gen. Petraeus or anyone else, to say things are great in Baghdad isn’t in touch with what’s going on in Baghdad, even though he’s there and I’m not.”
Well Harry, someone is a fool but it ain’t the General…
Spy vs. Spy
Well the Russian spy scandal has certainly captured the imagination of the media and brought back memories of those long ago Cold War superpower struggles. Not to mention Rocky and Bullwinkle.
Still, I’ve got to say that the overall quality of the 21st century spies appears to be much improved.
1960s–Natasha Fatale
2010–Anna Chapman
You know, I’ve spied more than a few Russian women here in Itaewon. Although it is no secret what they are up to.
For a price.
Blast from the Past–Brother Greg
My younger brother, Gregory Lee. This was taken at the “Filthy Five”, five acres the family owned out in the middle of nowhere, near Perris, California. Probably taken around 1975 or so…
Things are getting a little hairy…
I will post something of substance here one day soon. But not today.
Lightning strikes twice
That’s the Trump Tower and Willis Tower in Chicago. When did the Sears Tower become the Willis anyway?
“Our nation honors her sons and daughters who answered the call to defend a country they never knew and a people they never met.”
It was 60 years ago today that the North Koreans invaded the Republic of Korea. Things got ugly fast, then with American-led UN intervention, they got better, and when China engaged they got bad again. Finally, things ended up in a stalement (aka armistice) pretty much where they began, except for the hundreds of thousand dead and utter destruction and devastation of both countries. That’s the short version of the war, a longer one can be found here.
Althought tensions have been running high on the peninsula of late, relative peace and tranquility reigns south of the 38th parallel. Not so much up North of course, but it is that comparison that is the truest indicator of who won the war. I doubt there are many citizens of the ROK who would willinging trade places with their DPRK brothers and sisters.
And so on this anniversary of that infamous day of invasion we should pause to honor all those who made the ultimate sacrafice that others may live thier lives in freedom and prosperity.
Yoja of the Week
In recognition of the 60th anniversary of the start of the Korean War, let’s look yojas in the military…
A salute to the ROK Marines…
Special Forces….
and the Air Force.
Thank you for your service!
Funny World Cup quote
From a Facebook friends post:
This World Cup is working out like WW2–France surrendered, the USA turned up late, and England is left to fight the Germans!
Blast from the Past: Hal H. Clinkenbeard
This is my mother’s father Hal Clinkenbeard. He spent most of his life in Memphis, Tennessee working for the Post Office Department. I met him on several occasions while growing up but I obviously did not know him well.
Honoring Walton H. Walker
Today I had the pleasure of attending the Honor Guard ceremony in remembrance of General Walton Walker, Eighth Army Commanding General during the opening months of the Korean War. He is sometimes referred to as “the savior of Korea” for his stout defense of the “Pusan Perimeter” in the summer of 1950. You can read all about the man and his exploits at the link.
U.S. and ROK soldiers on the parade ground.
Looking sharp in those dress uniforms…
The 8th Army band was in excellent form as well…
LTG Fil, 8th Army CG and Korean dignitaries perform the ritual of reviewing the troops.
Speeches were made and the flags of many nations fluttered in the breeze. Not implying any connection between those two events!
The U.S. Honor Guard Company soldiers marched past…
…followed by their ROK counterparts…
We moved across the street to 8th Army Headquarters where there was a fascinating exhibit of Korean War photos on display…
…and remembrances of the man being honored. What is interesting about those stars is they are the same ones the General Eisenhower pinned on LTG Patton during WWII (Walker served under Patton).
The Walton Walker statue waiting to be unveiled. And after a very nice speech from American Ambassador Stephens…
…General Walton appears in bronze. (I know it’s a crappy picture, but I couldn’t get closer with all the brass and muckety-mucks milling about…I’ll get a better photo one day soon…promise!)
A great day to be in Korea!
“It’s time America had a fat president…”
Well, this is certainly a sentiment I can whole-heartedly support.
For the record, I will not seek the nomination. If nominated, I will not run. If elected, I will not…him, if elected I done got me some idears I’d like to put in place before I got impeached. Although I have to rule from a beach in the Philippines…
Zero tolerance for zero tolerance
Crap like this makes me want to get a gun and…er, well, no it doesn’t but still….
Hat Tip: Classical Values
No Asians welcome…
Hat Tip: Legal Insurrection.
Blast from the Past–Walter Lee
In honor of Father’s Day, some snaps of my dad…
This is from Dad’s prospecting days. He’d drive the ol’ Bullfrog (Jeep) out into the desert and search for precious minerals. I do believe that would be a Geiger counter on his lap…
Back in those days his day job was managing a fast food joint called The Rite Spot. He also manned the grill and was a master at cooking and flipping dozens of burgers simultaneously. I guess he had to be because burgers were like a dime each or 12 for a dollar. Popular hangout for the local teenagers in Westminster, California until the McDonalds opened up directly across the street.
Dad also always enjoyed doing the yard work. If he couldn’t find the rake, he’d give a clean sweep with the push broom.
Evening relaxation was a beer, a smoke, and some Marty Robbins on the record player…
During the war Dad served in the merchant marine as a 16 year old and later enlisted in the Army…
And finally, here’s one of Dad (back row, 3rd from left) with his chums in Memphis, Tennessee…
Happy Father’s Day!
Arrogant and Incompetent
“Only the mediocre are always at their best.”
Of course, “it’s smarter to be lucky than it’s lucky to be smart.”
And then there’s this warning from Germany:
“If Barack Obama isn’t careful, he will become the Jimmy Carter of the 21st century.”
Meanwhile, on the world stage it’s amateur hour.
What is most interesting about the items linked above is that these are the sentiments of Obama supporters!
So once again I have to ask: who are the rubes now? (which is far more polite than “I told ya so!”, don’t you think?)