Connecticut is High

I read an article today entitled "City Offers ID Cards to Illegal Immigrants" (link below), and I can't seem to wrap my brain around it...

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/19935856/

The City of New Haven, Connecticut is issuing "ID cards specifically designed to bring illegal immigrants out of the shadows..." No, not to round them up and have them deported for crossing our borders illegally, without authorization, for breaking the laws of our United States of America... but to "give them access to community services."

Huh?

The article indicates that nearly 10% of New Haven's population "are believed to be in the country illegally." So why are we handing them ID cards and welcoming them to utilize community services? Is a huge field of pot plants on fire somewhere in Connecticut and everyone's judgment has been altered into a state of 'hey man, who cares'...?

Now this is grand... "Ray Sanchez, a 36-year old laborer... said the card would also let him get a library card, use banks and learn English." That's great! I'm all for learning the language. Why should I have to speak Spanish when I visit Wal-Mart? Mr. Sanchez goes on to say, "For me, I feel better. If the police catch me, I have identification now." Uh... where are the police? What an easy catch for them all! Are they too busy eating donuts and sipping coffee to round up all the illegals gathered in one spot at one time? What a break this could be! The largest illegal immigrant round-up in history! They'd surely be recognized for years to come, given a parade even!

A protestor at City Hall held a sign that read: "You have cheated on those who have been waiting to enter the country legally." I'm with you, darlin'!

Reading further, the article says that "New Haven already offers federal tax help to immigrants and prohibits police from asking about their immigration status." Let's repeat that: "...and prohibits police from asking about their immigration status." That has got to be one of the most insane things I've ever heard. So the cops aren't busy eating donuts and sipping coffee - they're probably standing outside City Hall with clenched fists, wondering how the hell this ever happened and waiting oh so patiently for their shifts to end so they can go home and kick the cat.

Yep, there's definitely a field of pot on fire.

Another Dose of Reality

It's 1730. We've been running a few errands for work on the other side of base. Our last stop was the PX, where we picked up stuff we probably didn't need, including ice cream on a stick. We're joking, laughing, satisfied from the sweet, cool ice cream on a day that probably reached a high of 115 degrees (we rarely keep close track anymore).

We reach the intersection to the perimeter road. Humvees fly through the 3-way stop at full speed - QRF, headed toward the South Gate. About 30 seconds later, 2 medic choppers blast overhead, disappearing into the horizon over the southern fields.

We drove on in silence.

Contractors Back From Iraq Suffer Trauma From Battle

My mother sent me a news article link:

Contractors Back From Iraq Suffer Trauma From Battle
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/07/05/us/05contractors.html?ex=1184472000&en=0be90f31729caf27&ei=5070&emc=eta1

Is she trying to tell me something?

So here are some thoughts... I haven't been involved in anything dangerous - not personally. Yes, I've lost some friends to violence over here. Yes, I've seen some ugly things at the Combat Hospital. Am I at risk of suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder? I doubt it, but I'd like to think I'm bold enough and smart enough to realize if it hits and do something about it.

The article is interesting. It talks about how civilians' battle stress isn't taken as seriously or treated as vigorously as soldiers' battle stress. One could argue that civilians working in Iraq are better equipped financially (than our working-class-income soldiers) to handle it on their own. However, it might not be a bad idea for contract employers to conduct exit physicals and mental exams when employees depart. A huge money eater, I'm sure. But one day, I foresee a big can of worms opening up and spilling onto the table. And it won't just be Halliburton and KBR in the news - it'll be all of them.

Stranger at Pemaquid

I took this photo at Pemaquid Point, Maine, during my travels in late June. The woman is a complete stranger to me. I wonder what she's thinking...

"Did I remember to unplug the toaster this morning?"

"Did Johnny pull the clothes out of the dryer like I asked?"

"What should we have for dinner tonight?"

"What is the meaning of life?"

Spoonfed Americans

I read an article on an MSNBC WorldBlog today, and a streaming mess of crap that followed it...

http://worldblog.msnbc.msn.com/archive/2007/07/10/264350.aspx

Some of the comments were logical and intelligent - there were facts upon which they based their opinions and comments. But most were from my favorite group of people - spoonfed Americans, most of whom have no clue what's really going on in the world outside their white-picket-fenced backyard (and don't truly care either). They believe everything they see on television and a majority of them are 'Reality TV' junkies. Thinking outside the box is a foreign concept to them.

So here's my comment about pulling out of Iraq, the 'innocent' victims of the war, etc...

Sure, let's pull all of our troops and all of our contractors. We'll retreat to the borders of our bad-ass, world-dominating nation, complete with Starbucks and Cheesecake Factory. And then we'll all sit back in the evenings and watch human rights groups' video coverage of the latest and greatest dictator in Iraq, and his 2 inbred sons, one of which likes to feed his live prisoners to lions (just like the last dictator's son). And we'll sit on our porches with our families, drinking lemonade and waving to passing neighbors, and read about the mass graves discovered, all the bodies contained within them ironically bound, tortured, and shot in the head. And then we'll read more left-wing, bleeding heart crap about how we need to take our pampered, privileged, rich asses over there to help the poor, 'innocent' victims of oppression - help the people who are too oppressed to take up arms and protect themselves like Americans did back in the 1700s. And we'll laugh and say, "How about you go? And then send me a freakin' postcard!"

And maybe after seeing this stuff first-hand, digging a little deeper, those people will start eating with a fork and knife.

Arlington National Cemetery

Arlington National Cemetery is a beautifully sad place. I don't think I whispered a word or cracked a smile the whole time I was there. Except when I watched a robin rooting around in the ground for worms, and noticed a nest in the huge shade tree above me. In a place of death and grief, it was an interesting reminder that new life springs forth each year.

Many of the stones were singular and ignored, save for the daily grounds crews who maintain the surroundings to near perfection. In one segment, a lone bundle of yellow flowers stood out amongst the stark white headstones, one family who still remembers, still visits. Most of these stones are just stories now, if that.

People flocked to observe the changing of the guard and to see Kennedy's gravesite. I didn't. Instead, I wandered amongst the old stones and shade trees. It was better.

My Own Worst Enemy

One of my greatest character flaws is perfectionism. Although it can prove an asset at times in my work, it sometimes leads to failure. A prime example: School was fairly easy for me. However, if I was not completely satisfied with my performance on a paper or project, any tasking, I simply would not do it. Or I would find a way around it in order to avoid submitting what I believed was less than perfect. This tactic, obviously, was far from logical. One might assume that, after 28 years, I have learned to harness this characteristic and can now accept "good enough". Unfortunately, I remain my own worst enemy.

Not many outsiders know this about me. Only those closest to me - for instance, my parents, my bosses - know how hard I am on myself. I am lectured on a fairly regular basis about accepting "good enough". If it's good enough for everyone else, why can't it be good enough for me? Does this trickle over a fine line into arrogance? Do I really think I'm better than everyone else? Not necessarily. Admittedly, there is a touch of arrogance in my nature. But my mind plays tricks and I prefer to view it as an individual demand for excellence in all that I do, whether or not it's expected of me. If I cannot provide the best possible product, I feel as though I have failed - and then I am particularly hard on myself. In my mind, I am constantly berating my performance or work product. This certainly cannot be healthy. I am effectively depleting my self-worth on practically an hourly basis.

I recently received a performance evaluation. I was rated 9.22 out of 10. By all standards, this is excellent. And I believe that I perform at a level of excellence. However, another side of me believes I am not really worth 9.22. I set my own standards, of which many are not aware (perhaps even myself, consciously), and so I know that some of my work is not excellent. In comparison to others' work product, it may be outstanding. But oftentimes, it's just not good enough for me.

I wonder if people really can develop ulcers from self-induced stress. Or is that just a myth...?

Thoughts

Is it possible to care so much for someone that it actually hurts - makes you almost miserable? Is it easier to just go through life alone - not touching or taking or harming or hurting anyone else? Is the life of a recluse really so bad? Everyone has a path in life...

Nearly Half of Iraqis Marry Their Cousins...?

An excerpt from Parade (April 29, 2007):

"What the U.S. Missed in Iraq - A fact of life in Iraq has gotten little press here: Nearly half of all Iraqis marry their first or second cousins. The preferred union is for a daughter to wed the son of her father's brother. In fact, Saddam Hussein married his first cousin, Sajida. 'That's why the shrewdest forecasts about what would happen in Iraq come not from the foreign-policy experts but from sociologists,' says journalist John Tierney, who reported on this phenomenon. Back in 2003, those sociologists warned that Iraq would never be like post-war Japan or Germany, because Iraqis are loyal to their clans and tribes - not to the Iraqi nation. Even today, much of the violence runs along clan lines. The army and police have an uphill battle to prove they can protect Iraqi communities better than the local militias..."