Morning Coffee! ;)

[wrbones]

Hang on to yer hats, boys and girls, ?cause were a gonna fly.

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyways? Coffee?s on and it?s good and it?s hot, too! Ya best grab a cup and get yerself some. Ya gotta have yer eyes open ?fore ya face the day. Paper?ll be along after a bit, I reckon. I got infinity dibs onna funny pages, too!

Well, I reckon I got me some rest this last month. At least I got distracted some. I got a chance to do some research and studyin? on some things! I like doin? that. Studyin? and learnin? about stuff. I like it so much that I often ferget to tell folks what I might?ve learned along the way. Knowledge learned and not shared is useless, though. Among some other things, I been studyin? me some American history the last month. It?s been real interestin?, too. I did spend a few days studyin? on prophecy and conspiracy theories and that sort of thing as well. Them can be real tricky if ya don?t know what to look for in ?em!

What? I know I?m back. What?s the big deal, anyways? It?s been near four years with ya a visitin? over coffee with me. If?n you ain?t learned how to visit with folks proper by now, they ain?t squat-diddly me nor anyone else can do for ya! What about Mornin? Coffee? Why, we?re a gonna kick ?er up to the next level is all. It?s time to start treatin? ya like yer all growed up, like it or not! I been holdin? back on ya ?cause ya don?t know as much as ya think ya do. Now it?s time to get to the next level. We?re a gonna tie everything together over the next couple years, the good Lord willin? and the crick don?t rise, that is. Metaphysics, mythological archetypes, philosophy, prophesy, politics, all of it. Hang on to yer hats, boys and girls, ?cause we?re a gonna fly.

There?s a lot of folks today who claim that they?re capital ?P? Patriots and Americans. Yet, them folks don?t know squat about squat about nuthin?. They claim that they only got the best in their hearts and minds fer others, but ya don?t see ?em sacrificin? nuthin?, or a doin? much their own selves to help other folks. There?s lot?s of folks a doin? a lot of talkin?, but nobody does nuthin?. ?The government oughta do somethin?,? they?ll say. ?The church oughta do somethin?.? They say ?We oughta get together and do somethin? about it,? whatever ?it? happens ta be that day. ?Start a group.? ?Start a political party.? ?Start an organization.? Y?all say that ya know. (If startin? an organization was all it took, most of the problems in the world woulda been resolved long before any of us was born.) Them folks like you don?t do nuthin? themselves, though. Lot?s of other folks know stuff, but they?re keepin? it all to themselves, and when they do talk about anything, they talk in riddles and parables and secret codes that only others like them can understand. Makes ?em feel real special, I imagine. Ain?t too many folks know what real devotion is. Ain?t too many folks know what the word ?duty? means. Ain?t too many folks knows what real joy is. Ain?t too many folks in America know about real pain and love and loss. Our society is a sick one, folks, and they ain?t no amount of paxil or viagra a gonna fix it for ya. Yer a gonna haveta rise up and act like real men and women of valor. It?s time and past time to act like men and women who know what morality and ethics and true spirituality is all about. True spirituality requires, and not only requires, but demands, action. Listenin? requires action. Learnin? requires action. Empty words and bad rhetoric are not action, folks. I thought I might oughta clue ya in on that one. Most of ya seem to have missed it.

If ya want peace in the world, true peace in the world begins in yer own heart, in yer own house, and in yer own neighborhood, and in yer own town. If you want action to be taken on the issues, it begins within yer own heart and soul and mind. Most of ya have the wrong definitions of the words and the terms that you use so freely, anyways. Freedom is interchanged for liberty. Liberty is interchanged to mean a lack of consequences and of personal responsibility. Honor and integrity are pretty much not known among ya. Ya think them words means that all ya have to worry about is takin? care of yerself and doin? what you want when ya wanta do it?the way ya want do it?and if?n it all goes wrong, it ain?t yer fault. Well, that?s the way ya think! All a feller?s gotta do is to listen to what yer a sayin?, and to see what little ya do to know that, don?t ya know.

It?s all gibberty-snabberty this mornin?, but they?s more a goin? on here than ya think they is. I spent an awful lot of time explainin? things to ya the last few years. From now on out, yer just a gonna haveta keep up.

How?s metaphysics and true spirituality fit in? Why, we?re a gonna talk about that one of these days pretty quick, I?d reckon. It has to do with the power that you have, as an individual, to change the world. Things inna world is set up more certain than a cesium clock, but there?s some things where ya can have an impact. The rest of ?er? Why, we?ll get there sooner or late! Fer now, though, it?s time to warm up yer coffee and get yer head wrapped around yer day ?fore ya head out.

It?s a new day, folks. It?s a new chance to get ?er all sorted out. We?ve got another opportunity to get ?er right. I?d figger on takin? advantage of ?er if?n I were you.


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

If'n ya don't want coffee inna mornin', just say "Please."


Warren "Bones" Bonesteel
Sgt USMC 1976-1983
Author and E-zine columnist
"Morning Coffee"
P. O. Box 1413
Rapid City,SD 57709
(605) 388-3005
wrbones@rap.midco.net
http://morningcoffee.net/index.php

"The virtues of men are of more consequence to society
than their abilities, and for this reason, the heart
should be cultivated with more assiduity than
the head." -Noah Webster
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Give me a platform from which to speak,
and I will change the world.They'll kill me!
But I'll change the world. It'll be some kinda
fun, I'm a tellin' ya!
-Bones

[catman]

Bones...nice to have you back! Take care brother!

Trav

[wrbones]

Thanks, bro. It's good to be back. I put in fer a month's "leave," and I took every bit of it, too! heheheheh

[wrbones]

The ?party line?

The ?party line?
The ?party line?

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyways? Coffee?s on, and it ain?t too awful bad this mornin?, either. Ya best grab a cup and get yerself some. ?Feller?s gotta get his eyes open some ?fore he faces the day, ya know. Paper?ll be along after a bit, I?d reckon. You can have at them funny pages?right as soon as I get done with ?em!

I?ve been visitin? with a whole slew of different kinds a folks. Some of you idjits?well, I ain?t too sure how I?m ever gonna get through to ya. I reckon I?ll just say what I gotta say and to heck with ya. Take that prophecy stuff fer example. Some folks figger the only kinda prophecy there is, is from the Book. Others think it?s all over and done with. ?No need fer it anymore,? they?ll say. Them kinda folks don?t figger on other kinds a prophecy in any case. There is the bad kind out there. Divination and such-like. Then there?s the folks that think that whatever prophecy they done heard only means one thing. It means the other feller has got to straighten up and fly right, and it gots nuthin? whatever to do with them a doin? nuthin? wrong. They ain?t no other interpretation of it to folks like that. After all, they?re Christians, so it can?t apply to them none. That means they all end up at odds over it, instead of doin? some comparison shoppin? so to speak.

Lemme give ya an example. I seen three different kinds a prophecies lately about the end times as it?s known inna Book. The one, when ya lookit it like yer a little kid, don?t rightly match the others. When ya look it all over like yer an adult, and can think fer yerself, they all compliment one another. They don?t conflict in any way, shape, or form?unless yer tryin? to make it all fit the other feller, and ya think that what you heard first is the right one and the only one. That means ya think the other one?s is wrong, don?t ya know. Now Regner Capner had some interestin? things to say about the number of man, 666, fer example. He figgers that it has to do with metaphors fer the way men think and do stuff, instead of bein? Godly in their thinkin? and doin?. I?d reckon he?s right. Thing is, it don?t mean the other fellers is wrong in their thinkin? on that topic. A lot of folks figger that we?re lookin? at havin? a real and physical mark in our hands or in our forehead, ya know. Then there?s that whole spiritual ?third eye? thing a goin? on with it. The outcome of that little prophecy could have a very real and physical outcome, in addition to the metaphors that were used to point out that men inna church is just like men inna world. Means if yer a church-goer and yer actin? just like the rest of the world, yer probably not a doin? it right.

It has to do with our perceptions of things. We get closed minded about some things, and we quit thinkin? fer ourselves.

Another example of that is where a lot of protestant folks figger that the Catholic church is the harlot described inna book of the Apocalypse. They don?t think that the warnin? inna Book is also talkin? about them, too, ya see.

The way you people think sometimes makes me seriously wonder about ya, ya know that, don?t ya? Yeah, yeah, yeah. I could talk all about names and places, but I?m talkin? about me and you, here, so get off it already.

Yer actually soundin? quite a bit like some of them left wing extremists a lot of ya holler about. The rules apply to the other feller?but you don?t apply ?em to yerself any. When the Book says to examine yerself, that?s the sort of thing it?s talkin? about.

I?ll give ya clue about true prophets and true apostles inna Book. Most of ?em won?t be runnin? around in real fancy clothes and drivin? real fancy cars, and they won?t be livin? in real fancy houses. They?re the ones you?ll be lookin? down on and talkin? mean about. They?re the ones you been a chasin? out of yer churches and yer denominations fer not stickin? to the party line. The ?party line? bein? that you don?t think yer doin? nuthin? wrong and if yer always right, that just means that everyone else is goin? to hell.

Just somethin? to think about this mornin? is all. It?s time to warm up yer coffee and get yer head wrapped around yer day. Warm up yer coffee folks, and consider?

It?s a new day. We?ve got another chance to get ?er right. We?ve got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyways? Coffee?s on, and it ain?t too awful bad this mornin?, either. Ya best grab a cup and get yerself some! Paper?ll be along directly, I reckon. I always gots first dibs onna funny pages!

I don?t rightly know what to visit over this mornin?. I do know that I?ve used everything in my bag of tricks a visitin? with you folks over the last few years. They ain?t nuthin? left inna bag ?ceptin? more of the same. I don?t have nuthin? new to bring to the table, so to speak. There?s a hundred thousand other folks out there asayin? things their way. Everyone is readin? and a listenin? to them. They?re the one?s a gettin? all the attention, and all the money. Accordin? to some, that?d mean I?m a doin? somethin? wrong somewhere. Accordin? to me, I ain?t out to entertain ya. I?m out to get ya to think some. Politicians ain?t a listenin? to me. You educated folks ain?t a listenin? any. Preachers ain?t a listenin? to me. ?and most of you don?t change up any to speak of. You just like to be entertained. Thinkin? doesn?t seem to be in yer world view any. I?ve spent years tryin? to figger that out. I?ve spent years a tryin? to get ya to think, too.

What I have noticed is that all y?all want other folks to be just like you. Thing is, when folks is just like you, you ignore ?em and reject ?em. When they just try to be themselves, you ignore ?em and reject ?em anyways. It?s only when they entertain ya that ya listen to anything. That?s why ya see churches a puttin? on them floor shows anymore. That?s why ya see alla them charitable outfit?s a puttin? on about makin? ya feel good, or a makin? ya feel guilty. You won?t do what?s right fer anything near the right reason, ya see. All ya want is to be entertained. All ya want is drama and comedy and excitement, and all ya want is more of the same. All ya want is anything at all that means ya don?t have to think or to face up to reality. A lot of ya, yer so bored with life that you go after gettin? other folks all upset just fer yer own entertainment. There just ain?t much good left in ya to appeal to, really, truth be told. Not a one of ya. The one?s of ya out there a doin? any real good inna world, well, most of ya is all about doin? it fer all the wrong reasons. Ya do it so ya can brag, if ya don?t get nuthin? else out of it. Ya ain?t doin? it to help other folks none. Yer doin? it fer yerself, ya see.

Ya see, what most of ya is missin? is this: You think they ain?t no consequences to yer words and yer deeds. Yer attitude is what?s wrong most the time. There ain?t no heart in it. If yer heart ain?t right, they ain?t nuthin? ya do that?s meaningful, and the folks yer a tryin? to help will see it, or they?ll hear it from yer own mouths. All ya done is to make things worse then ya see. The most popular shows on TV right now is about killin? people. The more awful, strange, and bloody ways they die, the better, it seems. In Europe and Asia, it?s about lust and sex. Other shows are either about money and greed, or about pure escapism. You want the alla same things in yer social and political commentary, too. Hollywood and the MSM didn?t do it to ya. That?s a pure capitalist enterprise there. They wouldn?t be able to sell it if you weren?t buyin? it, don?t ya know. Eighty per cent of ya claim to believe in God, but folks likes that makes billons of dollars every year off a ya ?cause yer buyin? what they?re sellin?. Ain?t no reflection on them at all. It?s a reflection on you, is what it is. They wouldn?t sell it if you weren?t buyin? it.

What?s happened ya see, is that you?ve forgotten yer mythologies. You?ve forgotten yer history. You don?t have a past anymore. You don?t have a reality. The only thing you got left is make believe.

Mebbe that?s where I?ll go with alla this over the next little bit. Mebbe I?ll have one more go at ?er, and try to give ya back yer past. Yer history. Yer truth as a people, as a nation, and as an individual. I know that yer missin? somethin? somewhere, and right now, that?s the only thing that I can think of. Society seems to be kinda stuck right now, and sometimes in order to go forward, ya gotta go in reverse first.

It?s time to warm up yer coffee, folks. It?s a new day. We?ve got another chance to get ?r right. We?ve got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it.

[wrbones]

Myself, I?d rather be trustworthy.

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyways? Coffee?s on and it ain?t too awful bad this mornin?. Ya might wanta get a cup and get yer eyes open some. You look like you could use it? Paper?ll be along after a bit! I got dibs onna funny pages, too.

Well, I got myself all involved with emailin? folks yesterday. I had about a can full of them folks prosecutin? Marines fer killin? the enemy in a combat zone. Major General Mattis? He?s the kinda feller that if I saw him headed somewhere with a snowball, I?d tag along just to see what he was up to. It?d be sure to be some kinda fun; I?m a tellin? ya! ?Sides. He makes sure the Marines in his outfit gots air-conditionin? when they get back from a patrol! When it?s a hundred and ten outside, ya can?t beat that with a stick.

?Let?s see?where?d that go? There it is! http://www.thefreelibrary.com/ You oughta check that out. I started readin? War and Peace last night. Well, I haven?t read it since I was a kid! That Tolstoy feller?s a genius?fer bein? a dead guy and all, that is. There?s all kinds a books online you can read there. I might read the Wizard of Oz next? I don?t figger Jane Austen is my kinda writin?, though. Joyce and Conrad?ll be pretty good, though.

I didn?t get a chance to read up on my history yesterday. I let myself get busy with other things. I was readin? about folks in the great state of New York, before it was a state. Some of them folks were just amazing?, is the only word that?ll say it right. Onna one hand, a person feels sorry fer ?em. Onna other, ya just sit back in yer chair, and all ya can do is to shake yer head. New York was not a friendly place to be fer quite awhile there, and most of what we know as our American heritage actually began there. The first time the flag was called ?Old Glory? was in New York. The pivotal battle of the Revolutionary War was fought there. A couple of times, near all of the settlers in upstate New York was near wiped out by the French and Indian War and The Revolutionary War. Folks often died a bit younger in any case. Medicine, when it was available, wasn?t what it is now, ya see. Most everything was done with hand tools to begin with. Some of them folks was so poor that they?well, the one example, after they?d been in the one place fer a couple years? Two fellers had fields to plow. One borrowed a plow horse, another borrowed an ox, and they both borrowed the tack and plow to plow the fields with?then they helped each other to get ?er done.

Our reality as Americans started there, I figger. With hard work, honesty, and a little bit of luck, dreams could be accomplished in less than a generation. Not havin? any prospects or a penny to his name, a man could become wealthy with those three things goin? for him. Just some hard work, a little honesty, and dreams could become reality. Pioneers, individualists, and neighbors helpin? neighbors. Our American character was sealed there in that state. Folks in one county adopted their own declaration of Independence there. About a year later, many of its precepts were used in The Declaration of Independence fer the thirteen colonies.

When they fought, they knew they were fighting for their life and death survival, for the survival of their neighbors, and the survival of their children and grandchildren. They were fightin? for their dream, a dream of freedom, prosperity, and a freedom to worship God as they pleased?even if they didn?t like the Episcopalians. ?Long as ya worshipped God, they didn?t care.

People weren?t ever prosecuted for killin? the enemy in a combat zone, either. Life was a rough deal, ya see. War was, and is, even rougher. Every one of ?em knew that. That?s somethin? that we?ve all forgotten about, ?cept for those of us who?ve been there and done that. In a war, it?s kill or be killed. It?s that simple. Too simple for our complicated world, perhaps. Life and death survival simplifies things fer a feller. I don?t know if you know that or not. The choices become: on/off. Yes/no. Live/die. Very simple. Very simple, indeed. Morality and ethics become a very important part of that simplicity. If you can?t trust the man next to ya, or the man who?s commandin? ya in those situations, you can?t trust him at all. Myself, I?d rather be trustworthy. There's a time to die for all of us. Until then, it's time to live.

Warm up yer coffee, folks. It?s a new day. We?ve got another chance to get it right. We?ve got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it.
_________________

[wrbones]

Life Is: Number?uh?


?uh?what number are we up to now anyways?


?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyways? Coffee?s on! Ya best grab a cup and get yerself some. Ya gots ta have yer eyes open ?fore ya head out the door inna mornin?. Ya know that, don?t ya? Paper?ll belong inna bit. I gots first dibs onna funny pages, too!

Well, it looks like I got myself a case of the flu. I would tell ya all about it, but there?s a couple-three of ya would just make fun of me? Ann tells me that she has a sure cure, too! It starts with fruit and vegetables?and includes lots of good booze. Years ago I used to use that cure as a health care preventative measure. Ya take that cure inna mornin? and all yer good for fer the rest of the day is sittin? onna beach and watchin? the waves roll in. God help the folks that interrupt ya, too! Once in awhile that?s alright, but as a part of yer daily regimen, it don?t let ya get much a nuthin? done, I?m here ta tell ya! ??Course, I never got sick much back then, either? I got sunburned a lot, but I never got sick!

I got one of those emails the other day. You know. The one with the picture of a rose in it that has a sugary sweet sayin? in it? It tells ya if ya share it with all yer friends within an hour of gettin? it, you?ll get all sorts of money and other blessings? Yeah, that one! Anyway, by the time I checked my email that day, it was six hours too late?mebbe that?s why I got the flu? I seem to get a lot of those kinds of emails now and then. I don?t like ?em much. Here lately, I?ve been gettin? a lot of emails about how some poor dyin? soul in the Arab Emirates or somewhere wants to give me ten million dollars. I delete those too. I figger if they can find my email addy, they can find my snail mail addy and just send me the money if they were serious about it. If they were really serious, I?d be about half a billion dollars richer this week. Then I get the ones that are all about how Armageddon is right around the corner; and truth to tell things are pretty bad inna world. It could all go to hell inna heartbeat, truth be told. (The Cold War ain?t got nuthin? on what?s goin? on inna world right now, and that?s a fact.) What all them emails and folks have in common is melodrama.

What I?d like to see is a few more emails comin? into my inbox that just tell the simple truth. I can add things up pretty well my ownself. I don?t need alla the drama that some folks like livin? with. They like melodrama more than just livin? the reality that Life Is. See, there?s enough real-life drama that surrounds us that we don?t need no one a tryin? to turn it all into melodrama for us. Sugary sweet emails is melodrama. ?The world?s a gonna end tomorrow? is melodrama. (It might could, but that?s one drama that?s real. It don?t need any spin put on it to speak of.) ?I?m a rich and dyin? multi-millionaire Christian without any heirs? is melodrama. ?Keep her satisfied all night.? is melodrama. I get those emails, too.


I read those emails with a wry senses of humor, though. Someone keeps puttin? my addy on those sites just fer fun and games, I figger. That?s melodrama, too, by the way. I can hear ?em now: ?Wait?ll Bones gets this one!? On the other hand, all that kinda stuff reveals somethin? about us as a people. Too many folks been a takin? that ?health cure? I was talkin? about earlier, and all that can possibly get through to ?em is the sorriest sort of melodrama. Mentally, ya see?all that they do is to sit onna beach and watch the waves roll in?day after day after day. After awhile, nuthin?, but I mean nuthin?, gets through to ?em. Not even a sunburn?

And if ya disturb ?em any? All yer a gonna hear is pure negativity. Pure melodrama? Sittin? onna real or a metaphorical beach and kickin? back once in awhile is a real nice thing to do now and then, but as a regular habit, it won?t get much a nuthin? done. There?s times ya just gotta get up and do what needs done, no matter how sick to yer stomach it makes ya. A man does what needs doin?, no matter how much it upsets him, no matter how melodramatic the other feller wants to be about it, a man does what needs doin?.

Life ain?t a beach, folks. This is the real deal. I figger a feller just as well get used to the idea and go with that. Things get a whole lot easier to figger out that a way.

Tomorrow, mebbe we?ll talk about this a bit more. I can tie this in with bein? the hero in yer own mythology, if?n I wanta. Hopefully, that mythology don?t have a dose of the flu in it for ya?(talk about yer melodramas?)

What? Oh. Why melodrama taken to the extreme is satire. We end up living in a world where we are become a mockery of what we could be. If we only understood that Life Is, and then faced reality, we could change that.

Well, I don?t reckon I got ?er said the way I wanted, but we both gots things ta do this mornin?. Warm up yer coffee, folks! It?s a new day! We?ve got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out. We?ve got another chance to get ?er right. Make sure ya take advantage of it, will ya?

[wrbones]

Never interrupt Marines who're playin' pinochle...

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyways? Coffee?s on, and it ain?t too bad. Ya best grab yerself a cup and get ya some! If yer eyes ain?t open when ya go out the door, Lord only knows what yer a gonna miss. Paper?ll be along after a bit, I reckon. I gots first dibs onna funny pages, too!

Well, I run across a perfect example of what I was a talkin? about yesterday with alla melodrama. It was bad enough that I had to be a little melodramatic my ownself, don?t ya know. Well, I got myself onna list where I get emailed news items about stuff that I?m interested in? One of ?em has ta do with the United States Marine Corps. One of the news items yesterday was an opinion piece where Marines was compared to Nazi troops in World War Two. Being an active duty Marine some years ago, that got my attention. I got the contact information from the Website, and I sent it to everyone in my addy book. Then I emailed my thoughts onna matter to the newspaper publisher, editor, and what all.

Feller was a usin? melodrama to tell folks a lie about matters. I used melodrama to get at the truth. I hadda calm down some after the first draft of the letter I wrote. I was cussin? like only a Marine Corps NCO can cuss? Folks hadn?t oughta tempt me like that, ya know. Ya never heard an experienced Marine Corps NCO cuss, ya don?t know what true cussin? is, and that?s a fact. They?ll never use the same word twice, and they?ll cuss steady fer ten minutes?and that?s just to get warmed up some. Mostly, they?re just takin? time to consider things and to re-think their strategy over a situation? Now certain skill-sets like that aside, there?s some things ya needa know about Marines. They?re legends and myths walkin?, talkin?, and livin? amongst ya.

A couple of years ago, the Marine Corps was only budgeted fer a hundred and seventy-two thousand active duty Marines. Every one of those Marines is the best in the world at what they do. Bar none. Period. End of story. That means that you can look in all of those ivory towers, political arenas, computer technology, business meetin?s, managers, leaders and what not, and there isn?t anyone who?s better than a Marine at those jobs. You can look in every military force in the world, and then talk about whichever armed force there has ever been, and the Marine Corps is better than they are. Period. Honor? United States Marines takes the blue ribbon. Pick a quality of character. Go on. Pick one! The Marine Corps will have the best in the world in whichever one you choose. Dedication? Commitment? Cold courage and controlled fury in the face of skilled enemy combatants? The United States Marine Corps. Patriots the likes of which haven?t been seen since 1776? The United States Marines. That?s where to look. There are more than six billion people on the planet right now?and a mere one hundred and seventy-two thousand Marines are the best of all-them. Currently, the United States Marine Corps has the most intelligent, best educated, and the best trained Marines that it has ever had the honor to present to the world.

Those men and women are nothing like the troops that Nazi Germany caused so much trouble with in the last century. For one thing, when polled some years ago, one question on the poll was the willin?ness of the Marines to fire on American citizens if they had to. To a man, the answer was a resounding ?No.? The same cannot be said of our compatriots in the other branches of the service in this great nation. Germany?s WWII Nazi troops didn?t say no about killin? their fellow citizens, ya see. To the average Marine, life is precious, and the lives of their fellow Americans are holy to them.

While other militaries around the world rely upon conscription to keep their military forces manned, and still others fail regularly in their recruitment goals, the Marine Corps remains steady in attaining its goals, and it constantly attract the best that this nation has to offer. The very best and brightest people, of the greatest nation that this world has ever seen, are in the United States Marine Corps.

We don?t write too many histories. We don?t just make history, either. We change it. In the last century, three of the five most important developments in military strategy and tactics in the history of the world were developed by the Marine Corps. One of those was developed during the 1920?s and early nineteen thirties. The United States didn?t listen to it?s own Marines. The Germans studied what Marines had done, and used the same development when it started WWII. With the use of that development, they took over all of Europe in a matter of months. Combat air support, and hit hard, hit fast, kick the door down tactics. We also developed the use of air power as a method of transferrin? the wounded to the rear for quicker medical care. Special forces? Where do ya think everyone else got the idea? One man who was always in the area when these things were developed was called Lieutenant General ?Chesty? Puller. A Marine so good at what he did that he is a legend among legends. He was the premier battlefield tactician among the best in the world at battlefield tactics. The battles that he fought are still bein? studied by armed forces around the world. They will be for centuries to come, too. He was a man who took joy in being the best. A man who was so good at what he did, that he was always given the worst and the toughest assignments. He took those nasty jobs of war, in a business that is never nice, neat or clean, and he accomplished what few others across history could have ever done. He was also a man who did his best to take care of his Marines, and when he was in the field, he lived as they did. His men always ate before he did, too. They got rewarded first.

Many mistakenly say that Marines are brainwashed, heartless, killers. Not so. As a part of the promotion process, we are trained in the issues of the day. From the lowest rankin? Private to the highest levels of command, we know exactly what is goin? on in the world, and we know exactly why we have to be there. Our trainin? in Marine Corps Recruit Depots includes hours upon hours in classrooms, where we learn about history, politics, strategy, tactics, and many other pursuits. Some have said that such classroom work in ?boot camp? is the equivalent of an associate?s degree. That?s why it takes thirteen weeks. That education continues throughout a Marine?s career. Most Marines could easily teach a full time class on health or physical education, for example. Most Marines are better housekeepers than your average housewife. Most Marines will know how to take care of a wardrobe better than the best of designers and tailors. One thing learned by Marines is to never give up. We learn to work together as team, and to always get up, no matter what. That?s what makes Marines so tough, you see. We never give up.

When we do have to kill in defense of freedom and of liberty, it tears at our hearts. We are good at it, and we take no small amount of joy at being good at what we do, but to see what we so often see in the course of our work, is not fun and games. In almost every battle that we?ve ever fought, we kill our enemies at a ten to one ratio?or higher. That?s not because we?re brainwashed killers. It?s because were smart, educated, and well-trained. Very well trained.

One thing more. Marines believe with their heart and soul in freedom and liberty. Men and women who so believe in freedom and liberty are not Nazis. Nazis have no concern for the freedom of others. Marines believe in the Constitution of the United Sates as it is written. Nazis could care less about what that document really says. A Marine will give you the shirt off his back if you need it, but don?t you dare call him a socialist or a communist. A Marine shares willingly, if the need is real. Socialists and communists, and Nazis, take what is not theirs and gives it to others, whether there is real need or not...

To compare Marines to Nazis is to lie. But if a Marine calls you a SOB, chances are, it?s true.

One thing more. Never, but never interrupt Marines who are playing pinochle. It?s a strategy card game, and they take such things very seriously. If you interrupt them in the middle of a game, it?s only going to irritate them?

As Marines, we say ?Once a Marine, Always a Marine.? It means more than when some people call themselves Americans, and who call other Americans Nazis. We are always faithful, you see. Some who call themselves Americans?aren?t. Marines understand honor. Many Americans do not.

Warm up yer coffee, folks. It?s a new day. We?ve got another chance to get it right. We?ve got another opportunity to get it all sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it, will ya?

[wrbones]

Cause and Effect

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin? anyways? Coffee?s on, and it?s so good that it?ll send shivers down yer spine! ?or mebbe that?s just ?cause I made it so strong this mornin?. I ain?t too sure yet. Anyways, ya best grab a cup and get yer eyes open some! Paper?ll be along directly, I imagine. I gots first dibs onna funny pages!

Let?s see?cause and effect?cause and effect? I was discussin? somethin? along those lines with someone yesterday. That discussion hadda do with the God of the Bible. Some folks don?t believe, but I done tested Him out some years ago, and I know that what all happened was a matter of cause and effect. I tested the Ol? Boy, ya see. Just like He said to do inna Book. Then I did it again and again and again?just to make sure things wasn?t all a happenin? just by accident. After three-four times, yer a lookin? at the prospect of mathematical improbability, ya know that, don?t ya? After several dozen times over a period of years, there ain?t enough stars inna heavens to count the impossibility of things happenin? ?just because.? After awhile, the laws of probability don?t prove God ain?t real no more. Some folks come up with all kinds a reasons not to believe. Most of the reasons they come up with ain?t inna Bible, no way, no how. They try to use the Bible to come with reasons not to believe, but what they use ain?t inna Bible. I haven?t figgered that one out. Some folks is just crazy, I reckon. I just can?t find any reasons not to believe that make any sense.

What? Oh. You just gotta ferget what most ?them preachers and denominations and such say, and read the thing fer yerself is all. Then ya lookit the Boss and say, ?God, if yer the God of the Bible, you?ll prove yerself to me. It says right here?? ?Course, about then ya want pay real close attention and make sure to pull yer hat down around yer ears real tight, ?cause yer a gonna go fer a ride! Talk about gettin? yer world-views rearranged?


Anyway, I kinda brought that up ?cause a what a lot of folks say about God and Jesus bein? all about bein? peaceable alla time and not fightin? any. Well, the Book says don?t go a lookin? fer trouble or a causin? any, is what it comes down to. It don?t say to just sit on yer butt and just ?take it? when ever someone?s a dishin? it out fer no reason at all. The thing is, is to know when to sit back and take a whippin?, and to know when it?s time to fight back. There?s a time to know when to let the Boss handle things, and there?s a time to know when the Boss wants ya to stand up fer yerself. Ya see?to desire peace is not to desire peace at any price. Ya start livin? and a thinkin? that a way, yer never gonna have any peace at all. You can pray fer peace all ya like, too. Sometimes, though, when the Boss says to get up and fight, ya best get up and fight!

Ya startin in with payin? folks to leave ya alone, the next thing ya know, ya got ?em beatin? on yer door alla time a wantin? more from ya, ?til ya got nuthin? left to give ?em. You will end up inna fight along about then. Ya see, folks who want things will always want more. Folks who desire things will always want more. More, and lots of it, is never enough fer folks like that. That sort of ?peace at any price? thinkin? is called payin? the extortionist. Sooner or later, the extortionist thinks that he deserves what ya been a payin? him all along, and when ya tell him enough?s enough, he?ll get violent with ya. With folks that need stuff, ya oughta give ?til it hurts. With folks that want stuff, ya might tell ?em to go somewhere else. If they get violent with ya, ya send ?em on their way. Hell ain?t too far a destination to send ?em to, either.

There?s a time to turn the other cheek. There?s also a time to stand up fer yerself and for what ya believe. If ya don?t, after awhile, there won?t be anyone left to stand up. The extortionist will take it all, and then he?ll take yer life for good measure.

In perpetual appeasement of the enemies of God, you won?t have proven a thing. The enemy of God doesn?t care if you turn the other cheek. He likes ya when yer bein? sheep, instead of bein? Lions of the Tribe of Judah.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It?s a new day! We?ve got another chance to get ?er right! We?ve got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it, will ya?

[wrbones]

Good will always triumph.

?Mornin? folks! How the hell are ya this mornin?, anyways? Coffee?s on, and is it good this mornin?, too. Ya best grab a cup and get yerself some. If ya don?t got yer eyes open ?fore ya head out, God only knows what you?ll get yerself into! Paper?ll be along after a bit, I reckon. I got first dibs onna funny pages, too!

I didn?t really have nothin? visit over this mornin?. I reckon I gotta lookit my list and see what I got there, don?t I? A feller named Regner Capner?s been postin? some pretty good stuff on the Morning Coffee Website lately. If yer into theology, it?s some good stuff to get ya to thinkin?, even if?n ya don?t always agree with him on it. I know a little bit about alla that, and he ain?t too far off.

Let?s see?who?s replacin? the Pope when it?s time fer him to check out? Well, some end times prophecy folks figger he?s the next to the next to the last Pope before Jesus comes back! It might be a good thing to know. ?Course, accordin? to those prophecies, the next feller won?t last long, and the one after that?s supposed to get tortured and killed. Let?s see? Lemuria? Oh. That?s a place like Atlantis. Folks know it existed but they can?t prove it. ?Tsunamis?has anyone seen a topographical map of the United States? I gotta lookit one again, myself. Just to make sure, don?t ya know. Does anyone know who owns them seven hills in Rome? No. I don?t wanta buy any property there! I?m just curious? Already did that one. Oops?that page is blank.

There we go! That?ll work, too.

I?m just a gonna keep this one short, and give ya somethin? to think abut all day long. How?s that? Here we go, then.

Mankind?s entire existence has been defined by a struggle ?tween good and evil. To ferget about that?to dismiss it, is to dismiss the entire history of the human race, whether yer an agnostic, a secular humanist or a Christian.

To ignore that is to dismiss the battle between good and evil that rages daily in the hearts and minds of all of us. (I?m a talkin? about you, too, ya know.)

To dismiss that battle is to let evil defeat good, for evil never rests, and it never grows weary. Good men grow weary in the battle against evil, but when good men stand for what is good and just and true in this world, good will always triumph.

Warm up yer coffee, folks! It?s a new day. We?ve got another chance to get ?er right. We?ve got another opportunity to get ?er all sorted out. Make sure ya take advantage of it.