January 2007

Yesterday (Jan 27, 2007) Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) attended the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland to take part in a discussion on “The Future of the Middle East.” Senator Kerry shared the stage with the former President of Iran, Mohammad Khatami.

According to CBS News:

Senator John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) was asked about whether the U.S. government had failed to adequately engage Iran’s government before the election of hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005.

Kerry said the Bush administration has failed in addressing a number of foreign policy issues.

“When we walk away from global warming, Kyoto, when we are irresponsibly slow in moving toward AIDS in Africa, when we don’t advance and live up to our own rhetoric and standards, we set a terrible message of duplicity and hypocrisy,” Kerry said.

“So we have a crisis of confidence in the Middle East…” in the world, really. I’ve never seen our country as isolated, as much as a sort of international pariah for a number of reasons as it is today.”

An “international pariah”–harsh words from the man who, like Al Gore, has become somewhat of a pariah among his own democratic colleagues. This is typical sentiment from a socialist who wants nothing more than the United States to sacrifice itself for the sins of the world. I find it very interesting that he seems so concerned about the current isolation of our country, when speeches such as this widen the division and further isolate the United States.

Kerry also criticized what he called the “unfortunate habit” of Americans to see the world “exclusively through an American lens.” Of course we do…we’re Americans! As Americans we must first focus on protecting our own National Interest before satisfying our altruistic desire to give aid and comfort to those in need (which would be our enemies, if Kerry had his way).

Not only is Kerry slamming the United States in a foreign country, but he’s doing it in front of Khatami, who Hot Air reminds us is

“…the former CEO of one of the world’s foremost terrorist states, which as we speak is working on building nuclear weapons, bankrolling Hezbollah’s efforts to foment civil war in Lebanon and Hamas’ exterminationist jihad against Israel, and supplying Shiite militias with IEDs to kill American soldiers in Iraq. Whose current leadership, lest we forget, Kerry has previously signaled a desire to meet with.”

I can’t believe anyone would take this guy seriously! He’s nothing more than a pompous, whining America-hater, whose failed presidential bid defined his legacy as one of this country’s biggest losers!

Senator Kerry: When are you going to start defending America, instead of waging war against her? After all, you are one of the peoples’ elected officials. When will you start looking after their (our) interest instead of your own and those of our enemies?

The residents of Minnesota’s 5th district recently elected the first Muslim to Congress. Keith Ellison (D-Minn), a defense attorney, won on a platform of anti-war and tolerance. He campaigned heavily against the war in Iraq and has put environmental and health care issues at the top of his list of priorities. Is he on the level? You’ve got to be kidding! I believe he may very well be a wolf in sheep’s clothing. I find it curious that he was associated with the Nation of Islam (an anti-semitic organization led by Louis Farrakhan) and received financing from the Council on American-Islamic Relations (an organization with suspected ties to Hamas). A Muslim in American government is dangerous because of the requirements of the Islamic faith. The Muslim does not recognize and has no loyalty to any non-Islamic government. Remember that!

Almost immediately after 9-11-01 prominent Americans, our president included, assured the world that the United States respects Islam and recognizes that it is a religion of peace, tolerance and forgiveness. The despicable act of war against our country was perpetrated by radical Islamic extremists who use Islam to achieve their political agenda. If you believe that, you’re kidding yourself!

The Muslims who attacked this country on 9-11 are actually fighting a religious war! This has nothing to do with politics or a political agenda. These men are practicing Islam exactly as Muhammad commanded. It is the misguided people who believe Islam is a religion of peace who need to wake up!

Before I really get into this, lets get a couple of things straight. The word “Islam” means submission. The word “Muslim” means one who submits to Allah. The “Quran” is Islam’s holy book and is divided into 114 chapters called “Surahs.” The Quran was written by Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, in the early seventh century. The word “jihad” means struggle and in a practical sense it is “holy war” or “religious terrorism.”

In his book, Islam and Terrorism, Mark Gabriel tells us that there are three kinds of Muslims:

• The secular Muslim believes in the nice parts of Islam, but he rejects the call to jihad.
• The traditional Muslim comes in two types:
  • First are those who study Islam, know it and practice it, but have a stumbling block with the concept of jihad
  • Second are those who know that jihad is fighting non-Muslims, but they don’t take action because they don’t have the ability, are concerned about what might happen to their lives, family or children if they join a fundamentalist group or they want to live a nice life on earth instead of dying
• The fundamentalist Muslim are those who perpetuate terrorism and their goal is to practice Islam as Muhammad did. We call them radicals, they are practicing true Islam!

Islam is a religion based on works. Basically, there are five requirements that must be met to be a Muslim. These requirements are called the “five pillars of Islam.” They are:

• Statement of belief: Accepting the Muslim statement of faith–”There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his prophet.”
• Prayer: Muslims must pray five times per day facing Mecca (the birthplace of Muhammad)
• Giving Alms: Like a tax, its paid at the end of the year and distributed to the needy
• Fasting: This takes place during the Islamic month of Ramadan, which begins in mid-November
• Pilgrimage: Muslims are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lifetime where a five day ritual is followed

Why is it necessary for Muslims to perform these pillars of faith? Because entrance to Paradise (heaven) must be earned. However, the Muslim has no assurance of his salvation. When he dies, he believes he’ll go to the grave to await judgment. On judgment day, Allah will weigh his good works and his bad works and decide his fate. The Quran states,

“Then as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be heavy, he will live a pleasant life (in Paradise). But as for him whose balance (of good deeds) will be light, he will have his home in Hawiyah (pit, i.e. Hell) [Surah 101:6-9].

So there’s no guarantee no matter how many good works you’ve done–its whatever Allah decides, right? Well, there is one way…

The only way to know for sure that you will get into Paradise is to die in jihad–to die while fighting the enemy of Islam. Once again according to Paul Gabriel, “Jihad is really a contract between Allah and the Muslim. If the Muslim fights, Allah rewards him in the afterlife.” The Quran states,

“Let those (believers) who sell the life of this world for the Hereafter fight in the Cause of Allah, and whoso fights in the Cause of Allah, and is killed or gets victory, We shall bestow on him a great reward.” [Surah 4:74]

the Quran also says,

“For them Allah has got ready Gardens (Paradise) under which rivers flow, to dwell therein forever. That is the supreme success.” [Surah 9:89]

Talk about the perfect motive! Kinda makes you want to strap on some explosives doesn’t it?

So, what exactly does the Quran say about jihad?

“Fight against those who (1) believe not in Allah, (2) nor in the Last Day, (3) nor forbid that which has been forbidden by Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad) 94) and those who acknowledge not the religion of truth (i.e. Islam) among the people of the Scripture (Jews and Christians), until they pay the Jizyah (tax) with willing submission, and feel themselves subdued.” [Surah 9:29]

Basically, this verse tells Muslims they must fight four kinds of people:

• Those who don’t believe in Allah
• Those who don’t believe in the last day (”Qiyamah,” the end of time)
• Those who do things that Allah and Muhammad have forbidden
• Those who don’t acknowledge Islam as the truth, i.e. “people of the Scripture,” who are Jews and Christians

and Muhammad gave people three options:

• They could accept the message of Islam
• They could remain Jews or Christians and pay a special tax (jizyah)
• They could die (the phrase “and feel themselves subdued” is much stronger in Arabic than in the english translation. It means “abject subjection” and carries the idea of cowering in fear before a greater power)

So, if jihad is the way of Islam, why does everyone claim its a religion of peace, love, tolerance and forgiveness? At one time, it was. For 10 to 12 years, while Muhammad was in Mecca, he never spoke of jihad. During this time, he persuaded people to follow Islam without killing or demanding taxes from them. His message was one of repentance, patience and forgiveness. During this time many of the people were leaving behind idol worship and following Islam. Of course, the tribal leaders didn’t like this and they persecuted Muhammad, attempting to kill him on several occasions. Because of this persecution, Muhammad soon left Mecca and settled in Medina.

In Medina, Muhammad continued to convert the population while at the same time building an army. It was during this time that Muhammad received the call to jihad. The call came in three revelations. The first, “repay those who mistreat you,” which he did, defeating the tribes that once persecuted him; the second, “conquer your region,” which continues today–there are Islamic governments in 27 countries from Kyrgyzstan to Morocco; and the third, “conquer the world,” which took a giant step forward on September 11, 2001. The message of peace Muhammad presented in Mecca lasted about 12 years; jihad has lasted 2,400 years and continues today.

Why is Islam portrayed a religion of peace, similar to Christianity? Because the non-Muslim doesn’t understand Islam. With the drastic change in Muhammad’s message after he left Mecca, several contradictions arose in the Quran. After all, there are verses in the Quran that speak positively about Christians, while there are others that condemn them to hell. Some verses say that Muslims can have a good relationship with Christians, while other verses say Muslims must require Christians to convert to Islam. There are also contradictions outlining the rules for alcohol consumption and the dress and behavior of women. So, how does one account for these obvious contradictions?

Islamic scholars determined which verses to follow in the case of a contradiction. This was accomplished by the principle of naskh. This principle is based on the fact that the Quran was revealed to Muhammad at different times (over the course of about 22 years). To solve a contradiction, they decided that new revelations would override (naskh) older (previous) revelations. For example, there are over 114 verses in the Quran that speak of love, peace and forgiveness. But when Surah 9:5 was revealed later, it cancelled out all previous verses. This verse states,

“Fight and slay the Pagans wherever you find them, and lie in wait for them in every strategem (of war); but if they repent, and establish regular prayers and practice regular charity, then open the way for them: for Allah is Oft-forgiving, Most Merciful.”

This is known as the verse of the sword, and it explains that Muslims must fight anyone who chooses not to convert to Islam. It is considered to represent the final development of jihad in Islam.

A religion of peace, love, tolerance and forgiveness? Not on your live! (and it may likely come to that). Disagree? Consider this post on islamicweb.com forums:

Originally posted by Max_cell on 24 May 2006, regarding the potential election of Ellison to Congress:

“Since the iraq war, all muslims have changed, american no longer be seen as anything as a big fat kaffir bully with muslim blood on its hands.”

“Muslims in america must choosh [sic] they are either american or muslims, if like fools like this they choosh [sic] america then fine just dont say your muslims, go away…..”

“100,000 muslims are dead in iraq, all that killing all that brutality, all because of lies and a desire to control muslims and have a massive U.S base in the heart of the Ummah.”

“That kaffir desire has failed, but they have No consequences for their war, the consequences is the hatred and anger of 1.5Billion muslims.”

“If a Muslim does not hate america… then its like he has joined the quresh after they attacked and insulted the prophet Muhammed.”

He’s right in one respect: One can’t be an American and a Muslim!

It’s Saturday night and I’m home again. The flight from Incheon was okay, but I’ve had better experiences. The flight was delayed about 30-minutes due to a lack of “ground support” (whatever that means) and on approach in Atlanta, the pilot had to abort, circle and come in again. The cabin was packed. I don’t think there was a single seat open which made the 13-hour trip a little uncomfortable. I was only able to sleep for about 3-1/2 hours. Thankfully, from Atlanta to Gulfport I was able to fly first class.

My wife was waiting at the airport and I was so happy to see her. She looked absolutely beautiful. We spent the afternoon catching up and had a very nice dinner of pasta and wine.

I’m glad to be home…

My last day in Korea is coming to a close. I’m in my hotel room after a very pleasant dinner with my childhood friend Ray who now lives in Seoul with his family. I have a nice view of the Seoul Tower from my room and its lit-up like a Christmas tree. The Tower is the most familiar landmark in Seoul and makes it easy to find Yongsan no matter where you are in the city.

I dropped my car off at the VPC this morning. The process was uneventful and I enjoyed the walk back to the hotel. I was able to get a run in this afternoon and spoke to my wife.

My bags are packed and I’m about to make myself a cup of tea. I plan on getting to bed early this evening although I probably won’t be able to sleep. I always have trouble sleeping the night before I travel, but tonight the thought of travel is coupled with the anticipation of seeing my wife. Still, to bed early I will go.

In about 36-hours I’ll be home…

Today I drove from Kunsan to Seoul. I’m staying at the Dragon Hill Lodge at Yongsan Garrison. Tomorrow I’ll be turning my Jeep over to the VPC for shipping. Before I do, I need to get the gas gauge down a little bit. The Coast Guard will only allow 1/4 tank of gas or less in the tank. They also insist on the vehicle being clean, so I washed it in one of the outdoor stalls at the Auto Hobby Shop. Of course, the temperature was in the 40s…brrrrr!

Today is my last day at Kunsan. I had my “final-out” appointment this morning, so I’m officially relieved from duty with the 8th Fighter Wing. It’s a bitter-sweet feeling leaving. On the one hand, I’ll be reunited with my wife and family, but on the other hand, I’m leaving behind a family here.

The SNCOs at the Korean Clinic gave me a little send-off today; a small luncheon at the Korean Garden Restaurant. We talked about the past year and my feelings about leaving. They had some nice words and gave me a bottle of Korean wine to remind me of my stay here. Afterward we shared some coffee in their office and exchanged email addresses. I’m looking forward to keeping in touch with my Korean friends.

What else? FLORIDA WON THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!! What a great day! I was taking the new “Med Dawg” Chief around the base yesterday and while he did his inprocessing thing, I was watching the game. Everyone had it on. I was able to watch the entire game this way. I would’ve preferred stretching out in my favorite chair with a beer in hand, but the time difference in Korea means most of these games take place at breakfast time. So, coffee in hand I watch football…Not for too much longer, though!

It’s Saturday at Kunsan. I packed-out yesterday and moved into billeting on base. The room isn’t bad, a two-room suite, but I didn’t have any hot water this afternoon. Par for the course here at Kunsan.

I’m sitting in the food court in the base exchange complex taking advantage of the free wireless internet. I disconected my DSL yesterday, so this is my contact with the outside world.

This evening I’m going to dinner with some friends to an Italian restaurant in Gunsan called “Valentines.” Good food and good wine. This may very well be my last dinner out. Funny, but this was also the place I had my first dinner out when I arrived last January. After dinner the chiefs’ are having a farewell for me and another departing member.

I don’t have much else planned this weekend. Relax, read and listen to music. The Met Staurday Matinee this week is “I Puritani” with Anna Netrebko. The broadcast begins at 1:00 p.m. EST (3:00 a.m. here) and I’m disappointed that I’ll miss it–no way to access the stream. I’m looking forward to getting home where I’ll be able to enjoy these matinee broadcasts.

Robert Traill Spence Lowell, Jr. was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on March 1, 1917. His father was an officer in the United States Navy and his mother descended from an old New England family. Educated in private schools, he had decided early on a career as a poet. He spent summers reading and studying the English literary tradition. Upon graduation from St. Mark’s, he attended Harvard, but left after two years to study with Allen Tate, a poet of the Fugitive group and a practitioner of the not-yet-institutionalized “New Criticism.” Lowell spent the summer of 1937 writing poetry and studying at the feet of the older poet. Instead of returning to Harvard that fall, Lowell transferred to Kenyon College, in Ohio, to study with John Crowe Ransom, Tate’s mentor. Lowell graduated summa cum laude in Classics from Kenyon in 1940 and soon married Jean Stafford, a writer of short stories and novels. 1940 also saw Lowell’s conversion to Roman Catholicism, to the chagrin of his New England Protestant family.

Lowell became a conscientious objector during World War II and served several months in jail (his experiences form the basis of “Memories of West Street and Lepke”). He completed his sentence performing community service in Connecticut. During these months, he finished and published his first book, Land of Unlikeness. During the next year he revised the book and published the new version as Lord Weary’s Castle in 1946. This work won critical acclaim and was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry in 1947.

In 1948, Lowell and Stafford divorced and in 1949 Lowell married Elizabeth Hardwick, a young writer from Kentucky who was already established among the New York community of writers and intellectuals. In 1950, Lowell’s father died after a long illness. Lowell published his next book, The Mills of the Kavanaughs, in 1951; however the book was criticized as Lord Weary’s Castle. He and Hardwick spent the next several years living largely in Europe, especially in Italy. These years saw Lowell suffering from a number of mental breakdowns, episodes of the manic-depressive disease that plagued him throughout his life. After his mother’s death in 1954, Lowell was hospitalized at a mental hospital in Massachusetts.

During the years of suffering and despair of the middle 1950s, Lowell found poetic rejuvenation in the work of William Carlos Williams. Williams looser poetic forms influenced Lowell to write himself out of the strictness of structure that characterized the poems of Lord Weary’s Castle. Counseled by his psychiatrist to write about his childhood, he published Life Studies in 1959. This work, a consideration of himself, his psyche, and his surroundings renewed Lowell’s reputation, winning the National Book Award in 1960. Though some readers, like Allen Tate, intensely disliked the new poems and found them both formally slack and personally embarrassing, many readers saw in the book nothing less than a shift in the American poetic landscape.

During the early 1960s, Lowell was energetically involved not only in poetic but also in political efforts. He befriended Robert Kennedy and Jaqueline Kennedy, as well as Senator Eugene McCarthy. He addressed, in such poems as “For the Union Dead,” the dreadful possibility of humanity’s nuclear annihilation and the miserable culture that endured and endorsed that possibility. “For the Union Dead,” became the title poem of Lowell’s next collection of his own poems (For the Union Dead, 1964).

In 1967, Lowell published Near the Ocean, but the work in which he was most deeply immersed during that year was the verse journal published the next year as Notebook, 1967-68. In poems whose form is loosely based on the sonnet (each is fourteen lines, roughly iambic pentameter, though most are unrhymed), Lowell recorded his reactions to contemporary events in the world as well as his thoughts on American history and his family. Notebook is the basis for the three books Lowell published at the same time in 1973: History, which includes some of the public-issue poems of the earlier book as well as a number of new poems; For Lizzie and Harriet, which includes some of the poems about his wife and daughter from Notebook and many new poems documenting the break-up of his marriage with Hardwick; and The Dolphin, which includes a number of poems about his marriage with Caroline Blackwood (they married in 1972). The Dolphin won the Pulitzer Prize in 1974.

Lowell spent much of his last years in England with Caroline Blackwood and their son. He was on his way to see Hardwick in New York when he died of a heart attack on September 12, 1977. His last book, Day By Day, appeared in the year of his death. Robert Lowell served as a Chancellor of The Academy of American Poets from 1962 until his death 1977.

It’s a quiet evening and I’ve been breaking down boxes stuffed in the closet for the past year. Mostly boxes from Amazon.com that I’ve kept in case they were needed to ship items home. I’ve been putting things together getting ready to pack-out. I’ll be vacating my dorm room on Friday and moving into billeting. I’ve just nine more days until I depart Korea and reunite with my wife.

I’m feeling a little melancholy this evening. The clinic had a farewell luncheon for me today and they put together a nice slideshow of the events and people of the past year. They gave me some nice gifts and said some nice words. My Korean friends from the ROKAF clinic were there as well. I’ll miss them.

Tonight I’m listening to Rusalka’s “Mesícku na nebi hlubokém” (Song To The Moon) by Antonín Dvorák. A rusalka is a water spirit of Slavic mythology, usually inhabiting a lake or river and happens to be the name of the nymph in the opera of the same name. This opera was first performed in Prague on 31 March 1901 and is based on a Czech fairytale. It’s basically the story of “The Little Mermaid” (as in the story by Hans Christian Anderson and Disney’s animated movie), but like most opera, doesn’t end as well. As the opera opens, the good-natured old Spirit of the Lake, Jezibab, is enjoying the singing of the Wood Nymphs, when his daughter, Rusalka, approaches him sadly. She tells him that she has fallen in love with a handsome young prince and wishes to become human in order to know the bliss of union with him. Deeply saddened, the Spirit of the Lake consents to her request, and leaves. All alone, Rusalka sings this beautiful aria, confiding in the moon the secrets of her longing…

O, moon high up in the deep, deep sky,
your light sees far away regions,
you travel round the wide, wide world
peering into human dwellings.
O, moon stand for a while,
tell me, ah, tell me where is my lover!
Tell him, please, silvery moon in the sky,
that I am hugging him firmly,
that he should at least a while
remember me in his dreams.
Light up his far away place,
tell him, ah, tell him who is waiting here!
If he is dreaming about me,
may this remembrance awake him!
O, moon, don’t disappear, don’t disappear!

The rendition I’m listening to is sung by soprano Gabriela Benackova and its absolutely beautiful. This song always leaves me feeling a bit sad, especially being away from the one I long for so very much.

I’ve been a fan of stock car racing practically all my life. Although I’ve liked some drivers more than others, I’ve never really had a favorite. I’ve always been a big fan of the Wood Brothers of Stuart, Virginia. They’re the oldest independent racing team and I’m always pulling for whomever drives for them. For the past six years the USAF has been a sponsor of Wood Brothers Racing and it appears their partnership will continue for a seventh. According to Wood Brother’s Racing…

HARRISBURG, NC (December 21, 2006) The United States Air Force has announced that they will be returning as both a primary and associate sponsor of the No. 21 Wood Brothers/JTG NASCAR NEXTEL Cup team. 2007 will mark the seventh consecutive year in which they have backed the famous No. 21 car.

Driver Ken Schrader will kick-off the 2007 Season by driving the No. 21 Air Force Ford Fusion in the Bud Shootout at Daytona International Speedway on February 10th. Air Force will further their relationship with the Wood Brothers/JTG Organization by activating their primary sponsorship in seven additional events during the remainder of the season. These dates include Las Vegas Motor Speedway, Lowe’s Motor Speedway for the Coca-Cola 600, the July Daytona event, Pocono Raceway, the Bristol Night race in August, Richmond International Raceway in the final race before the Chase for the Championship and Dover International Speedway on September 23rd.

Third-generation driver Jon Wood will be behind the wheel for all but one of the primary sponsorship races in the No. 21 Air Force Ford Fusion.

“Having a chance to represent the United States Air Force next year is an honor for me,” stated the 24-year old Stuart, Virginia native. “To me, it stands for the men and women who put their lives on the line around the world every day so that we can enjoy the freedoms we have,” he added.

The fact that the USAF sponsors my favorite race team is quite simply, the icing on the cake. I’m looking forward to being home for the 2007 season and can’t wait to see Jon Wood’s first year in Nextel Cup racing!