My Other Blog

I write another weblog. In fact, lately, I've been writing that one more. Check it out. It's over on the left under Aviation Security.

My Motivational Blogs

If you're new to my blog, please read this, this, and this, and finally this. These are a few blogs that will get you revved up and motivated. At least, that's the hope.

McCain's Veep Pick

The GOP just blew the race for the Whitehouse. Let's see if I'm right come November 5th.

In an attempt to make up for what he lacks, charisma and spunk, or conversely what the Dems had with a minority and what the GOP lacked, he went overboard with the lady governor from Alaska. Who is she?

This might be a race closer than Gore's Florida gig. Then again, the Dems might just win it by a landslide. Either way, I think the Republicans just sank the ship. I'd like to hear the reasons why the pundits and strategists gave him that advice. Likewise, it would have been nice to have been in the meetings just prior to the big changes at Blockbuster video in the final quarter of 2006 when the CEO decided to compete with Netflix and do away with late fees. Any Joe Average could have told him those astronomical fees were Blockbuster's bread and butter. I could have told him!

And, what was the result? Millions upon millions of dollars in lost profit the first quarter of 2007, after the failed plan was implemented. Blockbuster video lost more money at that time than it ever had in its history.

So, what's the moral to the story?

First, sometimes change isn't good. Too often, I've witnessed new directors who want to leave their mark, but they do it the wrong way.

And secondly, too often there are sycophants (a.k.a. 'yes men') who'll agree with the dumb ideas their bosses impart just to get ahead.

Henry Ford said the secret of his success was that he surrounded himself with men more talented than himself...and he listened to them!

Heart-Wrenching

One of my best friends just got orders to go back to Iraq. He already served a tour in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom and is 60 percent disabled. He got off Active Duty Regular Army almost two years ago so he could live a normal life again.

While making ends meet and waiting for his job offer to start working for the Department of State with the Bureau of Diplomatic Security Services, he lived away from his wife and daughter out of necessity. He is currently in training with the State Department and nearly finished.

His family is not allowed at training, which takes place in a couple of different states. So far, he's been separated from them since July 2007. He also went into the Inactive Reserve status or, as it's called now, the Individual Ready Reserve (IRR) after leaving active duty. Last week he received a notice to report in September to go to Iraq with an Army Reserve unit, prior to graduating with his classmates or being stationed with the State Department in Miami.

When he told his wife over the phone that he had gotten orders to Iraq, she collapsed in tears. His daughter has a calendar marking down the days so when her daddy gets home he can take her to Disney World like he promised. Now, he can't. He'll be gone another year, at least.

He's not afraid to serve. He's willing to serve. He told me, "Just allow me to at least be a father and a husband again...at least for a little bit." He begs some time to spend with his family. I wish he didn't have to go at all.

If I hadn't gone through it myself, I wouldn't be writing this. Having experienced the pain, I can't help but write about it. Not many people know what it's like, but I now have first-hand knowledge.

My friend was told there are three more IRR-scheduled mobilizations over the next few months. This affects many, many lives and yet we rarely take the time to think about it.

Sad News

I learned a soldier I had worked closely with in Iraq was killed this last week in an automobile accident. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and friends.

...He was so young.

There's pathetic irony to live through war and drive the dangerous roads of Iraq only to die on the roadways in America. I've written about such things before here and in a moving story here.

Police Humor

Why did the police officer go to bed?

Because he was an undercover cop.

Kill Bin Laden -- A New Book

A new tell-all exposé reveals how senior politicians and military commanders incompetently ran operations to capture or kill Bin Laden.

The furor of American patriotism ran deep in the aftermath of the crumbling World Trade Center tower wreckage. Usama bin Laden sat in his Afghanistan cave smiling at the news. 3,000 killed, the Pentagon destroyed, United 93 evaporated, and two more planes smashed into lower Manhattan. While you and I watched news footage in disbelief and purchased American flags, there were others who went searching for the man responsible.

Dalton Fury led the way. His book, Kill Bin Laden: A Delta Force Commander's Account of the Hunt for the World's Most Wanted Man, by St. Martin's Press will be released in October.

The following information is given on the book's website:

In late November 2001 forty members of the U.S. Army's super secret counterterrorist unit known as Delta Force were sent to the Tora Bora Mountains in eastern Afghanistan to kill terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden.

These Delta operators linked up with a handful of CIA operatives, Army Green Berets, British Commandos, Air Force Combat Controllers, and a few Tactical Signal Collectors to lead a small army of Afghan Muhjahideen against bin Laden and a thousand or so of his most dedicated al Qaeda fighters.

Do you have something to ask the author? Well, now is your chance to ask the retired senior Delta Force commander a question. Email your question to:

DaltonFury@yahoo.com

He'll compile a list of the top ten at the end of each month and post them on the book's website along with his answers. If your question is chosen, he'll place your name on a piece of paper and put it in one of the boots he wore in Tora Bora. Once a month, from June through September, he'll randomly draw a name. The four winners will receive a signed copy of Kill Bin Laden.

Finally, I’ve heard it straight from the mouths of other Delta Force operators how much they loathe Eric Haney, a former Delta operator who went public and wrote Inside Delta Force: The Story of America’s Elite Counterterrorism Unit. The TV series The Unit is based on Eric’s book and he serves as its tactical consultant.

With all the personal struggles Dalton must have faced and with some of his personal contacts who have blacklisted him (or who will), I’d rather take a kinder approach and say, “Good for you, brother. Your decision took A LOT of courage."

The Ethos and Skill of Killing

You don't need to be or become evil to combat evil. It goes against laws of life and living to, for example, be amoral or immoral to stop immorality. No principle of civility gives way to uncivil manners or unprincipled precepts. It is impossible to be bad and good at the same time.

Or is it?

There is some bad in each of us. We all fall short of perfection; no one is perfect. There was only One who was perfect. But each of us can maintain perfection in certain aspects of our lives. For the modern-day warrior – those in military, law enforcement or private security – the question arises do I have to be bad to stop bad?

I again refer to my initial sentence: You don't need to be or become evil to combat evil.

A few years ago I published an article with www.SWATdigest.com that gained wide attention, and I even had a friend mention what I had written there yesterday after we went shooting. I believe it struck a chord with those who carry weapons for a living. I titled it, "The ethos and skill of killing." I will include it here for the reader with a few minor changes. Here it is. Enjoy.

At the tactical level you and I have had to make the conscious decision to kill, if necessary, in order to preserve life. A close friend of mine, Matthew Graham who owns www.trainingtargets.com and who invented the Combat Loop and Graham shooting Method for low-light shooting, created this profound statement. He likes to say something to the effect of, “The more effective you are at taking a life, the more successful you’ll be at saving lives.”

Saving lives is, after all, the purpose of special ops.

Moral Justification

It is interesting to note that the motto of the U.S. Army Special Forces is De Oppresso Liber, or to liberate (or free) the oppressed; the U.S. Air Force special operations Pararescue jumper’s (PJs) motto is “That Others May Live”; and the motto of the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team is Servare Vitas, Latin for “To Save Lives.” These mottos denote selfless service and love for mankind.

At the recent SWAT Digest Counter Terrorism conference held in July 2006, dynamic speaker Dr. Jason Winkle spoke, in part, on the moral and psychological justifications warriors need in order to win deadly force confrontations. Often the important aspect of religious or spiritual justification is not taken into the equation or it is meshed with the moral theory of “just war” or jus ad bellum. Warriors with a Judeo-Christian or otherwise “civil” heritage need not abandon the tenants of their faith.

Years ago at a military training exercise an Army Ranger told a group of us to “murder” all of the role players. At the right moment, I took the opportunity to confront his choice of words.

There is a serious difference between killing and murdering—not only legally, but religiously. Literally translated, the word for “kill” in the commandment Thou shalt not kill is the Hebrew word ratsach. Ratsach means to dash to pieces or kill, especially murder.

When I lived and worked in Israel long after that experience I didn’t learn Hebrew, but I did learn that there were other words for kill or put to death in the Torah and Old Testament, like katal or muwth. Yet these words were not used in the sixth commandment.

I believe that modern-day warriors, like those civilly and morally religious warriors of old, can have charity—or pure love in our hearts—and still act properly in the position of our duties. Although we despise the many actions of criminals and terrorists, we do not need to hate them personally, even against those persons who we may use deadly force to stop.

Dangerous Hesitation

There is a tacitly dangerous feeling that pervades among law enforcement, the criminal justice system and the civilian population. We too often feel obliged to get seriously injured or have innocent people die before we feel fully justified to use deadly force. It is often legally and tactically unnecessary to pause or hesitate. This is dangerous. It is precarious. It is foolish and it could get us killed.

This philosophy of waiting beyond the last second—beyond the point of being justified legally and tactically—will turn potential winners into losers. And winning and losing here could be the difference between living and dying.

A friend of mine who spent many years in the German Spezialeinsatzkommando, SEK for short, told me several years ago about a pivotal moment in his life and career. His police special operations team responded to a barricaded situation in which the male suspect murdered his wife and dragged her bloodied, lifeless body into the basement. My friend, Thomas (I’m choosing to leave out his last name), was chosen by his team leader to take the shield/bunker, walk down the slippery blood-bathed wooden stairs and apprehend the suspect.

As he turned the corner at the bottom of the basement, Thomas saw the suspect holding a pistol to his own head. As Thomas walked toward the suspect, the man turned his gun and fired at my friend. Thomas instinctively fired back. Both of them missed. The suspect was apprehended after the veteran German tactical officer slammed the shield into him and wrestled him to the floor.

As Thomas told me the story I could tell that he had rehearsed the possibilities of what could have been a disastrous, fatal ending. The suspect, for instance, could have shot Thomas’ legs or exposed arm. Worst of all the suspect could have very easily wrapped his arm around the bunker and shot my friend.

Thomas rued his actions. He told me with all seriousness that next time he would not miss. I took it to mean that if he was ever presented with a similar situation, the suspect would receive multiple—and I would add, justifiable—lethal injuries.

Usually we come close to dying before we really decide to kill. We get lucky and live. We think next time I won’t hesitate or next time I’ll be more aggressive. What we fail to put into the equation is that there may not be an alibi. We may only have one chance to get it right. All of our training and experience boils down to a split-second decision that will undoubtedly come when we least expect it.
The more experience we gain, the less willing we are to take chances. But it doesn’t have to be that way. From the moment of tactical infancy to warrior adolescence we can make up our minds who will win the fight and how it will be won.

Self-Introspection and Preparation

We shouldn’t necessarily be eager to fight. Those who long for confrontation invite trouble. But we should be morally, tactically and psychologically ready for a deadly force situation. We must know the use of force well. We must be prepared, and this may mean combating any religious, spiritual, moral or psychological qualms about justifiable killing. We won’t have time to decide whether or not to use deadly force when that fateful moment comes.

Self-introspection and serious soul-searching should begin long before the police academy, but still there are too many officers who have rarely, if ever, gone there frequently enough. This cannot be avoided if an officer expects to win a deadly force confrontation. If we are not 100 percent ready and willing to kill—to aggressively use deadly force when warranted—then we are a danger to ourselves, our partners, our teammates and the community.

Societies’ protectors, regardless of individual religious beliefs, need to get prepared psychologically, emotionally, and morally in order to help win up-close deadly force encounters. This development, I believe, may also help those who get into a deadly force confrontation to function well socially and emotionally thereafter.

Ensure that you are more lethal than your enemy. (Note: He’s not an “opponent” if he’s bent on killing you.) Act with controlled aggression and violence of action. Believe in winning long before the “test”. (To achieve we must first believe.)

Finally, going back to the Counter Terrorism conference, John Giduck, author of Terror at Beslan, said that the motto of the Russian special forces group, Alpha, was: “If not me, then who?”

You are the warriors. We need you. You have what it takes. No one can take your place personally, and very few have what it takes to get and keep a job in law enforcement. You have the capacity to kill, if necessary, in order to save lives. Learn about it. Think about it. Prepare for it. Or it will prepare for you.

CBS Miami Interview

Here's one interview I recently did.

A Spiritual Journey & Interview

Recently I had the good fortune to be interviewed by Candace Salima. She’s a wonderful person and I hope to get to know her better. We share the same religion and the same enthusiasm about it. In this interview, unlike the recent radio interview, documentary film interview or television news interview, I was able to share more about my religious perspectives and how that has influenced my personal life and professional career. You can see more here.

How To Break A Terrorist

The author of this up-coming book just sent me a note. Don't skip over this one. Check it out here: www.howtobreakaterrorist.com

Controversial Email I forwarded

This is the whole reason for the TSA Witch hunt and CNN interview exposing it. Check out the email I forwarded here.

PS I've never divulged any classified or Sensitive Security Information (SSI) and I never will. But, the nonsense must stop if we're going to keep innocent people safe!

Am I Really That Bald?

I’m the former Federal Air Marshal (FAM) on the Drew Griffin CNN report on Anderson Cooper 360 last night. As a side note, I’m really not that bald. (Okay, I’m in denial.)

Anyway, on a more serious note, I can’t thank CNN enough. Bravo. Well done. I'm hopeful that things will change for the better within the TSA and the FAM Service.

For a portion of the story and trailer, click here.

For more Aviation Security blogs I write click on the link on the far left. (Note: I deliberately leave off the newspaper’s name so more Google hits will take readers there and not here to my personal blog.)

CNN: Anderson Cooper 360 Tonight

Here's what the CNN link says about the report I was interviewed for:

Responding to a stinging CNN report, the TSA went on what's been called a "witch hunt"...AC 360 has the unnerving details.

10:00 pm Eastern

I interviewed with CNN in my Flip-Flops

Be sure to check the story here today. It's the front page story on CNN.com. Also stay tuned to Anderson Cooper TOMORROW night for the full interview and story. I thought they'd only show from the waist up, so I didn't bother with my choice in tactical pants and flip-flops. LOL.

I'm also being interviewed later today with a radio station about my Avaition Security blog (another story altogether). Be sure to click on the link at the left every day or so for updates.

<<<<<<<-----------------OVER THERE.

I guess for the radio, I can wear my flip-flops, eh?

Using the Internet for Good

A lot of filth exists in cyberspace, but the new technology can be used for much good. A leader in my church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Elder M. Russell Ballard, recently wrote on Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet.

I deliberately avoid mentioning the "major newspaper" I blog for because I want Google searchers to go to that link and not my blog. (Click on the Aviation Security link on the left.) Nevertheless, since writing about something shocking--literally--the W.T. blog link has had over 100,000 hits to that article alone. Naturally, some people visit this sight, my personal blog.

Here I get to write about whatever I want, to include occasionally mentioning my faith. I'm an American; and I'm completely grateful for my faith, my family and my country.

Marc's Last Letter Home

The following is a powerful letter from Marc Alan Lee, the first Navy SEAL killed in Iraq August 2nd 2006 and awarded the Silver Star; he is remembered for his heroism and dedication. [A colleague of mine] got this letter from Debbie Lee – Marc’s mother who has taken up a banner to honor her son and all of America’s Mighty Warriors. [This colleague forwarded this email on to me. Marc served in Ramadi, Iraq, where I also served.]

Glory is something that some men chase and others find themselves stumbling upon, not expecting it to find them. Either way it is a noble gesture that one finds bestowed upon them. My question is when does glory fade away and become a wrongful crusade, or an unjustified means by which consumes one completely? I have seen war. I have seen death, the sorrow that encompasses your entire being as a man breathes his last. I can only pray and hope that none of you will ever have to experience some of these things I have seen and felt here. I have felt fear and have felt adrenaline pump through my veins making me seem invincible. I will be honest and say that some of the things I have seen here are unjustified and uncalled for. However for the most part we are helping this country. It will take more years than most expect, but we will get Iraq to stand on its own feet. Most of what I have seen here I will never really mention or speak of, only due to the nature of those involved. I have seen a man give his food to a hungry child and family. Today I saw a hospital that most of us would refuse to receive treatment from. The filth and smell would allow most of us to not be able to stand to enter, let alone get medicine from. However you will be relieved to know that coalition forces have started to provide security for and supply medicine and equipment to help aid in the cause.

I have seen amazing things happen here; however I have seen the sad part of war too. I have seen the morals of a man who cares nothing of human life…I have seen hate towards a nation’s people who has never committed a wrong, except being born of a third world, ill educated and ignorant to western civilization. It is not everybody who feels this way only a select few but it brings questions to mind. Is it ok for one to consider themselves superior to another race? Surprising we are not a stranger to this sort of attitude. Meaning that in our own country we discriminate against someone for what nationality they are, their education level, their social status. We distinguish our role models as multimillion dollar sports heroes or talented actors and actress who complain about not getting millions of dollars more then they are currently getting paid.

Our country is a great country, don’t get me wrong on this, otherwise none of us would be living there. My point of this is how can we come over here and help a less than fortunate country without holding contempt or hate towards them if we can’t do it in our country. I try to do my part over here, but the truth is over there, United States, I do nothing but take.

Ask yourself when was the last time you donated clothes that you hadn’t worn out. When was the last time you paid for a random stranger’s cup of coffee, meal or maybe even a tank of gas? When was the last time you helped a person with the groceries into or out of their car?

Think to yourself and wonder what it would feel like if when the bill for the meal came and you were told it was already paid for.

More random acts of kindness like this would change our country and our reputation as a country. It is not unknown to most of us that the rest of the world looks at us with doubt towards our humanity and morals. I am not here to preach or to say look at me, because I am just as at fault as the next person. I find that being here makes me realize the great country we have and the obligation we have to keep it that way. The 4th has just come and gone and I received many emails thanking me for helping keep America great and free. I take no credit for the career path I have chosen; I can only give it to those of you who are reading this, because each one of you has contributed to me and who I am.

However what I do over here is only a small percent of what keeps our country great. I think the truth to our greatness is each other. Purity, morals and kindness, passed down to each generation through example. So to all my family and friends, do me a favor and pass on the kindness, the love, the precious gift of human life to each other so that when your children come into contact with a great conflict that we are now faced with here in Iraq, that they are people of humanity, of pure motives, of compassion.

This is our real part to keep America free! HAPPY 4th

Love Ya

P.S. Half way through the deployment can’t wait to see all of your faces

Marc Lee

Don't Mock My Country

I fully condemn the detestable mockery of our sacred national anthem, The Star Spangled Banner, which was recently twisted and sang at a public government meeting in Denver, Colorado.

A black female jazz singer sang a version of what has been called the “Black national anthem,” according to this article.

I don’t care if we have a black president or not; I care about WHO the president is.

I don’t care what color my neighbor is; I care about how GOOD my neighbor is.

The Star Spangled Banner has been switched and demeaned in the past. It has been switched up and sang with Spanish lyrics, different words, meaning and sound. That’s not right either!

I don’t care that my neighbors came from Mexico; I care if they’re here legally.

I just came back from Iraq. When I sang The Star Spangled Banner the first time after coming home, I cried. I wept so hard I couldn’t sing. I wrote about it here.

I fought side by side with my black friends and even a Cuban-American. I’ve been a police officer and have been helped tremendously by my African American partners. On the corollary, I worked in the most dangerous part of the city, which subsequently was predominantly black. So, I arrested several blacks, several Hispanics and several white people.

I don’t care what color you are or what language you speak; I care how you treat me and my family.

I’ve made wonderful friends in South Korea, Iraq, Israel and Palestine, England, Germany and all over the United States. Over ten of my cousins, nieces and nephews are adopted. They come from China, Tonga, and South Korea. I have a half-nephew who is Hispanic, and a niece who is black. So I don’t care about skin color.

I believe that while we are different, we all are created in the image of God. We might have different customs, cultures and looks, but we all have the same spiritual DNA.

But when it comes to singing MY national anthem, in the country I love most, I refuse to have anyone wrest or twist the lyrics, the words or the tune.

Francis Scott Key was on a ship trying to negotiate a release of several American’s who had been captured by the British. While on the ship he witnessed the attack against Fort McHenry. The hail of artillery was sure to destroy the men and their will, but it didn’t. The ramparts (or high walls) surrounding the fortress, still stood and the flag – the beautiful, wonderful American flag and all it stood for – still flew high come morning. It was that wonderful site which prompted Francis Scott Key to pen perhaps the greatest lyrics in all history, and in all the world.

In war, there is no color. Soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, know no color. We all speak one language. As Americans, and Americans in uniform, we’re all different and we’re all unique. Differences make America what it is – wonderful, beautiful, a land of great opportunity.

It was war that prompted Francis Scott Key to write those inspired lyrics. It wasn’t difference that bound the Founding Forefathers together to create the defiant and wonderful Declaration of Independence which we celebrate at this most incredible time of year. Nor was it separation that helped many of those same men to formulate the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

Three American contractors were held hostage in Columbia for five years. They were brought home today. I wrote about before here. God bless the men and women who assisted in their rescue, and God bless America.

We’re more similar than we are different, and in war as in peace, we should forget color and language. We must be one. To be one – “one nation under God” – we must not abandon the tenants of our nation’s history. Yes, we must remember the Buffalo Soldiers and rue the terrible and horrible history of slavery, but we must also remember that our ancestors bound together to fight against British tyranny to establish this land of peace and promise.

So, don’t ever change those beautiful, inspiring and wonderful lyrics. Don’t mock America. We’re still one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.

The Blessing to Heal

Today I visited Arvydas. He looks so much worse than in his pictures. He couldn’t come to the door. All of his hair is now missing. He had bloody scabs in both ears and his hands are withered and scaly. He can’t open his hands or show his palms.

His muscles have atrophied and his skin condition looks much worse.

He has had some sort of stem cell transplant. We should know in 3-6 months if it takes hold or not.

Although Arvydas is not a member of my faith, I nevertheless asked him if he’d like to receive a priesthood blessing, an invitation which he accepted.

The priesthood is the authority to act in the name of God. It was restored through the prophet Joseph Smith in the 1800s and was passed from those holding the authority on to me and other devout and worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today.

While giving the blessing, by the laying on of hands, I wept for my friend. Prior to the holy ordinance I told Arvydas that I had thought to offer him a blessing while struggling myself in Iraq. I was at the lowest point of my life over there. Surely, he knows what it’s like to suffer. I was able to come home and leave my trials behind, but at the present time, Arvydas, isn’t able to be healed. Be it according to the will of the Lord.

To the invalid begging alms in front of the temple at the gate Beautiful, the Apostle Peter, who held the same priesthood authority, declared, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk…and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.”

Sometimes miracles happen. And yet if all ailments were immediately cured it would eliminate the need for faith. Sometimes our trials and ailments are our greatest assets and most worthwhile investments, though we wish they would disappear and ne’er return. Great blessings can come from great struggles and burdens. I believe I’ve changed for the better because of my pains, struggles, trials and burdens. Of greatest mention is a deeper desire to help others – a greater concern and love for all. The whole world could use more compassion and less war.

Gratitude

America is wonderful. I sure love being home.

I’ve been back from Iraq now just over one month. I still have great spurts of overwhelming gratitude, like yesterday when I went to a store and bought a sandwich. Later, I went on a date to a movie with my wife.

I love seeing the kids. I also love mowing the lawn and, yes, even grocery shopping. One friend exclaimed, “Well, if you like doing that so much, please come mow our lawn and do our grocery shopping.”

I laugh and smile more in America; its home.

Texas Polygamy Compound Not Mormon

"To the best of our knowledge, no one at the Texas compound has ever been a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints." That statement is according to a recent appeal from the LDS Church General Counsel to publishers of major newspapers, TV stations and magazines. I have had personal correspondence with Lance B. Wickman, General Counsel, in the past. He's a Vietnam Veteran and a man of great wisdom and integrity. I respect him greatly.

AP Report: Court rejects death penalty for raping children

I do not agree with the Supreme Court's decision.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080625/ap_on_go_su_co/scotus_child_rape

AP Report: Mormon Church Speaks Up on Marriage in California

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is asking California members to join the effort to amend that state's constitution to define marriage as being between a man and a woman.

A letter sent to Mormon bishops and signed by church president Thomas S. Monson and his two top counselors calls on Mormons to donate "means and time" to the ballot measure. A note on the letter dated June 20 says it should be read during church services on June 29, but the letter was published Saturday on several Web sites.

Church spokesman Scott Trotter said Monday that the letter was authentic. He declined further comment, saying the letter explains the church's reasons for getting involved.

The LDS church will work with a coalition of churches and other conservative groups that put the California Marriage Protection Act on the Nov. 4 ballot to assure its passage, the letter states.

In May, California's Supreme Court overturned a voter-approved ban on same-sex marriage, saying gays could not be denied marriage licenses.

"The church's teachings and position on this moral issue are unequivocal. Marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and the formation of families is central to the Creator's plan for His children," the four-paragraph letter states.

"We ask that you do all you can to support the proposed constitutional amendment by donating of your means and time to ensure that marriage in California is legally defined as being between a man and a woman," church leaders say in the letter. "Our best efforts are required to preserve the sacred institution of marriage."

California Mormons - there are more than 750,000, according to a church almanac - have heard and heeded similar calls from their leaders before.

In 2000, a letter from the pulpit asked members to give time and money in support of Proposition 22, a ballot measure prohibiting California from legally recognizing gay marriages performed outside the state. It passed but was later struck down by the courts.

As a member of the LDS faith, I wholeheartedly endorse and support those efforts. It is disturbing to me that the voice of the people has not been heard above the shrill cries of a few. I served a two-year volunteer mission in southern California. Relatives were recently called to serve as mission President and matron of the San Diego temple.

I even have a gay friend who I grew up with that used to be active in the Church that now lives in California. While I love my friend, I do not believe his views of what a family is and should be are correct, assuming he is likewise on board with gay marriage.

No, I believe, as LDS Church doctrine states, that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His children."

And, moreover, we believe that "All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose." Read more here.

"Disposable Heroes"

...an investigative report, here.

How not to kill Bin Laden

How not to kill Bin Laden

VA testing drugs on war veterans

The government is testing drugs with severe side effects like psychosis and suicidal behavior on hundreds of military veterans, using small cash payments to attract patients into medical experiments that often target distressed soldiers returning from Iraq and Afghanistan, a Washington Times/ABC News investigation has found.

Read the disturbing report by Washington Times reporter Audrey Hudson, here.

I Vote Romney for VP

Mitt Romney is best suited to run as John McCain’s vice president in the general election, former presidential strategist Karl Rove said Sunday.

“Romney is already vetted by the media, strong executive experience both in business and in government, has an interesting story to tell with saving the U.S. Olympics, and also helps McCain deal with the economy, because he can speak with the economy with a fluency that McCain doesn’t have,” Rove told “Fox News Sunday.”

See full article here.

Modern-Day Warriors & Words

Mark Twain once said, "The difference between the right word and the wrong word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug."

I had a conversation not long ago with a guy I've known for a while. We shared some more personal experiences this time, however. He told me that while he was deployed to Afghanistan, in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, that he shot a clean-shaven man all dressed in white, that was walking rapidly and suspiciously into their camp. He shot him right in the "head", he said. It turned out to be as he suspected: the man was a suicide bomber. His quick actions and good aim saved a lot of people.

I've taught numerous tactical firearms courses. Years ago I developed a course and I've taught those in law enforcement and the military how to identify and stop a suicide bomber. The best place to shoot a suicide bomber is in the head. I usually say, shoot them in the "face." I think that startles a lot of people, even those who carry weapons everyday for a living. It somehow makes killing a little more personal.

We cannot be so dissociated from reality that we fail to keep others safe. Those charged with protecting the innocent have the burden of seeing, knowing and occasionally doing what others don't want to do or don't want to know. Such was the case with my aforementioned friend. His actions disturbed him. If it didn't he would be totally uncivilized.

He told me that the would-be suicide bomber looked at him right in the eyes before he shot him. That means he shot him in the "face". The face or the head -- does it really matter? Yes. I once knew a man who was teaching several special ops guys (myself included). He used the same terminology I use: shoot them in the face. The bureaucrats overseeing the training were so repulsed that all training was stopped for several months.

I guess, the psychology of lyrics and semantics is just as powerful, if not more so, than any suicide bomber walking into a crowded place and blowing up, severing his flesh and sending shards of bone and cutting metals deep into others' bodies. Now that's repulsive.

There are things I wish I didn't know. But if I can shield my children and the majority of my neighbors who really don't understand the real threat some human beings are capable of, then I'll gladly do it. Such is the bane and burden of modern-day warriors.

My Wife, the Real Hero of War

I met the Mayor, and a nice lady running for State Representative, as well as the GOP candidate for the US House. He and I spoke at length. Interestingly, the Mayor and his wife reminded me of the fictional characters on The Music Man -- the town that was conned by Prof. Harold Hill, the traveling salesman.

I was introduced to all of them like this: "This is Jeffrey Denning. He just returned from Iraq." Without exception, each individual I met thanked me in the most sincere way possible. But I responded that it is my wife who deserves the medals and awards.

Brotherhood of Warriors

Aaron Cohen and I met a few years ago after an introduction from a friend. He and I immediately had a lot in common and a lot to discuss when I went to visit him in Los Angeles.

As a former Israeli special operations warrior and the owner of a private security business protecting celebrities in southern California, he appears regularly on the news as a consultant. He was on the news directly following the Virginia Tech shooting rampage, and he called me later that evening to discuss police tactics. Aaron’s good-to-go.

Tonight Aaron was scheduled to be on CNN’s Larry King Live, but Tim Russert passed away. My thoughts and prayers go out to the Russert family and to his friends at this difficult time.

Sometime in the near future, Aaron will be interviewed by Larry King to discuss his new book, Brotherhood of Warriors: Behind Enemy Lines with a Commando in One of the World’s Most Elite Counterterrorism Units. I’ll be watching for it. So should you.

Shocking Debate on al-Jazeera

Anat Berko, who wrote The Path to Paradise: The Inner World of Suicide Bombers and Their Dispatchers, sent this link to a friend, who forwarded it to me. The interview is of Dr. Mordechai Kedar, a colleague of my associates.

The explanation of the You-Tube post says:

Dr. Mordechai Kedar of Bar-Ilan University defends the Jewishness of Jerusalem, the Jewish capital for over 3,000 years. He also defends the right of Israelis to settle in Judea and Samaria, the West Bank.

See the al-Jazeera news interview here: http://youtube.com/watch?v=VHpMhAzj-Tk

Terrorphobia

Interesting article by John Mueller:

http://www.the-american-interest.com/ai2/article.cfm?Id=418&MId=19

"Please Remove Your Shoes"

I smashed my head against the stair rail putting away my duffle bags. The bags I’ve been living out of for the last year in Iraq were put out of sight since my wife and I were interviewed for the documentary film, “Please Remove Your Shoes”, yesterday.

I shaved carefully that morning hoping to get a ‘clean shave’, but I managed to take a huge chunk of skin from my chin – funny, I haven’t done that in years! And, when I hit my head it left a giant bloody goose egg on my balding spot.

Despite my wounds which can likely be seen on camera, this film is bound to be one of great interest to a host of people – not because I might be seen for a few seconds in it, but because of the great line-up of people interviewed both before and after me, and because of the talent of the Producer and Associate Producer. I was honored to be interviewed and I wish the Gevalt’s all the best.

The website can be seen here: www.PleaseRemoveYourShoesMovie.com.

Birds & Bees and Other Things

I had the talk with my children. You should have seen the look on their faces. It was one of shock and disgust. I’m glad kids think sex is so repulsive at this age. It’s a healthy mechanism to help them avoid things they aren’t ready for.

My wife related that my daughter told her friend, “Well, my mom has had four kids and she’s never had sex.” I suppose it was past time to explain the birds and bees.

In the literal sense, I’m not sure I understand the birds OR the bees. Did you know that when equating ergonomic and physical dimensions of a bee that it should be impossible for them to fly? Their wing span is too small for their robust body shapes.

I’m not sure how they extract pollen from flowers or what kind of poison is in their stingers either. I’ve been stung, but I don’t know how to explain it.

I know bird’s bones are hollow, which allows them to be lighter, but I’m not sure how they produce white or red blood cells – or whatever human bone marrow produces.

I’ve had sex four times because I have four kids. At least, that’s what my daughter probably thinks now. And, since my wife is pregnant, I’ve been “lucky” five times, but I still don’t really understand it. The sperm and the egg and the books about gestation all amaze me. Did you know the uterus expands 1,000 times its normal size to house a growing embryo? Did you know that babies in the womb drink the liquid they live in, and subsequently their own urine? That liquid is recreated every so often, and the urine doesn't hurt them.

We all lived in liquid and we didn’t even have gills! One year of our lives were upsidedown in a sealed up kangaroo-like marsupial pouch! I don’t get it. I can’t explain it. I’m really not that smart. None of us are, really. Even the most brilliant scientists cannot recreate what God has. So, I’ll just go on teaching my kids about things I know very little, but enough to get me by. Boy, do I have them fooled.

Adult conversation is interesting. Consider the conversation we had last week in our home when a couple we know came to visit. He’s an OB/GYN. We all spoke rather bluntly about topics that would otherwise be off-limits. It was interested, and…well…downright, weird. But I believe any topic can be discussed maturely. I wasn’t really fearful of telling my kids about the birds or the bees. I told them what I knew, which as mentioned, isn’t very much: the birds live in nests and the bees live in hives. End of story.

But here’s something I do know. I know how a young boy supposed to pee standing up. While I was in Iraq, my wife – bless her soul – had our four-year-old drop his pants and instead of holding and shaking the dew from his blade of grass, she had him let it fly uncontrollably. Afterwards, he smacks his posterior until his tiny buns are bright red, all in an effort to relieve the dribble. “What are you doing?” I asked astonished the first time I witnessed it. “Who taught you that?”

“Mommy,” he replied.

“Well, boys aren’t supposed to do that.” Then I recalled our older son when he was learning to use the toilet standing up. I had to break him of the habit of wanting to use toilet paper to wipe his little thing. What the…?

Well, I’m glad I’m home, and it’s nice to have our youngest potty trained. Her Dora the Explorer panties are her favorite. It makes me think that I should get some boxer shorts with black and yellow-striped honey bees all over them. We’re all just big kids anyway, right?

PS I'm a big kid. My wife has to put up with me. As to not embarrass her, in her defense, our youngest was flinging and shaking, marking his territory on the ceiling and the toothbrushes on the counter. So there is a method to the madness.

A Father's Impact

“Yet in my lineaments they trace / Some features of my father’s face.”
—Lord Byron's couplet, “Parisina”

At church yesterday, I was asked to speak next week during our religious services. It will be Father's Day. Researching this morning has led me to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland's message several years ago, which I remember hearing then. I reference it here in italics.

As a father, I wonder if I and all other fathers could do more to build a sweeter, stronger relationship with our sons and daughters here on earth. Dads, is it too bold to hope that our children might have some small portion of the feeling for us that the Divine Son felt for His Father? Might we earn more of that love by trying to be more of what God was to His child? In any case, we do know that a young person’s developing concept of God centers on characteristics observed in that child’s earthly parents. (See “Parent-Child Relationships and Children’s Images of God,” Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, Mar. 1997, 25–43.)

For that reason and many others, I suppose no book I have read in recent months has alarmed me more than a work entitled Fatherless America. In this study the author speaks of “fatherlessness” as “the most harmful demographic trend of this generation,” the leading cause of damage to children. It is, he is convinced, the engine driving our most urgent social problems, from poverty to crime to adolescent pregnancy to child abuse to domestic violence. Among the principal social issues of our time is the flight of fathers from their children’s lives. (David Blankenhorn, Fatherless America: Confronting Our Most Urgent Social Problem (1995), 1.)

Of even greater concern than the physical absenteeism of some fathers is the spiritually or emotionally absent father. These are fatherly sins of omission that are probably more destructive than sins of commission. Why are we not surprised that when 2,000 children of all ages and backgrounds were asked what they appreciated most about their fathers, they answered universally, “He spends time with me”? (See “Becoming a Better Father,” Ensign, Jan. 1983, 27.)

A young [woman] I met on a conference assignment not long ago wrote to me after our visit and said, “I wish my dad knew how much I need him spiritually and emotionally. I crave any kind comment, any warm personal gesture. I don’t think he knows how much it would mean to me to have him take an active interest in what is going on in my life... or just spend some time together. I know he worries that he won’t do the right thing or won’t say the words well. But just to have him try would mean more than he could ever know. I don’t want to sound ungrateful because I know he loves me. He sent me a note once and signed it ‘Love, Dad.’ I treasure that note. I hold it among my dearest possessions."

I visited a dear friend yesterday. He is of the age and wisdom that he could be my father and I even suggested that I could have him as my surrogate dad.

To paraphrase Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, not only can we bless our own families, but we can range through the whole world anxious to bless the entire human race. Austin Howard is that kind of man. He is heavily involved in his Moose Lodge and assists young children through its organizational arm, Mooseheart. I am completely grateful for my neighbor-friend.

As his age is creeping up on him, he is having troubles mowing the lawn and cleaning the rain gutters on his rooftop. I volunteered to assist for he has assisted me with his friendliness, his personality, his genuine kindness.

Neighbors, friends, peers and associates all impact our lives in tremendous ways, but the DNA of fathers is more than just in face or feature. Fathers, whether estranged from their children or not, impact each of us in more powerful ways than through our genes. A fathers habits and actions can -- and does -- impact generations. Even my own mother said often of my grandfather, "Well, Daddy did [this or that], so I will." I've remembered those lessons well.

The burden of responsibility and obligation to men everywhere who have the physical capacity to reproduce, and the divine capacity to love and provide for their children should they so elect, reaches points and origins unable to recognize with a myopic view.

lust, love and divorce

A couple years ago I heard a wonderful inspirational speech. The theme was on forgiveness and the pains associated with holding grudges. It seems like most often our closest allies, confidants and friends are the ones we can ostracize and condemn when something goes awry. And even more often than that, family members or lovers quarrel. People divorce and children are estranged from parents.

My wife and I have a lot of great couple friends, but our very best friends, the couple we've known the longest and have gotten along with the best through the years, are currently going through a bitter divorce. Their children are torn. A young boy tells his mother that he wants his dad to come home -- that's what he's going to wish for for Christmas. But, the actions of his father, one of my dearest, lifelong friends, have broken the heart of his tender wife.

Love has been described as a flame. A candle gives light to the darkened house and a fireplace warms up a room in the cold, but when that flame goes out of bounds and is un-contained or uncontrolled the shelter and comfort of home and hearth can suddenly burn to the ground.

In love, faithfulness is mandatory.

I saw recently on the news that CBS is coming out with a controversial drama about wife-swapping. I'm repulsed. CBS has gone to an all-time low. Any glitz and glamor portrayed through a big screen conceals the heartache and heartbreak of what it is really like within the souls of those who do wrong.

I've witnessed adultery destroy many marriages and once-wholesome relationships. Cheating is the biggest lie. Men who commit adultery break the tender hearts of their wives and lose the confidence of their children.

Marriage is a solemn institution of devotion. No marriage is bereft of trial and disagreement, and at times struggle, but faithlessness erodes the foundation of trust and burdens the union of bliss.

Sometimes friendships and marriages are ended over minute ordeals. I believe there are most definitely reasons for divorce, yet the trends seen in America over the last few decades suggests that one in every two marriages end in divorce. Half of those who marry split up. I also know a few people who have been married and divorced more than twice. The odds aren't in their favor.

Selfishness is often at the root of the quarrel and problem. As for my friends, I think it's best for them to split up given the multitude of circumstances I've learned. It will take a very long time for that broken heart to mend.

And, what of the step dads? I believe Joseph, the step-father of Mary, the mother of Jesus, was the greatest example of what a step father should be like. We don't know much about him, but surely, he who was visited of angels and heeded warnings from the Lord, took the baby Jesus as his own and had a full, unconditional love, though the Christ-child was not his.

With so many divorces, there are many fatherless children. Surely not all step dads have perfect love for children who are not their own, and not all children who have step dads allow them to act that way -- to make it easy for them to love.

Fatherless children, or children who have fathers who show a bad example before them, burden a society.

Divorce cripples and crushes. But, sometimes separation and divorce is wholly justifiable and better for the short and long-term health and well-being of individuals and their children.

An abusive home is not conducive to anyone's health. Cheating and faithlessness severs trust which can be impossible to regain. Addition to drugs or alcohol, gambling or pornography burdens already imperfect relationships that require hard work and strenuous effort. Illegal activities and poor choices are unacceptable.

While these things can be curbed, sometimes only with serious professional help and penitent prayerful change, there may come a justifiable end -- a point at which continued patience and forgiveness must meet the legal proceedings of divorce court.

In time, forgiving those who've seriously offended and wounded the soul is possible and important in order to go on living a healthy, quality life. The burden of grudges is a festering wound that never heals.

We cannot control the actions of any other person, no matter how much we love them or how patient we are with them. We shouldn't justify our poor behavior based on the fact that we are 'martyrs' or victims, and therefore justified to be spiteful or simply give up while still in a relationship. Nor should we be self-righteous and feel justified to be angry or abusive in any manner.

Now on to my initial point: occasionally divorce and fights occur from differences in the way the toothpaste container is used. That sort of inconsequential thing happened between John Adams and Thomas Jefferson. They were dear friends at one point, and then through a slight difference and disagreement, they became bitter enemies. As I recall, one even challenged the other to a duel. Best of friends became worst of enemies. Death and murder were at the door.

Isn't that the same with hundreds of marriages? Having worked as a police officer in the past, I can answer a resounding YES with some personal experience and authority to back me up. The flames of love turn from providing light and warmth to scorching infernos that destroy and debilitate.

Like the speech I heard years ago about Adams and Jefferson, referenced from the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, John Adams by David McCullough, friends at first can be friends again at last. And all the hate and hardness in between is a wasteful, treachery that darkens and destroys. The one who is hurt the most in hate is the one who refuses to forgive. Forgiveness is a divine quality that imparts great healing and health, even and especially to those who are the victims of unjustified cruelty and so-called heart-wrenching "love affairs."

The Donut Dilemma -- Cop Talk

http://uneflic.blogspot.com/2008/05/donut-dilemma.html

Kill bin Laden

I received an email from "Dalton Fury" this morning. Here's what I've written about him before:

A few months ago I heard about the forthcoming book Kill bin Laden from a former Delta Force operator and personal friend of mine. St. Martin’s Press picked it up. It should be out in the Fall of this year. Perhaps a movie could accompany it.

Here’s a quick description of the book:

In late November 2001 forty members of the U.S. Army’s super secret counterterrorist unit known as Delta Force were sent to the Tora Bora Mountains in eastern Afghanistan to kill terrorist mastermind Usama bin Laden.

The author, Dalton Fury, is a retired troop commander. (Delta Force is divided into troops instead of battalion-like elements.) Of course, I know more about “Dalton” (which isn’t his real name) and his unit, but those kinds of things are just not talked about. Speaking of taboo, I’ve heard it straight from the mouths of other Delta Force operators how much they loathe Eric Haney, a former Delta operator who went public and wrote Inside Delta Force: The Story of America’s Elite Counterterrorism Unit. The TV series The Unit is based on Eric’s book and he serves as its tactical consultant.

With all the personal struggles Dalton must have faced and with some of his personal contacts who have blacklisted him (or who will), I’d rather take a kinder approach and say, “Good for you, brother. Your decision took A LOT of courage."

Injured War Vet & Old Friend

It couldn't be, I thought. I hadn't seen the guy in several years. We served in the Army together well over a decade ago. Na, that was in another state completely, and I don't live near a military community. Besides, the guy I knew over a decade ago didn't have that scar over his eye.

It was amazing. It was Bryan Gray, our Battalion medic.

I shook his hand and smiled. I couldn't help but notice his left eye. It didn't move as fast as the other one and a scar ran all the way from his forehead, down his eye socket and onto his cheekbone.

"I know you," I said, excited to see an old, familiar face. He had the same expression while looking at me.

"Where was it...Korea?" I asked, then we both said "Fort Carson" [Colorado] together in union.

His handshake was flaccid. He soon told me that he couldn't move his thumb on his right hand. The whole hand was severely deformed and I noticed that he was missing his thumb on his other hand.

"This happened in Iraq," he said, holding up his hand and then pointing to the side of his asymmetrical and partially deformed face, "so I retired."

We spoke about old friends and acquaintances, and he told me details of his three tours to Afghanistan, his deployment to Africa and his first and last tour to Iraq. His wife almost divorced him with how often he'd been gone since 9/11, he said. Of course, he didn't ever volunteer to deploy.

About a month after being in Iraq, his unit had raided several houses and taken a few people. The intelligence section determined they should let a couple guys go. They loaded them up in a convoy and started to drive them back to the local sheikh.

Gray, who retired as a Staff Sergeant with 90 percent disability, was commanding the first vehicle in the convoy driving down the roadway when he noticed what would turn out to be a hoax Improvised Explosive Device (IED). He stopped the convoy and stepped out of the Humvee.

Kaboom! -- an IED buried right next to him exploded and threw him back into the truck. Fortunately, he wasn't injured. Immediately, he yelled at his driver to drive around the hoax IED and get out of the 'kill zone.' As soon as he got the other side, he was blown up a second time. That's the one that took off his thumb and resulted in his fake left eye. The piece of shrapnel that took off his thumb entered into his gunner's leg, but no one else was hurt. His tour of duty in Iraq lasted only one month, but the result was a permanent change of his future.

It was nice to see him again. Unfortunately, he could only see me with partial vision. But he seemed to have a good attitude and good things going for him. "Yeah, I get a nice paycheck from the Army," he said.

"But can you write?" I thought out loud, thinking he couldn't hold a pen or pencil, or grip anything. Normally that would have been totally out of line, but I felt a connection with him and ventured into what would have otherwise been socially uncouth. Before he answered, I asked, "Well, you can still type?" It was more of a statement than a question.

"Yeah, and that voice activated software the military first gave me was crap. It didn't work at all."

We spoke a bit more about other topics. I asked him if he remembered Johnny and told him that he died in Iraq late last year while I was there.

Unwanted House Guest

I didn't want to do it. I told my wife all about the problems that would come along with the idea while I was still in Iraq, but I eventually gave in. Much to my dismay, I now feel like a stranger in my own home...at least that's the way our new house guest treats me. Sometimes I can't stand him.

He's immature. He has bad B.O. and a cranky attitude. I'm almost positive he has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). And, he almost never cleans up after himself, except for the one time he threw up from an upset stomach.

I probably shouldn't talk to ill of him, but it's not like he's going to read my blogs. He could care less. He has his interests and outlets and I have mine. And right now, I need to vent my frustrations.

Sometimes he's really nice to my kids, but other times I'd like to smack him hard because of the way he treats them. My kids have come to me crying because they've been bullied by him. I admit, I've called him some cruel names, which is unlike me.

He's actually part of the family, but I don't really look at him that way since I never met him before now. I suppose one day I can see him as a family member, but it will take some time. There is some good in him, but frankly, for the most part, I don't really like him. I even told my wife I'd like to kick him out of our home and find another place for him to live. She is being very patient with me and encourages me to see the good in him and in the situation. But it's hard for me to see past his repulsive habits. Besides, he likes my wife and my son a lot, but not me so much.

When I came home, I laid down the rules. He was used to running the house, so to speak. He's manipulative that way. As they say, this animal could get away with murder. I suppose all puppies are annoying, but there are times when they are really terrific. You gotta hate the dichotomy.

9/11

Since my recent blogs on the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS), a few readers have appeared interested in homeland security-type issues. Check this out.

Sept 11: I Don't Mean to Scare You, But...

An Unruly TSA?

I have a new email account, created after the upsetting phone call I received recently from Transportation Security Administration (TSA) Investigator Greg Neiderer. It was a terrible welcome home gift after serving a year in Iraq. The government has snooped in on my other personal and private email account. It infuriates me. My right of privacy and my freedom of speech are being bludgeoned, for lack of a better term. The Constitution is really hanging by a thread when government officials use more time, energy and resources to attack whistleblowers than to stop the real threat of terrorism.

My wife and I had an interesting conversation last night. It turns out Mr. Neiderer called my home and spoke with my wife while I was in Iraq. My wife of ten years said he knew I was in Iraq when he called our home. Of course, she was the only one home when he called.

She said he acted like he knew me, and since I had been a Federal Air Marshal (FAM) under the arm of the TSA, and since the caller ID read “U.S. government” with an area code “703” out of Virginia, she thought he may have been an old friend of mine. With that in mind, she told him I was in Iraq. “Yeah, that’s what I thought,” he said, and then he laughed.

There’s nothing funny about that, Mr. Neiderer.

To everyone else, Mr. Neiderer is not an old friend, or even an acquaintance. In fact, I’ve never heard of him in my life until a couple of days ago.

When I got home from Iraq last Monday, he didn’t even allow me a week to relax before calling me and probing me with questions in a supposed all-important government investigation. One would think the nature of this investigation would be terribly serious given the fact that Mr. Neiderer and his ilk at the TSA office in Virginia took some painstaking strides to conduct a thorough search on my recent activities since leaving the air marshal service.

From my personal email he, 1) found out I was a former air marshal; 2) found out I was in Iraq with the Army Reserves and knew that I wasn’t home yet; 3) dug up my personal phone number and called my wife while he knew I was in Iraq. What else did this guy find out about me or my family? Oh, probably everything. Shoot, I wonder if the private email conversations I had with my wife while I was in Iraq were being monitored too! It makes me livid.

All of this just because TSA wanted to know who sent me an email I forwarded in March of this year from my personal email account asking for current and former air marshals to talk to CNN.

I’m flabbergasted. What an extreme waste of tax payer money. It’s absurd. It’s outrageous. Who would have guessed that was more important than fighting terrorists in Iraq or safeguarding commercial aviation assets in America.

Come on! I left the Federal Air Marshal Service in early 2007. Why would government investigators from the TSA violate my personal privacy over something so ridiculous? Why would they violate my personal privacy, period?! It’s outlandish.

But then again, it has been said that the TSA stands for Thousands Standing Around, so maybe they have nothing else better to do with our taxpayer money than harass a soldier who has just returned from war.

My wife, who’s been all alone with our young children for the last year and a half, and who was all alone while I was traveling weekly as an air marshal for years before that, has been very scared at times for her personal safety. It was Mr. Neiderer’s laugh and the uncomfortable way he said things that made the whole conversation seem unusual and odd to my wife, but by then it was too late. She thought she could trust someone calling from a U.S. government telephone line. That is a disturbing fallacy.

The truth is not everyone in the government can be trusted, and not everyone in the government is smart or looks after our best interests. And that infuriates me.

In October of last year, The Star-Ledger out of New Jersey (nj.com) reported the following on the hearing of the House Homeland Security Committee’s subcommittee on transportation security.

Kip Hawley, who runs the TSA, told members of Congress during that meeting, “You can’t do this job if the work force is not trusting of the leadership team.” And then speaking of whistleblowers, who often go to the media since management won’t listen, he added, “Chasing after leaks is not a productive activity.”

Well, Mr. Hawley, I like what you said. But you are either lying to Congress, or someone – probably a lot of “someone’s” – in your organization are outright disregarding what you testified about before Congress. My guess is it’s not just one TSA Investigator named Greg Neiderer, but an entire group of miscreants. And if that’s the case, sir, either you’re guilty of perjury in a federal hearing or your own people are making you look incompetent as a leader.

Memorial Day

Yesterday I went to church with my family. What a change from attending service in Iraq with camouflage and machine guns. I couldn’t have been more grateful. My cup of joy was filled to the brim and overflowing.

Since it is Memorial Day weekend, our congregation sang patriotic hymns, including the majestic Star-Spangled Banner. We all stood up to sing. I couldn’t get through the first line without getting choked up. I thought of Johnny. He didn’t make it home to see his wife and his children.

While repeating the words by rot in my mind, tears flowed all down both cheeks. I couldn’t sing. I cried like a baby. Only the people on the stand could see me. Our Bishop told me afterwards that seeing me wipe my tears away got him choked up too.

For those who are unaware of the history of the words penned by Francis Scott Key (1779-1843), it is something to learn. I won’t go into that now, but suffice it to say, I’ve spoken to groups about patriotic themes in the past, and the attack on Fort McHenry as well as the creation of Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights which are among my favorite topics. In fact, later this week, I’m speaking to kids at school about the flag and the wonderful things it represents.

We often don’t sing the other verses of The Star-Spangled Banner. Here are the words of the third verse:

Oh, thus be it ever,
When free men shall stand
Between their loved homes
And the war’s desolation!

Blest with victory and peace,
May the heav’n rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made
And preserved us a nation!

Then conquer we must,
When our cause it is just,
And thus be our motto:
“In God is our trust!”

And the Star-Spangled Banner
In triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free
And the home of the brave!

DEATH

“We would rather do business with 1,000 al Qaeda terrorists than with 1 single American Soldier.”

According to a forwarded email I received not long ago, that sign is displayed in the window of a business in Pennsylvania. Who would dare post such a sign? Apparently it’s a note on the window of a funeral home.

I suppose that’s a bit flippant, considering this holiday weekend, but if we didn’t laugh we’d cry all the time.

Is it okay to wish someone a “Happy” Memorial Day considering it revolves around death?

I met a mortician once in the early 90s. I was shocked that he didn’t look like someone from the Adam’s Family. He didn’t dress in all black and he didn’t have a gloomy expression on his face or walk around sanctimonious and somber. He was married and had children. Odd, isn’t it? And, he actually spoke. In fact, he was so friendly and seemingly ‘normal’ that I wondered if he actually liked people – living people, I mean.

Email Overload

My in-box is completely overflowing. My last post about the phone call from the TSA was sent out on an Air Marshal Alert to over 6,000 or so people. Of course, there aren't that many air marshals, not according to all the newspaper reports a few years ago. In fact, I probably know more former air marshals than current ones. After seeing how poorly managed the program was and that American's weren't safe because of it, hundreds -- perhaps thousands -- left the nascent post 9/11 agency, including me.

Air Marshal Management

The following was an email I received today from a former air marshal whom I do not know. He left his initials, which I'm withholding. I agree with what he wrote.

Jeff,
As a former FAM, I agree with almost everything you have to say about the service. Maybe I missed it somewhere in the article, but when you mention the problems with the FAM service, please always try mention the problems have to do with management. I would hate for people to think the problems revolve around the front line FAMs who try their best to do the job, no matter how difficult management makes it.
Thank you,

The Government Hates Whistleblowers & CNN

TSA investigator Greg Neiderer called me today. I don’t know him, and I’ve never spoken with him until today. “Welcome home from Iraq,” he began cordially.

“Thanks. It’s great to be back home,” I replied. It didn’t take long until he told me the reason for calling. The Transportation Security Administration, the giant bureaucratic knee-jerk creation that sprang from the rubble of 9/11 and has multiple problems protecting U.S. aviation assets, was investigating a message I sent from my personal email account, I was told.

I thought of the blogs I wrote and occasionally forwarded about the Federal Air Marshal Service (FAMS). It’s one of the most messed up organizations in the world, and unfortunately, they’re charged with stopping terrorists in U.S. commercial airplanes. I don’t believe they’ll be able to stop any dedicated terrorists – ever – because of the poor management decisions since 9/11.

Mr. Neiderer asked me if I knew who forwarded me an email asking for “current and former air marshals to talk to CNN.” He said I forwarded the email to “a couple of people.” I didn’t even recall that email when he said it. I get so many emails how would I know who sent it to me? Besides, I forwarded something else like that not long ago – a Washington Times reporter wanted to know some information and I forwarded the question to dozens of FAMs. He didn’t say anything about that though.

So now I’m getting investigated for forwarding emails? Holy cow! Talk about a waste of tax payer money, having “federal agents” track down my phone number and my background (he knew I left the FAM Service and just returned from Iraq). Is the government also monitoring my personal emails and phone calls now – all because I support the idea of government whistleblowing when going public would save lives?!

After I asked, Mr. Neiderer said I wasn’t in any trouble. Of course I wouldn’t be either, right? Shoot, I left the defunct Federal Air Marshal Service in 2007, a little before getting called to Iraq. And I have freedom of speech, protected by my First Amendment rights. The TSA investigator said I forwarded the email in March of this year.

I don’t know who forwarded me the email, and I’m pretty sure I deleted it. But if I forwarded the email, Mr. Neiderer should have the email of the person or group that sent it to me. What’s the big deal? Was there some kind of hidden code in that email that jeopardized national security? Was there a virus or worm in the email that would involve the TSA to get involved? Of course not. But apparently, there’s something seriously wrong about someone sending an email asking for people to speak to CNN. I don’t get it.

Here’s what baffles me: Who cares if air marshals speak to CNN or anyone in the media. I don’t think they should give away classified data that will help the enemy, but after my tenure with the air marshals, I’d be willing to talk to anyone to help protect America from another 9/11. I was ready and eager to speak to members of the media while working as a FAM, but I didn’t; I waited. Why? Because I saw what happened to Spencer Pickard. He was retaliated against after he went public to say the things the FAMS managers ignored, that the TSA and FAMS policies were so dangerous and ineffective that American’s weren’t safe. Behind the scenes, Pickard was supported by hundreds of FAMs like me. We were all cheering him on, even though we didn’t know him. We were afraid to speak up because we didn’t feel we had enough whistleblower protection.

There’s one thing for sure: the TSA and the FAM Service should be concentrating more on protecting American’s than trying to usurp anyone’s First Amendment rights! I’m ready to talk to CNN today.

I’m a patriot at heart. I’m eager to protect America and American’s from bad guys. It makes me sick to my stomach that too often we’re our own worst enemy. I know a bunch of bad guys who work for the federal government and every policy they make and every terrible decision they enact must be stopped. Sometimes blowing the whistle in the media is the most courageous and appropriate action.

PS After posting this story, Annie Jacobsen pasted it on AviationNation.com.

Old Glory

The sun was nearly at its zenith as I slouched down and sat on the sidewalk outside the VA office. I wanted to quickly go there and to the records office to give them a copy of my military documents, showing I just came off Active Duty orders from Iraq. But things didn't go as planned...

Driving felt funny. Every piece of debris in the roadway reminded me of possible bombs.

Remembering all the customs, social rules and driving laws wasn't foreign, but it still felt strange nonetheless.

When I came out of the VA building, my car had been towed away. I couldn't believe the pitiful irony -- a war vet, home only a couple of days, sitting all alone on the sidewalk downtown, looking like a beggar or a transient.

I'm sure I looked a little strange to the passers-by. The shirt I wore was wrinkled from being in a tight closet for over a year. When I debated ironing my shirt, I figured I'd do it after I got home. Besides, I just enjoyed wearing anything other than my military uniform. But I didn't care too much what anyone else thought. I was just happy to see real concrete, smell an American city, see the people, and enjoy the sun from the U.S. soil.

Looking up and across the street, I couldn't help but see the big, beautiful high-flying American flag blowing in the cool breeze. Her glorious red and white stripes and her brilliant stars amid the bluish hue took my breath away. I was sure that the flag meant something to me that it didn't mean to others. I felt like crying and shouting for joy all at once.

When I went to pick up my car, the owner saw my military ID still in the front of my wallet. When he learned I had just come back from Iraq, he shook my hand and sincerely thanked me, waiving the $125 fee. He said he was too young for the Korean War and missed the Vietnam draft, but that his father served in WWII and his brothers in the other wars. He wanted to do his part. Believe me, his kindness was much appreciated.

Welcome Home

I've been all smiles ever since seeing my family. Even now I have a child on my lap and another next to me. I couldn't be more satisfied or happy. My life is sweet. But Johnny didn't make it home. He can't see his wife or children. He won't have the sweet reunion or enjoy wrestling with his kids or hugging and kissing his wife. Even now, my eyes well up with tears at the thought. He will be missed.

Adoption

My sister and brother-in-law adopted an orphan baby (my cute nephew) from China last year. She's in her local newspaper today.

http://www.standard.net/live/news/133311/

Gas Prices

Above are pictures of the last tent I lived in in Iraq, the Port-a-John toliets we used throughout the year, and an Iraqi gas station. For gas, there were no buildings or gas pumps, just jugs filled with gasoline on the side of the roadway.

I believe it was on May 5th last year, that Kuwait changed their gas prices from the U.S. dollar to the Euro. Our dollar is about half what the Euro is worth. If the U.S. dollar continues to decline or OPEC or gasoline suppliers agree to rate the price of gas to the Euro, we'll be paying about double at the gas pumps, according to the exchange rate today.

My speciality isn't economics, but I believe that if the Federal Reserve lowers the interest rates anymore than the current 2 percent, it will continue to diminish the worth of the dollar.

If I had money to invest, I'd dump it into gas and oil. But since I'm like the majority of Americans and don't have millions to invest, let alone thousands, I desperately hope that our government leaders make wise choices and enact wise laws for all of us. And in the meantime, I'm going to fill up a couple of 5-gallon tanks to store in the event of an emergency.