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THOR’S DAY RANT: Stolen Valor, or Infringed Speech?
Written by Troglodad
Thursday, 22 July 2010 15:16
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Let me preface this rant by declaring I am a veteran of the USAF (1990-1994) but that I have no combat awards, medals, etc other than the Nat'l Defense Medal given just for being on Active Duty during a conflict.

So I was watching Fox News this morning and they have this schmuck on TV whining about how a Court ruled the "Stolen Valor Act" is unconstitutional. Stolen Valor? WTH?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stolen_Valor_Act_of_2005

Apparently, this law was passed in 2005 and makes it a Federal Misdemeanor to lie about military awards. Indirectly. Under the act, it is illegal for unauthorized persons to wear, buy, sell, barter, trade or manufacture "any decoration or medal authorized by Congress for the armed forces of the United States, or any of the service medals or badges awarded to the members of such forces." (-Wiki)
WTF?

What's next? Are we going to criminalize women lying about their age or weight? Make it a crime to lie to women in bars about your marital status, what car you drive or your profession?

Whiney-ass this morning on TV felt that liars cheapen the awards. He was upset that his fallen comrade in arms never got to see their awards- they were posthumously given.

Hey, dumbass, heroes don't do it for the glory.

I absolutely can't stand jackasses that have to rub it in everybody's face they were a Navy SEAL, or they have a purple heart, etc. etc. I'm not saying they shouldn't have been given an award, but let's be brutally honest. Medal of Honor winners didn't charge machine gun nests thinking "Damn, this medal is going to look AWESOME on my uniform!" No, they did what had to be done out of selfless heroism. And anyone who brags about their medals is a complete ass.

Think about it this way, Mr. Medal-Winning-Whiney-Ass. You are bragging about how you killed people and got a shiny award for it. God forbid someone else claimed to be a killer just to get some bling. Maybe you should think about why anyone brags about something like that. Heroes don't brag. Heroes tend to stay mum on the subject. It's attention-seeking punks that brag- whether the source of bragging is true or not.

Is it despicable to lie about military service? Yes. It is. We veterans- whether or not we won any awards- sacrificed our freedoms and liberties, and some, their lives, to ensure the freedoms and liberties of all Americans. Liberties like freedom of speech.

Those who went above and beyond were given awards, not to wave around and brag with, but as thanks for exemplary duty. Anyone who rubs such an award- earned, or imagined- in your face cheapens all award winners.

Society is full of people with inferiority complexes. They hang plastic testicles on their trucks. They wear flashy jewelry. They stick their noses in the air. These are all indicators of people desperate to make you believe they are better than you. Precisely because deep down, they don't believe it themselves. But do we really need to criminalize people who try to make themselves feel better? Isn't the fact they know they are liars enough? Yes, it's wrong they claim to have saved lives, but short of making the claim to commit some kind of fraud, do we really need to pass judgment on them? Surely our judgment won't be as bad as the judgment they've already passed on themselves.

Maybe Mr. I-got-a-bronze-star-and-you-didn't should think more about his fallen comrades, and be thankful he isn't one of them, then trying to get people locked up for self-aggrandizing lies.

This whole story reminds me of a classic military saying: "There are old pilots, and bold pilots, but no old, bold pilots."

I guess next, we'll start going after all those "ninjas" running around.

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Posted By Troglodad to Troglodad at 7/22/2010 02:51:00 PM

 
Sorry, but I AM better than you…
Written by Troglodad
Friday, 09 July 2010 08:57
1 Comment

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,"-Declaration of Independance, Contental Congress, July 4, 1776

" The legs of the lame are not equal: so is a parable in the mouth of fools." -Proverbs 26:7

So which is it? Are we all equals, or aren't we?

On the one hand, the United States was founded on the principle that all men were created equal. On the other, God tells us that some are not equal to others. So which is it?

I say we aren't equal- and that it isn't a bad thing. I say that I am in fact better than a crackhead or a murderer or a rapist serving time in prison. After all, I'm not in prison, I haven't done drugs, murdered or raped anyone. At the other end of the spectrum, I'm better at reaching for things off the top of the refrigerator than my wife, or anyone under 6 feet tall. Simply because I'm taller.

Better is a fact of life, yet people seem to get really upset about it.

I was watching Ghost Hunters Academy this week, and I was quite heartened by contestant Eric Baldino's remarks after he lost the contest to contest Adam Berry. He wasn't upset at all. He thought that Adam did a better job, and he (Eric) knew he had done the best he could. That's sportsmanship. That's something we should be teaching our children.

Instead, my kid often comes home from school telling me about being taught that no one is better than anyone else. The liberals like to proclaim that as well, handing out our tax money to deadbeats that won't even try to get a job. They refuse to accept the fact that people can be better than others. They stigamtize "better".

There's nothing wrong with someone being better than you. What's important is that you try your best. Like Mr. Baldino.

I'm better at getting things off tall shelves than my wife. And given her gun-phobia, I'm a better marksman than her. I'm also better at eating steak. But she has a better singing voice than me. And she surely dances better than me (not that I ever dance). The point is, why do so many people feel compelled to bring down the accomplishments of others? Why is it such a big deal that someone is better than you?

As parents, we should want our kids to be better than us. I'm thrilled when my daughter does better than me at a video game. Or that she's a better artist than me. I take pride in her accomplishment, despite the fact I have absolutely nothing to with it- it's something she has done entirely on her own.

Fanatics enjoy the abilities of professional atheletes, who are of course better than they are at playing sports. Politicians always like to throw around that they are better than their opponents. So why do we teach children that they are equals? Why do we try and convince men and women they are equal?

God (not Darwin) created us all equal, but he also gave us different gifts, and we make different choices that make us better than others in some respects.

While I know I'm overall a better person than a murderer serving time, I have very little doubt that there isn't something they're better at than me- like maybe playing basketball, lifting weights or fashioning weapons out of toothbrushes. But like Mr. Baldino, I should be a good sport- whether I'm better, or my opponent is. Better is a fact of life. We should all take pride in accomplishment- whether it's ours, or someone else's.

So kudos to you Mr. Baldino, for being a good "loser". And kudos to Adam Berry for being a gracious winner and not rubbing it in anyone's face. Unlike so many reality shows, Ghost Hunters Academy has set a positive example many of us would do well to investigate.

 
THOR’S DAY RANT: Wait 4 Independance Day, you jerks!
Written by Troglodad
Thursday, 01 July 2010 23:27
No Comments

All you idiots out there with fireworks, itching to make some noise- wait until Saturday. Some of us have work tomorrow morning.

I mean, cmon! It's Thursday night, I'm sound asleep by 10:30 PM, and BOOM! I get woke up by frickin' cannon fire next door. What the hell?!

First off, things like roman candles are only legal if set off by an adult on their private property. Standing in the middle of the road to amuse your guests is illegal. And it pisses me off. I was trying to sleep.

You want blow your fingers off and make some noise? Awesome. But let's wait until Saturday and Sunday to do it it. Independance Day is July 4th, you dumbasses.