Thanksgiving

Hey everyone, I figured I would write somethign on Thanksgiving now that it has passed. I had an awdesome Turkey Day, and it was good. In fact I sort of celebrated Thanksgiving 3 times. It is ok, not that I really minded. I celebrated a few weeks ago while my brother was home at his finacees house, then I celebrtaed with my parents this past week, and finally I came back to vermont and had a lot fo left overs and dessert with my girlfriend and her family. So I guess that sort of counts as a third one. When my parents and I celebrated we did it on Wednesday, instead, because my mom had to work on Thanksgiving and I already made plans to head back that afternoon. It was all good, I ate so much food, and enjoyed every minute of it. It made running for PT a little bit harder than normal this morning, but it is all good.
I love this time of year, because I actualy sit down and have a chance to think of all the things I have to be thankful for. It makes life seem so much better and all the time I spend complaining seems so dumb in retrospect. I was thinking abput all the awesome things that I have happened to me in a years time. Things that this time last year I neevr would have dremaed of. I have had soem pretty cool experiences I wouldn't trade for anythign, and I have accomplished things I never thought I would. Most of all I am thhnakful for the people I love andthe people who have proven to be good friends to me. You mean so much to me. I am so thankful. I could list a list of things and people that would be way to long. I know life isn't alwasy easy, but it could be so much worse and that in itself is enough to be thankful for. I have it so good and I give thanks to God for that, and for all he has done for me. i am thankful that he has provided a way for me, and that he has given me the motivation to live my life to the fullest. As a result I have seen, done, and experienced some things, that a lot of people will never get the chance to.

Freedom of Speech

Ok, so here goes nothing!!!! I have been wanting to write down some thoughts on the recent contoversy here at school of what can and can not be said. I am not even sure I know what to say myself. I just felt liek I should. Recently it has been debated whether Norwich University should be able to limit some of the things written and produced and said by their students, specifically online. I think that this is outrageous even if it is within their right to do so. On the other hand I am ready to accept some of their concerns in this area. Several Norwich officials have become upset by things posted by students on Facebook as well as Myspace and even on personal blogs similar to this one. So what is wrong with voicing your opinion? Well, first I will say some legitimate concerns voiced by the school. When commants and things become degrading to a person or group of people or when they become threatening this is a good reason to try and limit speech. Recently they have seen some of this. It is a legitimate reason for concern especially when they are included at all as having a connection with the school, even if that is just that fact that they go there. If this is the case, well then fine maybe we shoudl be thinkign abotu restricting what people say. I have no problem admiting that this is well within their rights as a private college.
Here is what worries me. Why are they truly tryign to limit it? I have seriously come to question whether the reasons stated above truly are why. I have notice that soem of the sites/ groups being noted as possibly being censored are simply people voicing complaints against the school. Some are open forums for legitimate issues which the school should be made aware of. The internet is free to the world, and therefore people have every right to write there what they want. They need to simply realize that equal to this, what they right could be used against them in the future. For instance students have every right to post and discuss problems with the school, but say int the future they wanted to get a job with the school or say even working with someone closely connected with the school it could become a road block to them getting hired. The balance goes both ways. As a result Norwich is wrong to limit what students say simply because they do not like it. For instance I am entitled to my opinions that the Corp of Cadets is goign down hill and becoming weak and that the school is becoming increasingly civilian in all aspects and stretching away form its military traditions. I have no problem saying that they are legitimate complaints that I can back up with arguments. So if this is what the school wants to limit they have no real right, and even if they do it goes against they principles they are training men and women to protect. Years form now I could be fighting somewhere to defend the rights of protesters and men and women who burn the flag. So should I not have the right to complain or to voice disgust against things I do not support, like sharing the UP with civilian students. As far the letter written by that civilian girl who said that Katrina and 911 were covenient excuses for Bush to spread his ideas, well as much as I hate what she said, she had every right to say it. On the other hand anyone who disagrees with her has every right to say so, provided it does not come to personal insults and threats. I wish people woudl stop feeling sorry for her though, because so many people have taken the time to speak out against her. They have evry right and she shoudl have though about what she was saying before she said it. People have the right to argue the rediculousness of her argument and to make fun of it. Make fun of her argument not of her, because doing that is enough to make her feels stupid. So in conclusion, with freedom of speech comes responsibility, so you people who are mindless enough to threaten or make fun of someone personally need to realize this. You have the right to say what you want, but remember why you have that right, and that abusing it goes against the whoel point of having it. As far as Norwich, maybe they need to spend less time trying to restrict the freedom of their students and mroe time educting them to use them properly. As far as people voicing legitimate arguments about the school, they ought to have the right. Norwich would be wise to listen to its student population and take in what we have tto say with an open mind. It doesn't mean they have to do it, but they coudl definitely learn somethig form it. You are nto perfect by any means, and you are only making matter worse by threatening to censor students.

Labor Day 2006

Recognition

Congratulations are in order for the Norwich class of 2010, who just recieved recognition as cadets tonight. Yes, there is some dispute over whether they deserve this honor as of yet or if they shoudl be forced to wait till a later date liek the last two years. It does not matter now, and there is no sense in debating something, which when really closely looked at is so trivial. In fact they may be more deserving than the upperclassman who failed to obey the simple orders of their regimental commander tonight. Because upperclassman chose to be loud and routy during the time they were supposed to be silent, it was difficult to hear the Regimetal Commanders speech. Such nonsense should not be tolerated and should be seen for what it really was.....outright disrespect for her.
All this aside I found myself standing there thinking as I watched the freshman walk in. It is events liek these that remind me of all the realities of being a Norwich cadet. Some I wish i did not know and others I would never change. I think every person there at one point thought about there freshman recognition. I know that i thought of mine on several occasion. I thought of all the things that have happened since then. I thought of my rook buddies, who it is hard to believe I have been with for goign on 3 years. I have sometimes questioned he savability of this fine institution. Can it ever return to what it once was? I honestly don't know the answer. I have found myself frustrated almost every week with some policy from the administrators of this college. Things that seem to me to be pontless and stupid. At times I have wondered at things liek this policy which seem to at the very least say that the school isonly concerend with retention based on the fact that to lose a student means to lose more money. I have seen hypocrisy and micromanagement, and often I have seen a dwon right distrust of students who have been asked to lead the Corp of Cadets. I have seen countless civilians, and wondered why they have chosen to come here. I have been angered, that some can not dress properly and have at the very least a clean looking appearance and that some just have a downright disrespect and lack of appreciation for the history of this institution. I saw someone wearing an outfit today that I woudlnt even bother puttingon at halloween. Even if I was by myself and no one could see me, I think I would still refuse to wear it.
In allthis bad, I remembered, that I felt and often still feel great pride in that fact that I have earned the right to be called a cadet. I have seen the true traditions of Norwich live on, some even when others tried to kill them. I think that this institution has the power and energy to do great things, that there is still asense of pride in having gone to the Oldest Private Military College. I have to believe that, or I could nto bear to stay here. The school may be changing, snd with that comes both good and bad, however the spirit of pride and honor must never die. That is what will save this school, or should I say save the Corp of Cadets. I still think there is hope. I hoep we will not turn into what some have termed "cadillians," or civilians in uniforms. I hope that the training of the Corp will grow stronger, maybe the class of 2010, will be successful where in many ways we have failed. Maybe they can have an important role in returning us to a full military status with real militayr training and solid tradotions. It is where many of us want to go, but at times there seems to be road blocks around every corner. You still have a long ways to go, but think ahead and never stop trying!

here is the pic related to last post that was on NU Daily

John Kerry - SHUT UP!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ok, so if anyone reading this reads the blog NU Daily (www.nudaily.blogspot.com) you have already seen this. I wanted to make it aware to any of you who don't. I also really wanted to make my own comments on this outrageous statement. Joh Kerry recently had this to say, "You know education, if you make the most of it, and you study hard, and you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq."
Ok, John Kerry what am I? I will tell you I am some one who would never support or vote for you. Whiel I never fix my own grammer mistakes here on my blog, well I guess wanting to go into the military makes me an stupid idiot. You got to love it when politicians have no idea what they are talkign about. ( which seems to happen a lot) I mean come on democrats, you want the white house but you are turning off a considerable amount of voters when you call the men and women of our armed forces retards. Don't try to denyt association with kerry either, this is the guy you wanted to make our President back in 2004.
I have had the honor and the priviledge to meet several men and women both enlisted and officers who have now spent or are spending time in Iraq. I never met one who joined the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines, because they were dumb as rocks and had no where else to go. I met sergeant at Airborne school who spent a ton of time in Iraq. Not only has he mastered many of the Armys hardest schools, but he has taken so many online courses that he has sevral different degrees. It is a known fact the in the civilian working world men and women with military experience are highly sought to fill just about any postion, and no it isn't because they are big and strong and can lift big things.
While I am at it, I say shame on you to the people of Massachusetts who ever bothered voting for this man and for Ted Kennedy by the way. A senile old man who is commited to a cause he can not logically support. What were you thinking? I tell you what i will never be figting for a man like this. A man who thinks that life in the modern military is some sort fo mindless last resort. I don't know why I am bothering getting my degree, I mean being in the military automatically makes me stupid...according to Kerry. I don't know how I ever managed to learn how to read. I mena from what i get from him that is way above my level ( HUGE amounts of SARCASM)
One last and final point is that John Kerry was in the Military... I mena the guy served in Vietnam, whether you question its legitimacy or not. I guess according to his philosophy he was to dumb to do anythign else either. Hey Mr. Kerry maybe you ought to get your facts straight. I mean come on maybe you hate the war, but seriously. All you have done is wrecked your legitimacy as a politician and as far as I am concerned made yourself a pompous liar.

Facial Expressions WERE a Way of Life

Ok, so while life recently has been good in a lot fo respects, well it got a little weirder and more annoying this past Saturday. I was at my Army FTX(Field Training Exercise), which by the way was not fun at all. 3 days in the field at FT. Ethan Allan. So to give alittle history this probably goes back further than that. A few weeks ago, I got the flu, fallowed by this absolutely awful mouth virus, the many awful and disgusitng things of which I will spare oyu all the details. Anyway, well the final results of this virus dissapeared around the beginnign of last week. I was doing good. I was feelign better, and almsot ready to go on the FTX. All was well till Saturday when we were in the field I knew somethign was wrong. I thought I poped y jaw, because it felt weird when i chewed and such. Ok, well On Sunday ti began to become very apparent. I couldn't move the muscles on one side of my face.I was a little freaked out to say the least. I went to the doctor first thing on Monday morning. They knew what it was. They have diagnosed it as something called Belles Palsy. It is a parlysis of one side of the face. Don't worry they tell me it is a temporary thing. It is sort of funny. I get the weirdest looks and questions like, " hey man did you have a stroke or something?" All I have to say is this better go away quick, because whiel it doesnt really hurt, it is making life difficult and mostly just annoying me. For instance how many people do you know who can only smile on one side or who's eye just won't completely shut without some minor assitance. I guess there is somethign good toget out of this. i will let you know when I find it, but ti makes me thankful for my smile, which by the way I used to think was sort of dorky. When I get it back, I hope I never complain again.