The Command T.O.C.

Memorial Day - Remembering Those Who Gave The Ultimate Sacrifice

Today is Memorial Day. I started this blog thinking about Memorial Day over 4 years ago. I wondered how best to honor those who have served, those who are serving and those who gave the ultimate sacrifice. I pondered this question long. I knew of the "yellow ribbons" and the corporate "thank you" but it all seemed so hollow. 

People who refused to do the really hard stuff like serve themselves felt vindicated in their decisions by saying "thank you". I wondered if all this "thank you stuff" was really people thanking veterans or was it for them and their problems. Some psychological treatment to overcome their shame for never having really done anything to help the Country or the military. 

But, alas, it did not matter. I realized the biggest thing I could do to say "thank you" to all those who served is to ensure they are never sent to their deaths again without a real reason - one that threatens the very existence of this nation. They would not be sent to war to satisfy some leader's ego or a petty family feud. 

Further, I would ensure that if they were sent to fight again EVERYONE would be part of it. We would never have a class of warrior that goes off to war so the rest of the Country can indulge in some Roman Orgy type economic benefit. 

So, I think, in a very small way, I have accomplished part of this. I have helped the movement which has seen a far more pragmatic and intelligent President get into power. I have helped move the Country to the point where no one thinks (except the nuts on the radical right) the Iraq war is something we should continue - the debate is now just on how to get out, and I have helped ensure the Country will never again forget the follies of the war administration of Bush. Not to persecute Bush but so that we never forget what happened in that dark time. 

So, yes, I say THANK YOU to all veterans and I hope you enjoy the day. Put a flag on a tombstone of a soldier and thank one if you see one. They did their duty and they did it well. 

Now, let us all unite in ensuring there will be no more gravestones. Let's unite in the belief that our Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Marines are the finest and they SHOULD NEVER be sent to war for no reason. Never should they be sent to satisfy some groups ideology. Never should their lives be wasted again. 

Thank you!

Even Key Republicans are Identifying The Danger of Limbaugh and Cheney

This weekend the more moderates of the Republican party have identified the problem with the party. And, the problem is with the leaders (either real or de-facto) of the Republican party. The current appointed leader, Michael Steele is just a mouthpiece. Do I dare say they selected an African American just to say, "see, we can do it too" to the Democrats? Clearly he was not appointed to be the leader of the party.

That title goes to entertainers and nuts. The entertainers are Limbaugh and Hannity and the nuts are Cheney and Coulter. Even when you Google "leader of the Republican party" in the first two items (as of this writing) an article which comes back is a Wiki article on Rush Limbaugh. 

Now, mind you, it is OK by me if they choose to have Limbaugh as their leader. Hell, they chose "Joe the Plumber"  (you remember, the guy who said, "Back in the day, really, when people would talk about our military in a poor way, somebody would shoot ‘em. And there’d be nothing said about that,” - and the Republican's made him a leader) as their spokesperson on the campaign trail so at least Limbaugh is a step up. This is just great. It does not seem like a fair fight but it is the Republican nuts who have chosen this, not the left. 

This is why I left the Republican party many years ago and probably will not return. It is not a party of ideas. It is a party of ideologues. It is a party of people who would rather see the destruction of the United States than a competing idea win out in the marketplace of ideas. It is also the party of hypocrisy. The leaders of the "family values" party are all divorced, have been on drugs, and have gambling problems (Bill Bennett - Remember, The book of Virtues). Further, the leaders of the Republican "war" party are all people who were COWARDS when they were called to go to war. Ask Hannity, Coulter, Limbaugh and Cheney what they did when they were called to serve. It is one thing to be anti-war and not serve but a very different thing to be the lead drummer in sending others off to die while you refuse and cower like a baby in the fetal position when you are asked to serve. 

This is the Republican party of today. A bunch of entertainers, cowards, radicals, and nuts. This is the party which is trying to win back America. I say, keep on keepin on 'Pubs. You will ensure a massive (beyond super) majority next go around and you will be relegated to a late night joke. 

The Republican Self Destruction Machine

True conservatives should be pissed off at the Republican party. Why? Because they are becoming a caricature of politics. Imagine a party being run by the likes of Rove, Limbaugh, and Cheney? Those are the de-facto leaders of this mob that is known as the Republican party. 

Steele, the "appointed head" is about as much of a leadership position as a ventriloquist's puppet. As General Powell said, he had to lay, "prostrate on the floor" as he apologized and begged for forgiveness from an entertainer. 

What would really make this even more funny is if they all took in the nutbag Ann Coulter. Geez, talk about a dysfunctional group of lunatics. 

Anyway, it is great to be a Democrat and it is fun to watch the Republicans. 

What to Do About Lousy Customer Service - GameCrazy

Today I encountered another just apparently horrible company and its name is GameCrazy. On behalf of my son, I took him to this store for his games and the approach and attitude of the associates was just horrible. Further, they advertise as having the biggest selection and they will buy your old games. When you get into the transaction there is a lot "more to the story" and neither of the promises are true. 

So, what to do. I have done this once before with Earthlink and it worked so I did it again. I wanted to talk to an executive in the corporate structure. The first thing when you do this is you have to figure out what that structure is. What I found out was GameCrazy is owned by Hollywood Video whose parent company is actually a company called Movie Gallery out of Oregon. 

Because all call centers are closed and because they could not do anything anyway, I followed the path of the Investor Relations department. Being a Saturday this got me into the voicemail system which is AUDEX, a very common voicemail system and one I know all the commands for. 

Once in the system, I was able to navigate to a company directory (there are no prompts to get there but their commands seem to be the same for any company using this system). Once there, I typed in the name for the person I wanted to contact and he was Guy Marsala, Executive VP of Operations. Once there I left a lengthy voicemail with all my call back information. 

Then I went for it. I tried the command which makes the message a priority message (bumps it to the top of the list) and it worked! Some companies disable that for calls from outside but not Movie Gallery.  So, we shall see what happens here. 

Follow my posts on Twitter. I will use the Hashtag #kogamecrazy and you can go right to see updates on what I am doing to get this disaster resolved. 

Below are the details of the email I sent them which also outlines the problem and how poor this company is. Oh, and BTW, Mr. Marsala is a West Point graduate and was a battery commander. Perhaps he will help out a veteran!

My Internet Speed...

Guys from Comcast came over today and I think did a GREAT job in moving my internet speed up. It has been so slow and they believe it was because of the way the cables were connected; I was losing a lot of signal strength from the box to the actual modem. Now, it is a lot faster. Although, like all things, I would want it even faster.

My best result was last year but my current result was very very close to this:

Cheney Seeking Book Deal - Now We Know What He REALLY Cares About

Well, everyone was wondering why THE BIG DICK was so vocal and so "out in front" when it has been a fairly long lived tradition for VPs and P's to mold into the background when they leave office. Was it his "caring" for America? Did he really believe all the bull**it that he is espousing on T.V.?

Apparently not. We now learn he is out shopping a book deal and wants $2M and nothing less for his advance. Ah, the Great American Way. It is all about the money. Imagine, he is saying, "I really care about America and I really want to tell the American people what went on but only if I get $2M dollars".

I believe we should let the record speak for itself. No need to get any BIG DICK commentary around it. Let's look at the documents, let's re-run his statements about how the Iraq war would be over in 6 months, how it was THE front on Al Qaeda and GWOT, how Iraqi oil sales would pay for it and this would be a no cost war. Let us let the record speak.

But, I am sure he can find some kind of pornographer to publish what will be, essentially, political pornography. Let Larry Flynt print it. That would be fitting. 

Business Wrap UP - GM Will, I Believe, Go Bankrupt

I think the fight with the bond holders will be too much for them to deal with. GM will go bankrupt which will start a "war in the streets" as suppliers start dropping like flies too. 

Conservative radio hosts gets waterboarded, lasts 6 seconds

Chicago's conservative radio host Erich "Mancow" Muller decided he'd get himself waterboarded to prove the technique wasn't torture. Turns out, he was wrong.

Fantastic. Can't wait to watch Hannity get waterboarded as well.

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Ventura: I'll waterboard Hannity into saying Obama the best

After ripping George W. Bush and expressing his desire to waterboard Dick Cheney, former governor Jesse Ventura continues his media storm...

I love it!! I will take Jesse over any of the blow hards on T.V. like the jerk Hannity who never served a day in his sad, pathetic life.

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Dick's Speech Full of "Omissions" & "Misstatements"

Former Vice President Dick Cheney's defense Thursday of the Bush administration's policies for interrogating suspected terrorists contained omissions, exaggerations and misstatements.

Such a surprise. This man is already trying to plead his defense case publicly so that he can claim there is no "impartial" jury in the Nation. Dick Cheney is a lunatic and it is that simple. He lies, cheats and deceives all who go in his path. Has the pacemaker run out of battery life yet?

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