This morning's emails

As usual, I had a lot of emails waiting for me this morning.  Of the first 13 emails, 12 were asking for money.  One was from Doctors without Borders, to whom I already donate monthly, and the rest were from political candidates. 

Of the political candidates, none of them were running to represent me or anyone else in my state, and none of the elections (except perhaps judges, not sure about those races) were going to be held any time soon.  And yet each is written with the false sense of urgency I would expect from a con man.

Then there are the impossible goals.  Constitutional  amendments that would never be enacted and impeaching Trump is just as unlikely.

I made one political contribution about six weeks ago and this is the result of that.  Pissing me off like this is counterproductive.

Suspected drug smugglers

Every article I read about the navy destroying a ship, the article refers to them as 'suspected drug smugglers'.   In no instance have I read that an armed boarding party was sent to the ship to inspect the cargo.  I think that falls into the same category as 'he's black, must be a gang banger'.

They may have intelligence leading them to suspect a specific ship is a drug runner, but without actual proof, destroying the ship and killing the crew is an act of piracy and murder.  

Yes, boarding the ship does expose the crew to risk.  It is the same sort of risk every cop is exposed to when they break down a suspected drug dealer's door.  If the police, who don't have cannons backing them up can do it the right way, so can the navy.

The military has rules of engagement. I was in the army, not the navy, but I suspect that "there's a boatload of brown people they must be guilty of something" doesn't meet the criteria. Of course the draft dodger in chief wouldn't know anything about that. 

 Using the navy to interdict drug trafficking is not in and of itself a bad idea.  By all means board suspected ships, and arrest the crew members if they find contraband.  Those ships found to be carrying illegal drugs should be confiscated and sold, not sunk, with the government retaining the proceeds. 

And the drugs?  Those are the evidence to be presented in a US court, after which they can be destroyed.

A reminder of the greatest generation

On my recent trip to Europe, I spent most of a day at the museum and graveyard on the cliffs above Omaha Beach.  I have always enjoyed museums but this experience was something entirely different.

Some was just a recitation of history while much of it told individual stories of people who not only walked into danger but gave their lives to protect their comrades.  That was walking through the museum.  

This is what I saw as I walked out of the museum.  This photograph doesn't come close to capturing of what I saw,

 Before leaving I took this video to capture a little more of the scale of this place.

 

 

I tend to be stoic about a lot of things, but I spent much of that day holding back tears. A lot of these graves hold teenagers.  During World War II, you could enlist at 17 with parents consent, and be drafted at 18.  Somewhere between two and three thousand died on Omaha beach, and many others on the Utah, Sword, Gold and Juno beaches.

 The next time you watch a World War II movie that includes the D Day assault, like the The Longest Day, give a thought to the sacrifices made that day.