On Novenber 10, 1775 the Continental Congress established the Marine Corps. That very day in Tun Tavern, Philidelphia the first Marine recuits signed up for service to their country.

It was many long years later that I signed up in a recuiter’s office, and I assure you it was no tavern.

I am proud of my time in the Corps. I try to remember the hard times as a way of keeping today’s stresses in perspective.

I am proud of today’s Marines. I have followed their exploits from afar, and they bring honor to the name Marine.

I an grateful to the families of Marines. It takes courage to let your son, daughter, husband, wife, or friend go to take the ultimate stand for what this nation is.

Happy birthday to all Marines, in every climb and place. God bless you and keep you safe.

Semper Fidelus

A clever bumper sticker I saw recently:

“Fighting for peace is like screwing for virginity”

What it should really say (and this is too much for a sticker, I know):

Fighting for peace is like beating the shit out of a drunken asshole to keep him from raping your sister. (… and I would expect that girls would fight to defend their sisters, too!)

How? You stop the asshole. Your sister is safe. Everyone who cares about your sister has peace. You might not – causing harm to a fellow human being exacts a price, no matter how noble or righteous the cause. The asshole or his family or friends might take it into their heads to exact revenge on you for stopping him from raping your sister. On the other hand, sometimes the asshole learns an important lesson and does not let himself get so out of control again. Sometimes the family and friends will agree with you once they see proof that rape was his intent.

Remember that beating the shit out of the guy before the rape is a preemptive strike. If you don’t believe in preemption, put your money where your mouth is and stand by and watch until the asshole achieves penetration. Then peel him off of your sister and kick his ass.

If everyone in the world wanted peace, we would not need to fight. But as long as there is one asshole out there determined to use force to oppress the innocent, expand his territory, grab more and more power for himself at the expense of others, or engage in any number of other despicable acts, someone has to pick up the sword, gun, or whatever, and stop him.

Just because the threat is half a world away, or only impacts us indirectly, does not make it less of a threat. There really are terrorists out there who want us dead. They are intelligent, crafty, civilized, poetic, educated, subtle, violent and overt. They are any of these things and they are all of them. They fight, using our system against us. They fight, hoping to destroy our system by taking it over from the inside or by bombing us into a state of constant fear.

Do not fear. Fear paralyzes you. Be vigilant. Be aware of your surroundings. Live your life. Love. Laugh. Have fun. Learn. Work. Play. This freedom – the freedom to have our lives, to value our selves (not just ourselves), and to live the way we choose to – this freedom is the only thing worth fighting for.