Tuesday, June 28, 2005


Real American Heroes Posted by Hello
The final cut

Sorry people but I am a little upset today. I keep hearing why is America mad at alot of people.

All i can say is for me.

I can recall 9-11-2001 too damn well, i was wishing that I was still a soldier and that I can destroy all of the USA foes. It came back to me today when i saw some fool say that only 2200 american were killed why are we at war?

We are at war because alot of good men refuse to do nothing. If the USA has to be the world police then so be it just spare me the ACLU whinning.

Why do I hate the Palestines So called nation? I SAW THEM BASTARDS CHEER THE NEWS OF 9-11. (look for video showing them shooting guns and smiling).

After almost 4 years still no bin-lauden head on a stick and I wonder why? I wonder why our so called allies, fance germany, ect ect. say that we are bad but when they need help we always help these ungrateful SOB'S.

We are in war in Iraq, maybe one day Iran and North Korea. We should do a "regime change" and eliminate evil men from the world. Appeasment does not work for bad men all they want is more.

I recall the words from a writter by the name of Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald. I do not agree with him alot of the time but this article I do.

So simple question to the world? If you support what the usa is doing then I thank you, If not I understand but please do not expect any favors from us.

I hope you like the article.


Leonard Pitts Jr. of the Miami Herald



We'll go forward from this moment

It's my job to have something to say. They pay me to provide words that help make sense of that which troubles the American soul. But in this moment of airless shock when hot tears sting disbelieving eyes, the only thing I can find to say, the only words that seem to fit, must be addressed to the unknown author of this suffering.

You monster. You beast. You unspeakable bastard.

What lesson did you hope to teach us by your coward's attack on our World Trade Center, our Pentagon, us? What was it you hoped we would learn? Whatever it was, please know that you failed.

Did you want us to respect your cause? You just damned your cause.
Did you want to make us fear? You just steeled our resolve.
Did you want to tear us apart? You just brought us together.

Let me tell you about my people. We are a vast and quarrelsome family, a family rent by racial, social, political and class division, but a family nonetheless. We're frivolous, yes, capable of expending tremendous emotional energy on pop cultural minutiae - a singer's revealing dress, a ball team's misfortune, a cartoon mouse. We're wealthy, too, spoiled by the ready availability of trinkets and material goods, and maybe because of that, we walk through life with a certain sense of blithe entitlement. We are fundamentally decent, though - peaceful, loving, and compassionate. We struggle to know the right thing and to do it. And we are, the overwhelming majority of us, people of faith, believers in a just and loving God.

Some people -- you, perhaps -- think that any or all of this makes us weak. You're mistaken. We are not weak. Indeed, we are strong in ways that cannot be measured by arsenals.

IN PAIN

Yes, we're in pain now. We are in mourning and we are in shock. We're still grappling with the unreality of the awful thing you did, still working to make ourselves understand that this isn't a special effect from some Hollywood blockbuster, isn't the plot development from a Tom Clancy novel. Both in terms of the awful scope of their ambition and the probable final death toll, your attacks are likely to go down as the worst acts of terrorism in the history of the United States and, probably, the history of the world. You've bloodied us as we have never been bloodied before.

But there's a gulf of difference between making us bloody and making us fall. This is the lesson Japan was taught to its bitter sorrow the last time anyone hit us this hard, the last time anyone brought us such abrupt and monumental pain. When roused, we are righteous in our outrage, terrible in our force. When provoked by this level of barbarism, we will bear any suffering, pay any cost, go to any length, in the pursuit of justice.

I tell you this without fear of contradiction. I know my people, as you, I think, do not. What I know reassures me. It also causes me to tremble with dread of the future.

In the days to come, there will be recrimination and accusation, fingers pointing to determine whose failure allowed this to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again. There will be heightened security, misguided talk of revoking basic freedoms. We'll go forward from this moment sobered, chastened, sad. But determined, too. Unimaginably determined.

THE STEEL IN US

You see, the steel in us is not always readily apparent. That aspect of our character is seldom understood by people who don't know us well. On this day, the family's bickering is put on hold. As Americans we will weep, as Americans we will mourn, and as Americans, we will rise in defense of all that we cherish.

So I ask again: What was it you hoped to teach us? It occurs to me that maybe you just wanted us to know the depths of your hatred. If that's the case, consider the message received.

And take this message in exchange:
-You don't know my people.
-You don't know what we're capable of.
-You don't know what you just started.

But you're about to learn.

The final cut

sorry forgot to ad one thing about sunday.

I was in the Seoul station wanting to take a train from Seoul to Daejeon.

I have been here in Korea for 5 months now so I am used to the ROK soldiers on leave for the weekend, but this weekend I was noticing a little difference. All of the mothers that I saw were holding on to their soldiers a little tighter and I saw girlfriend holding on to their loved ones a little tighter than i had seen in the past weeks. I sure saw alot more tears this weekend that I have seen in a long time.

maybe some good will come out of Pvt. Kims stupidity, I saw alot of loved loved showing it in Seoul on Sunday.


Like I have stated earlier I am an ex-US Army Military Policeman, I did 7 years and then I received and honorable discharge. I have lost people that I have know due to their Army service. When anything like this happens I always remember those who are longer here with us. The real pain of it is this, I am getting older, those faces still stay the same, still the same young men who will forever be with me.



The final cut

A true but funny story. ( i got this from the little green football)..as a vet I loved it...

Memorial Day is a day of remembrance and honor for the majority of people. For a select few, those committed to a “peace at any price” world-view, Memorial Day is a day to protest war, warriors and to hand out printed propaganda. This year in Columbia Missouri, at the Air Show and the Memorial Day Parade the “Peace at any price” propaganda ended up in shreds – literally.

By an earlier federal court ruling, the Veterans group that hosts Missouri’s Air Show was forced to allow the peace groups to hand out their literature and carry protest signs onto the tarmac of the event. The court ruled that protesters had the right to free speech. So, we provided some free speech of our own, by the name of Operation Simply Shred.

A simple concept, legal, moral, and deliciously humorous – Operation Simply Shred provided a polite, free and immediate shredding service for any unwanted political literature or flyer that an Air Show or parade attendee did not care to keep any longer. Small, powerful battery operated shredders in the hands of polite and helpful volunteers allowed any citizen to exercise their own First Amendment right to shred any flyer or propaganda piece handed to them by a “peace at any price” protestor just seconds after they received it. And it was environmentally friendly to boot.

For years, the peace protesters have held their signs and harangued the Military Recruiters. They protest and try to dig holes in the yard at the ROTC building. They set up cardboard coffins fashioned from old “Kerry for President” signs at the Veterans Air Show. One loose cannon peacenik even assaulted a woman one evening as she countered their Wed. spectacle near the recruiters’ office when she refused to take a flyer. Well, they forgot that free speech goes both ways. The peace protesters know the military can’t express an opinion, so they have a captive audience to their street theatrics. Private citizens, however, have no such restraints.

Armed with shredders, signs advertising the Operation, signs supporting our Veterans and Troops, and with no announcement or forewarning we showed up. As the Klingons say “revenge is best served cold.”

The peace protestors appeared like clockwork when the Air Show gates opened and they started handing out their leaflets. They saw us, and at first our signs confused them. We offered to take any unwanted political flyers from any citizen who wanted to give them to us and then shredded them before the eyes of the smiling citizen and in full view of the peacenik who handed it out. The peaceniks were stunned.

When the shock wore off they came to dialog with us. The head peacenik said “its like Nazi book burning, you’re fascists.” We said “you want free speech, well – people who don’t like your propaganda are free to take it from you, give it to us and shred it.” The head peacenik still didn’t get it and walked off muttering about fascists, apparently unable to understand that by shredding his tract, regular citizens were expressing their rejection of his propaganda and affirming their own right to free expression. He could dish it out but he sure couldn’t take it.

The reaction from the regular citizens was astounding. We were thanked, we were given thumbs up, we were offered food and drink (which we declined as we were way too busy), we had veterans of all ages salute us for our efforts and many laughed out loud when they saw us ready and willing to shred a flyer that someone else was handing out just a few feet away.

After two days of working the Air Show, the crowd waiting for the parade, were waiting for The Shredders. As we walked up a side street and folks saw us coming, they started pulling flyers out of their pockets and purses to hand to us, several stating they just knew we’d be there. When one Shredder’s batteries wore out, and she was unable to open it up to replace the batteries, a boy scout stepped forward and switched out the batteries for her. When the shredder was ready to go, he handed her a flyer to shred.

Another Shredder stated that one pamphleteer asked a woman who wanted a flyer if she was going to shred it. The woman said she wasn’t and received a flyer. She immediately turned around, took a couple of steps, and handed it to the Shredder.

The ruling may be appealed and/or reversed by next year. Regardless, Columbia now has an alternate voice when it comes to supporting our Troops and Veterans.

We hope the sting of insult that the peace protesters intended our military to suffer in silence was turned into an enjoyable demonstration, where hurt was assuaged and the anger was diffused.

Thank you Veterans for giving us the freedom we enjoy. Please know, though Columbia has a history of being inhospitable to our military, we are no longer silent.

We came, we saw, we shredded.
The final cut

Wow, i was looking at the Dokto/Takeshina dispute and i was able to find this from a japaneese blog, it does make intresting points.

So who do these belong to?




What is Takeshima?

Takeshima is an isolated group of islets in the Sea of Japan lying at 37 degrees 9 minutes north latitude and 131 degrees 55 minutes east longitude. The group is comprised of an eastern islet, a western islet, and several dozen reefs. The total area of the group is 0.23 square kilometers, or roughly five times that of the Tokyo Dome. They have been uninhabited since ancient times because it is next to impossible to obtain drinking water, and all four sides of the two islets are sheer cliffs.

The dispute over whether Takeshima belongs to Japan or South Korea is known in Japan as the Takeshima problem. In Japan, Takeshima is considered to be under the jurisdiction of Okinoshima-cho, Shimane Prefecture. In South Korea, Takeshima is referred to as Tokto or Dokto, and it is under the jurisdiction of Ullong-do, North Gyeongsang Province.

The background of the Takeshima problem

The Takeshima problem originated on January 18, 1952, when then-President Syngman Rhee of South Korea declared sovereignty over the sea around the Korean Peninsula and proclaimed the existence of the Syngman Rhee Line in international waters. Takeshima was on the Korean side of this line, though it had been incorporated into Shimane Prefecture on February 22, 1905.

Then, on September 2, 1954, the South Korean government decided to occupy Takeshima with military force. On September 15 they set up a lighthouse on one of the islets and notified the Japanese government. Japan approached the South Korean government about submitting the case to the International Court of Justice, but the South Koreans rejected this idea. Since then, Japan and South Korea have held no discussions about the Takeshima problem.

There were three reasons for establishing the Syngman Rhee Line. The first was the intent to avoid conflict over fishing activities. Japan had fished in the waters adjacent to the Korean Peninsula since before World War II. The South Koreans were concerned that continued Japanese fishing in those waters after the war would damage their fishing industry.

The second reason was related to the section defining Korean territory in Article 2 (a) of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. At first, the treaty stated that Takeshima was Korean territory, but it had become Japanese territory by the final draft. When South Korea discovered the change, they thought they should claim sovereignty before the treaty went into effect.

The third reason for the line was that the Koreans wanted a diplomatic card to play in negotiations for normalizing relations between Korea and Japan. An issue for the Koreans in these negotiations was the assets held by individual Japanese still on the Korean Peninsula. According to some estimates, these assets accounted for 80% to 90% of all Korean assets at the time. Repatriating these assets to Japan would have bankrupted the country.

Eventually, Korea seized more than 200 Japanese fishing vessels using the Syngman Rhee Line as justification. They held the interned seamen and Takeshima as hostages to pressure the Japanese government into making concessions during the negotiations for normalization.

The South Korean Claim

One basis for South Korea’s claim that Takeshima is part of their territory is found in the document Dongguk Munheon Bigo (Explanatory Notes for Korean Documents), written in 1770. One section of this document, Yeojigo, contains the passage, “According to the Yeojiji, Ulleong (island) and Usan (island) are all part of the Usan territory. Usan is therefore the Japanese (territory) Matsushima.” Thus, this document records that the island of Usan is the Japanese island Matsushima. Matsushima was the name formerly used in Japan for Takeshima.

The South Koreans use this passage as the grounds for their interpretation that the Usan appearing in the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam (Survey of the Geography of Korea) of 1481 and the Sejong Sillok (Chronicles of King Sejong) of 1454 is also Matsushima. Additionally, the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam states that the Usan territory, which consisted of the island of Ulleong and its outlying island of Usan, was incorporated into the Silla Kingdom in 512. Therefore, Takeshima was South Korean (Korean) territory from the beginning of the 6th century.

The Koreans also insist that since the Japanese claim to Takeshima is based in part on the Inshu Shicho Goki (Records of Observations of Oki Province) written in 1667 by Saito Hosen, a retainer of the Matsue daimyo, their own claim is based on documents that predate these records by about 200 years. They assert that Takeshima was historically Korean territory because the name of Usan appeared in older documents.

The basis of the argument

The issue is whether the island of Usan was the island the Japanese called Matsushima, which today is called Takeshima. In other words, is the citation in the Dongguk Munheon Bigo correct?

The statement that Usan is Takeshima first appears in June 1696, when Ahn Yong Bok, who secretly entered the Tottori domain, testified after returning to Korea that “Matsushima is therefore Usan, and this is also our territory.” The expression “Stated in the Yeojiji” is used in the Dongguk Munheon Bigo, so the Yeojiji, written in 1656, confirms this. All that would be necessary is to check the citation, but this presents two problems.

The first is that the Yeojiji no longer exists. The second is that the Dongguk Munheon Bigo itself is a collection of passages quoted from other texts. Recorded in the document corresponding to the underlying source is the passage, “The explanation according to the Yeojiji is that Usan and Ulleong are the same island”. This means that Usan and Ulleong were the same island referred to by different names. No reference at all is made to Matsushima, today known as Takeshima. In other words, the original passage was altered when it was quoted in the Dongguk Munheon Bigo, on which South Korea’s claim rests. The passage in that document now reads, “According to the Yeojiji, Ulleong and Usan are all part of the Usan territory. Usan is therefore the Japanese (territory) Matsushima.” Thus, one basis for the Korean argument falls apart.

The South Koreans, who regard Usan as Matsushima, or Takeshima, consider the Usan referred to in the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam and the Sejong Sillok as Takeshima. They also consider the reference in those texts to the word “visible” to mean that Takeshima is visible from Ulleong. They therefore insist that Takeshima is their territory.

When Japan and Korea disputed the sovereignty of Ulleong about 300 years ago, however, the Koreans at that time interpreted the same passage to mean that Ulleong was visible from Ulsan on the Korean Peninsula to stake their claim to Ulleong. The same text has been used to claim Korean sovereignty over both Ulleong and Takeshima. This is evidence that the self-contradictory Korean positions present a problem for their interpretation.

Moreover, the policy used for islands when compiling the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam and the Sejong Sillok Jiriji was to record the distance and direction from the government authority with jurisdiction. Ulleong is far from Ulsan Province, making actual measurements difficult. Therefore, the expression “visible” was used to express the distance from Ulsan to Ulleong. In that event, the Usan visible in the Dongguk Yeoji Seungnam and other sources is a small island near Ulleong.

In fact, An Yong Bok stated that Usan was northeast of Ulleong. A look at the map reveals that Takeshima is roughly to the southeast of Ulleong. Therefore, the Usan that An Yong Bok saw was Chikusho (now Chikuto, or Jukto in Korean), near Ulleong.

Further, South Korea relies on the Korean Government Imperial Ordinance #41 of 1900 to claim that the incorporation of Takeshima into Shimane Prefecture constituted an invasion. In this ordinance, the island Tolsom (Seokto in the Silla dialect) is mentioned as an islet of Ulleong. Since the pronunciation of Tolsom in the Silla dialect is similar to Dokto, the South Koreans insist it is undoubtedly that island. But South Korea did not begin to call Takeshima Dokto until around 1904. It is not possible to claim that Tolsom is Dokto.

Here’s why: when Korea conducted surveys of Ulleong in 1882 and 1900, they did not confirm the existence of Takeshima. When Takeshima was incorporated into Shimane Prefecture, it was terra nullius—an uninhabited territory not part of any country. Therefore, Japan’s incorporation of Takeshima into Shimane Prefecture cannot be deemed an act of invasion.

Though South Korea insists that Takeshima is clearly their own territory on the basis of history and international law, the grounds for this assertion are tenuous.

Dialogue

As long as documents and historical materials cannot be verified, it will not be possible to make any progress on Japanese-Korean historical issues, much less the Takeshima problem, when the past is described from the historical perspective that an invasion occurred. Research into Takeshima in Japan has been at a standstill since the latter half of the 1960s. For Japan to insist on its own claims, it must have decisive arguments that overturn those of the other party. But Japan’s rebuttals have been insufficient.

When problems arise regarding the Takeshima issue, the South Koreans simply howl in protest. They have completely forgotten the historical background of this dispute. Additionally, their understanding of history tends to be one-sided because there is no Japanese-Korean dialogue. The examination of historical problems begins from a mutual understanding of the differences in Japanese and Korean social systems and culture and from the consideration of what constitutes the essence of the problem. I think the Takeshima problem should be the opportunity to take the first step in fostering true friendship between Japan and South Korea.

Sidebar

The area is the fishing grounds for the red queen crab (Chionoecetes japonicus)

The area near Takeshima has been a site for harvesting abalone, turban shells, and wakame seaweed since the Edo period. It was also the hunting grounds for sea lions. Today, it is the main site for harvesting the red queen crab. Japanese fishing craft, primarily from Shimane and Tottori Prefectures, operate in these waters. According to the Shimane Prefecture Fisheries Division, the catch of red queen crabs peaked in the early 1980s and totaled more than 20,000 tons. This catch subsequently declined every year, reaching 6,207 tons in 1998. It has continued to fall since then, dropping to 5,952 tons in 1999, 5,254 tons in 2000, 3,886 tons in 2001, 3,339 tons in 2002, and 3,135 tons in 2003. The value of this catch has slipped to 765 million yen.

With the 1999 Japanese-Korean fisheries agreement, Takeshima became a “provisional area” in which fishing vessels from both Japan and South Korea were allowed to operate under the regulations of their respective countries. The agreement stipulated, however, that the 12 nautical mile area around Takeshima would be the territorial waters of South Korea. Japanese fishing vessels are denied entry into this territory.

In addition, the Japanese designated the months of August and September as the period in which fishing would be prohibited to protect marine resources. In contrast, South Korea did not establish a period in which fishing would be prohibited. Thus, according to the Shimane Prefecture Fisheries Division, “As matters stand now, South Korea occupies the fishing grounds and the fishing vessels of Shimane Prefecture are excluded.”

Recently, the private sector in both countries finally began to discuss the issue, and an agreement was reached in which the South Koreans would prohibit fishing for one month. This agreement is not legally binding, however, and there are reports of repeated illegal incursions into Japanese waters outside the provisional area. Kazuo Higo, head of the Fisheries Division, stated, “Not all the reasons for the declining fish catch are attributable to the South Koreans, but I think they are one of the primary factors.”

I finally went on one of those speed trains that I have heard so much about and they were right. We went from Seoul to Daejeon in 1 hour, we went at close to 300 km per hour and it felt great. If you ever get the chance to go by train please do.

This weekend I also watched the funeral of the men that were killed by PVT Kim. It was sad to see and it reminded me just how damn young these kids looked. I saw mothers crying on YTN and I did what any soldier would do, I stood and saluted as the coffins went past. What a waste of some fine soldiers. Still wating for the same funeral for those killed in 2002 by North Korea (in my earlier post.)



Saturday, June 25, 2005

Friday is the 3rd anniversary of the West Sea Naval battle: My Ideals

In June of 2002, one day before the closing ceremony of the World Cup the North Koreans tried to draw attention from all the glory South Korea had been receiving from their amazing World Cup performance by provoking a naval battle in the West Sea. The North Koreans planned for and executed a premeditated ambush of a South Korean patrol boat. In the ensueing clash six sailors were killed and 18 more were wounded.

According to newspapers The government even told the families to be quiet about the incident and sent no flag officers to attend a memorial ceremony or even offer any condolescences. Now being an American I can't even imagine any politician refusing to do this, the outcry would end the career of the politician.

While reading the Digital Chosunilbo today I came across this editorial and I hope that the people in power read and start to do something about it.

The Nation Must Remember Its Fallen Soldiers by Kang Chun-suk
It is the morning marking 55 years since the Korean War began, without a declaration of war by North Korea. Amid the rumble of cannon fire, the Korean People’s Army led by its tanks invaded the South, leaving Southerners little time to save themselves. They say that in the 37 months of the Korean War, 4.5 million people were killed or wounded from a population of no more than 30 million Koreans -- that is 1.5 out of 10, or one member of every five-person household.

Nobody can avoid a war, and this is especially so for young men. According to statistics, about 220,000 South Korean soldiers were killed during the war. Factor in student soldiers and teenage soldiers who were given neither uniform nor rank, the number is much greater. Yet that rough statistic does a disservice to those who died. Is not the today in which we live the tomorrow those who died so young dreamed about? We have our present thanks to the futures sacrificed by those who protected the nation on the battlefield; we borrowed their futures.
Can a rough statistic capture the meaning of their death? Each individual who died in the Korean War was unique; none can be contained in a bare figure. They were young people whose hearts beat, who were the son of a mother and father, the husband of a wife, the brother of siblings.
Who can put them to rest and console their souls? That is the responsibility of the nation, the role of leaders, and the job of politicians. In East and West, from antiquity, remembering those who lost their lives defending the nation was the same as ruling the county. While extolling those who were lost, the leaders of the nation gave meaning to their deaths, reassured us that they were not in vain, and thereby united the nation. While consoling the souls of those killed, they planted the meaning of the nation in the hearts of the living.
There is a book titled “Lend Me Your Ears”. It starts off with a speech from 400 B.C. by the Athenian statesman Pericles eulogizing the dead of the Peloponnesian War. A few pages later there is a speech by U.S. President Abraham Lincoln at Gettysburg, praising those who fell during the Civil War. They are evidence that only leaders who know how to remember the dead can unite the living.
By listening to the speeches of presidents of this country remembering those who fell during the Korean War, did we ever earnestly feel anew how precious the nation is? Have we ever seen this nation’s president call the names of those who fell during the West Sea naval battle three years ago, consoling their departed souls?


url: http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200506/200506240037.html

Very good point about the president and the West Sea naval battles families.

To the families I offer my sympathy and my love for their brave men who died while trying to protect their country and their freedom. I weep with you today.

A famous man once said the honored words about the men who died for their countries. I hope it brings you some relief today.

Gettysburg Address

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate–we can not consecrate–we can not hallow–this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us–that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion–that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain–that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom–and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.




Amen.

Wednesday, June 22, 2005

ok here is the whole list from 26-100

26 Why don't you come up sometime and see me? SHE DONE HIM WRONG 1933
27 I'm walking here! I'm walking here! MIDNIGHT COWBOY 1969
28 Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By.' CASABLANCA 1942
29 You can't handle the truth! A FEW GOOD MEN 1992
30 I want to be alone. GRAND HOTEL 1932
31 After all, tomorrow is another day! GONE WITH THE WIND 1939
32 Round up the usual suspects. CASABLANCA 1942
33 I'll have what she's having. WHEN HARRY MET SALLY 1989
34You know how to whistle, don't you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow TO HAVE AND HAVE NOT 1944
35 You're gonna need a bigger boat. JAWS 1975
36 Badges? We ain't got no badges! We don't need no badges! I don't have to show you any stinking badges! THE TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE 1948
37 I'll be back. THE TERMINATOR 1984
38 Today, I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth.
THE PRIDE OF THE YANKEES (my favorite baseball movie Im 39 and I cry every time on this scene) 1942
39 If you build it, he will come. FIELD OF DREAMS 1989
40 Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get.
FORREST GUMP 1994
41 We rob banks. BONNIE AND CLYDE 1967
42 Plastics. THE GRADUATE 1967
43 We'll always have Paris. CASABLANCA 1942
44 I see dead people. THE SIXTH SENSE 1999
45 Stella! Hey, Stella! A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951
46 Oh, Jerry, don't let's ask for the moon. We have the stars. NOW, VOYAGER 1942
47 Shane. Shane. Come back! SHANE 1953
48 Well, nobody's perfect. SOME LIKE IT HOT 1959
49 It's alive! It's alive! FRANKENSTEIN 1931
50 Houston, we have a problem. APOLLO 13 1995
51 You've got to ask yourself one question: 'Do I feel lucky?' Well, do ya, punk? DIRTY HARRY
1971
52 You had me at "hello." JERRY MAGUIRE 1996
53 One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got in my pajamas, I don't know.
ANIMAL CRACKERS 1930
54 There's no crying in baseball! A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN 1992
55 La-dee-da, la-dee-da. ANNIE HALL 1977
56 A boy's best friend is his mother. PSYCHO 1960
57 Greed, for lack of a better word, is good. WALL STREET 1987
58 Keep your friends close, but your enemies closer. THE GODFATHER II 1974
59 As God is my witness, I'll never be hungry again. GONE WITH THE WIND 1939
60 Well, here's another nice mess you've gotten me into! SONS OF THE DESERT 1933
61 Say "hello" to my little friend! SCARFACE 1983
62 What a dump. BEYOND THE FOREST 1949
63 Mrs. Robinson, you're trying to seduce me. Aren't you? THE GRADUATE 1967
64 Gentlemen, you can't fight in here! This is the War Room! DR. STRANGELOVE 1964
65 Elementary, my dear Watson. THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES 1929
66 Get your stinking paws off me, you damned dirty ape. PLANET OF THE APES 1968
67 Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine. (one of my favs that i have used alot) CASABLANCA 1942
68 Here's Johnny! THE SHINING 1980
69 They're here! POLTERGEIST 1982
70 Is it safe? MARATHON MAN 1976
71 Wait a minute, wait a minute. You ain't heard nothin' yet! THE JAZZ SINGER 1927
72 No wire hangers, ever! MOMMIE DEAREST 1981
73 Mother of mercy, is this the end of Rico? LITTLE CAESAR 1930
74 Forget it, Jake, it's Chinatown. CHINATOWN 1974
75 I have always depended on the kindness of strangers. A STREETCAR NAMED DESIRE 1951
76 Hasta la vista, baby. TERMINATOR 2: JUDGMENT DAY 1991
77 Soylent Green is people! SOYLENT GREEN 1973
78 Open the pod bay doors, HAL. 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY 1968
79 Striker: Surely you can't be serious. Rumack: I am serious…and don't call me Shirley.
AIRPLANE! 1980
80 Yo, Adrian! ROCKY 1976
81 Hello, gorgeous. FUNNY GIRL 1968
82 Toga! Toga! NATIONAL LAMPOON'S ANIMAL HOUSE 1978
83 Listen to them. Children of the night. What music they make. DRACULA 1931
84 Oh, no, it wasn't the airplanes. It was Beauty killed the Beast. KING KONG 1933
85 My precious. THE LORD OF THE RINGS: TWO TOWERS 2002
86 Attica! Attica! DOG DAY AFTERNOON 1975
87 Sawyer, you're going out a youngster, but you've got to come back a star! 42ND STREET
1933
88 Listen to me, mister. You're my knight in shining armor. Don't you forget it. You're going to get back on that horse, and I'm going to be right behind you, holding on tight, and away we're gonna go, go, go! ON GOLDEN POND 1981
89 Tell 'em to go out there with all they got and win just one for the Gipper. KNUTE ROCKNE ALL AMERICAN 1940
90 A martini. Shaken, not stirred. GOLDFINGER 1964
91 Who's on first. THE NAUGHTY NINETIES 1945
92 Cinderella story. Outta nowhere. A former greenskeeper, now, about to become the Masters champion. It looks like a mirac...It's in the hole! It's in the hole! It's in the hole!
CADDYSHACK 1980
93 Life is a banquet, and most poor suckers are starving to death! AUNTIE MAME 1958
94 I feel the need - the need for speed! TOP GUN 1986
95 Carpe diem. Seize the day, boys. Make your lives extraordinary. DEAD POETS SOCIETY
1989
96 Snap out of it! MOONSTRUCK 1987
97 My mother thanks you. My father thanks you. My sister thanks you. And I thank you.
YANKEE DOODLE DANDY 1942.
98. Nobody puts Baby in a corner. DIRTY DANCING 1987
99 I'll get you, my pretty, and your little dog, too! WIZARD OF OZ, THE 1939
100 I'm king of the world! TITANIC 1997
The final cut

sorry i wanted to add these also


Humphrey Bogart's remark to Ingrid Bergman in 1942's Casablanca, "Here's looking at you, kid," was looking at fifth place on the list, but was one of six quotes overall chosen from the film. Others included Bogart's "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship" (20th), "We'll always have Paris" (43rd), "Of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world, she walks into mine" (67), and Bergman's "Play it, Sam. Play 'As Time Goes By' " (28th).


AND MY ALL TIME FAVORITE... 1970 Patton

"Be seated."



Men, this stuff that some sources sling around about America wanting out of this war, not wanting to fight, is a crock of bullshit. Americans love to fight, traditionally. All real Americans love the sting and clash of battle.

You are here today for three reasons. First, because you are here to defend your homes and your loved ones. Second, you are here for your own self respect, because you would not want to be anywhere else. Third, you are here because you are real men and all real men like to fight.

When you, here, every one of you, were kids, you all admired the champion marble player, the fastest runner, the toughest boxer, the big league ball players, and the All-American football players. Americans love a winner. Americans will not tolerate a loser. Americans despise cowards. Americans play to win all of the time.

I wouldn't give a hoot in hell for a man who lost and laughed. That's why Americans have never lost nor will ever lose a war; for the very idea of losing is hateful to an American.

You are not all going to die. Only two percent of you right here today would die in a major battle. Death must not be feared. Death, in time, comes to all men.

Yes, every man is scared in his first battle. If he says he's not, he's a liar. Some men are cowards but they fight the same as the brave men or they get the hell slammed out of them watching men fight who are just as scared as they are. The real hero is the man who fights even though he is scared. Some men get over their fright in a minute under fire. For some, it takes an hour. For some, it takes days. But a real man will never let his fear of death overpower his honor, his sense of duty to his country, and his innate manhood.

Battle is the most magnificent competition in which a human being can indulge. It brings out all that is best and it removes all that is base. Americans pride themselves on being He Men and they ARE He Men.

Remember that the enemy is just as frightened as you are, and probably more so. They are not supermen.

All through your Army careers, you men have bitched about what you call "chicken shit drilling." That, like everything else in this Army, has a definite purpose. That purpose is alertness. Alertness must be bred into every soldier. I don't give a fuck for a man who's not always on his toes. You men are veterans or you wouldn't be here. You are ready for what's to come. A man must be alert at all times if he expects to stay alive. If you're not alert, sometime, a German son-of-an-asshole-bitch is going to sneak up behind you and beat you to death with a sockful of shit!

There are four hundred neatly marked graves somewhere in Sicily, all because one man went to sleep on the job. But they are German graves, because we caught the bastard asleep before they did.

An Army is a team. It lives, sleeps, eats, and fights as a team. This individual heroic stuff is pure horse shit. The bilious bastards who write that kind of stuff for the Saturday Evening Post don't know any more about real fighting under fire than they know about fucking!

We have the finest food, the finest equipment, the best spirit, and the best men in the world.

Why, by God, I actually pity those poor sons-of-bitches we're going up against. By God, I do.

My men don't surrender, and I don't want to hear of any soldier under my command being captured unless he has been hit. Even if you are hit, you can still fight back. That's not just bull shit either. The kind of man that I want in my command is just like the lieutenant in Libya, who, with a Luger against his chest, jerked off his helmet, swept the gun aside with one hand, and busted the hell out of the Kraut with his helmet. Then he jumped on the gun and went out and killed another German before they knew what the hell was coming off.

And, all of that time, this man had a bullet through a lung. There was a real man!

All of the real heroes are not storybook combat fighters, either. Every single man in this Army plays a vital role. Don't ever let up. Don't ever think that your job is unimportant. Every man has a job to do and he must do it. Every man is a vital link in the great chain.

What if every truck driver suddenly decided that he didn't like the whine of those shells overhead, turned yellow, and jumped headlong into a ditch? The cowardly bastard could say, 'Hell, they won't miss me, just one man in thousands.'

But, what if every man thought that way? Where in the hell would we be now? What would our country, our loved ones, our homes, even the world, be like? No, Goddamnit, Americans don't think like that.

Every man does his job. Every man serves the whole. Every department, every unit, is important in the vast scheme of this war. The ordnance men are needed to supply the guns and machinery of war to keep us rolling. The Quartermaster is needed to bring up food and clothes because where we are going there isn't a hell of a lot to steal.

Every last man on K.P. has a job to do, even the one who heats our water to keep us from getting the 'G.I. Shits.'

Each man must not think only of himself, but also of his buddy fighting beside him.

We don't want yellow cowards in this Army. They should be killed off like rats. If not, they will go home after this war and breed more cowards. The brave men will breed more brave men. Kill off the Goddamned cowards and we will have a nation of brave men.

One of the bravest men that I ever saw was a fellow on top of a telegraph pole in the midst of a furious fire fight in Tunisia. I stopped and asked what the hell he was doing up there at a time like that. He answered, 'Fixing the wire, Sir.'

I asked, 'Isn't that a little unhealthy right about now?'

He answered, 'Yes Sir, but the Goddamned wire has to be fixed.'

I asked, 'Don't those planes strafing the road bother you?'

And he answered, 'No, Sir, but you sure as hell do!'

Now, there was a real man. A real soldier. There was a man who devoted all he had to his duty, no matter how seemingly insignificant his duty might appear at the time, no matter how great the odds.

And you should have seen those trucks on the rode to Tunisia. Those drivers were magnificent. All day and all night they rolled over those son-of-a-bitching roads, never stopping, never faltering from their course, with shells bursting all around them all of the time. We got through on good old American guts!

Many of those men drove for over forty consecutive hours. These men weren't combat men, but they were soldiers with a job to do. They did it, and in one hell of a way they did it. They were part of a team. Without team effort, without them, the fight would have been lost. All of the links in the chain pulled together and the chain became unbreakable.

Don't forget, you men don't know that I'm here. No mention of that fact is to be made in any letters. The world is not supposed to know what the hell happened to me. I'm not supposed to be commanding this Army. I'm not even supposed to be here in England. Let the first bastards to find out be the Goddamned Germans.

Someday I want to see them raise up on their piss-soaked hind legs and howl, 'Jesus Christ, it's the Goddamned Third Army again and that son-of-a-fucking-bitch Patton.' We want to get the hell over there."

The quicker we clean up this Goddamned mess, the quicker we can take a little jaunt against the purple pissing Japs and clean out their nest, too. Before the Goddamned Marines get all of the credit.

Sure, we want to go home. We want this war over with. The quickest way to get it over with is to go get the bastards who started it. The quicker they are whipped, the quicker we can go home.

The shortest way home is through Berlin and Tokyo. And when we get to Berlin, I am personally going to shoot that paper hanging son-of-a-bitch Hitler. Just like I'd shoot a snake!





When a man is lying in a shell hole, if he just stays there all day, a German will get to him eventually.

The hell with that idea. The hell with taking it. My men don't dig foxholes. I don't want them to. Foxholes only slow up an offensive. Keep moving. And don't give the enemy time to dig one either. We'll win this war, but we'll win it only by fighting and by showing the Germans that we've got more guts than they have; or ever will have.

We're not going to just shoot the sons-of-bitches, we're going to rip out their living Goddamned guts and use them to grease the treads of our tanks. We're going to murder those lousy Hun cock suckers by the bushel-fucking-basket.

War is a bloody, killing business. You've got to spill their blood, or they will spill yours!

Rip them up the belly! Shoot them in the guts!

When shells are hitting all around you and you wipe the dirt off your face and realize that instead of dirt it's the blood and guts of what once was your best friend beside you, you'll know what to do!

I don't want to get any messages saying, 'I am holding my position.' We are not holding a Goddamned thing. Let the Germans do that. We are advancing constantly and we are not interested in holding onto anything, except the enemy's balls. We are going to twist his balls and kick the living shit out of him all of the time.

Our basic plan of operation is to advance and to keep on advancing regardless of whether we have to go over, under, or through the enemy. We are going to go through him like crap through a goose; like shit through a tin horn!

From time to time there will be some complaints that we are pushing our people too hard. I don't give a good Goddamn about such complaints. I believe in the old and sound rule that an ounce of sweat will save a gallon of blood. The harder WE push, the more Germans we will kill. The more Germans we kill, the fewer of our men will be killed. Pushing means fewer casualties. I want you all to remember that.

There is one great thing that you men will all be able to say after this war is over and you are home once again.

You may be thankful that twenty years from now when you are sitting by the fireplace with your grandson on your knee and he asks you what you did in the great World War II, you WON'T have to cough, shift him to the other knee and say,

'Well, your Granddaddy shoveled shit in Louisiana.'

No, Sir, you can look him straight in the eye and say, 'Son, your Granddaddy rode with the Great Third Army and a Son-of-a- Goddamned-Bitch named Georgie Patton!'

"That is all."
The final cut

hi this was just a funny thing that I saw today and after the last post we can all use a laugh, its the top 25 most memorable movie quotes as determined by the AFI:

1. "Frankly, my dear, I dont give a damn." Gone with the Wind, 1939
2. "I'm going to make him an offer he can't refuse." The Godfather, 1972
3. "You don't understand! I coulda had class. I coulda been a contender. I could've been somebody, instead of a bum, which is what I am." On the Waterfront, 1954
4. "Toto, I've got a feeling we're not in Kansas anymore." The Wizard of Oz, 1939
5. "Here's looking at you, kid." Casablanca, 1942
6. "Go ahead, make my day." Sudden Impact, 1983
7. "All right, Mr. DeMille, I'm ready for my close-up." Sunset Boulevard., 1950
8. "May the Force be with you." Star Wars, 1977
9. "Fasten your seatbelts. It's going to be a bumpy night." All About Eve, 1950
10. "You talking to me?" Taxi Driver, 1976
11. "What we've got here is failure to communicate." Cool Hand Luke, 1967
12. "I love the smell of napalm in the morning." Apocalypse Now, 1979
13. "Love means never having to say you're sorry." Love Story, 1970
14. "The stuff that dreams are made of." The Maltese Falcon, 1941
15. "E.T. phone home." E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial, 1982
16. "They call me Mister Tibbs!" In the Heat of the Night, 1967
17. "Rosebud." Citizen Kane, 1941
18. "Made it, Ma! Top of the world!" White Heat, 1949
19. "I'm as mad as hell, and I'm not going to take this anymore!" Network, 1976
20. "Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship." Casablanca, 1942
21. "A census taker once tried to test me. I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti." The Silence of the Lambs, 1991
22. "Bond. James Bond." Dr. No, 1962
23. "There's no place like home." The Wizard of Oz, 1939
24. "I am big! It's the pictures that got small." Sunset Boulevard, 1950
25. "Show me the money!" Jerry Maguire, 1996

Toga! Toga!" from 1978's Animal House made the list at number 82
Haley Joel Osment's "I see dead people," from 1999's The Sixth Sense (44th).
Arnold Schwarzenegger's "I'll be back" (37) from The Terminator
Andy Serkis' "My precious," (85th) from 2002's The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers.


this was just a few i may post the whole list in a few days... enjoy the laughs and the memories.

Tuesday, June 21, 2005


Remember your men who died so you can be free Posted by Hello
Well a follow up on my last post and for once the USA isn't blamed but man somebody sure was...

This is from the Korea Times:

The ideals of the young generation, with high value on freedom and individuality, conflict greatly with the military culture that gives priority to discipline and regulation. The younger generation, with fewer siblings and many of them being the only children in their families, feel less comfortable with group life than older generations. Soldiers have to share a single room with many others for 24 hours a day, sleeping and eating together, and they are simply not used to it, Lee said.

To young people who are used to a variety of activities, the military's simple routine, such as getting up and going to sleep at set times, is also stressful. Their freedom is limited and they are even punished if they do not eat their meals.In the case of privates, they have to study the subtle communication of a seniors face to avoid being punished. Many young people have never experienced harsh punishment or insults from their parents or teachers. That inordinate hierarchy and abusive language still prevail in the army, even among young soldiers. Critics say commanders should change their approach and recognize soldiers as their partners, not as those who must passively follow their command.

``Leadership is required for officers and ordinary soldiers so that senior soldiers can make junior soldiers follow their command without physical violence or abusive language. Soldiers have to learn better communication skills and build respectful relationships with others,’ Lee pointed out.

Now this beauty form the Chosun: (I am not making this up)!!!

The armed forces don't exist outside the flow of social change. Above all, the young who join the military today are not the young of the past. There exist some fundamental differences that cannot be glossed over with conventional reference to the generation gap. These are new people: their thinking is quite different from their parents, as are their patterns of behavior and values. Most of them, for instance, are only sons who lack the socialization larger families provide. Though they have enjoyed parental love, they have never shared the love of brothers and sisters. Such youngsters put themselves above anything else in setting their values, and they are that much less likely to think of sacrificing themselves for an organization. By the same token, they are less skilled in resolving conflicts with their comrades-in-arms.

The ROK military is now unable to explain against whom the soldiers should defend the state. Last year a Navy boat was reprimanded after repulsing a North Korean naval vessel that had crossed the Northern Limit Line into South Korean waters. Last week, meanwhile, a sizeable South Korean delegation took part in what was touted as a festival of national unity; in Pyongyang. Is it any wonder, under these circumstances, that no order to carry out their sentry conscientiously can appeal to the frontline soldiers? Outside the military, it is not uncommon to hear that the U.S. is a greater threat to our national security than North Korea. Many of the frontline soldiers must feel that what they are doing is pointless.


So let me see if I can understand this, Army life is too hard? The kids cant play computer games all day in a PC room while they are in the Army and they want their freedom but do not want to defend it? The government cares more about giving North Korea money than the welfare of its own soldiers?

Well lets discuss each question that I just brought up.

1. Army life is too hard? Let me see here in the Army you must be willing to do what is done to save your fellow soldiers lives and yours when war comes to Korea. ITS EASY: DO WHAT YOUR TOLD, BITCH WHEN YOU NEED TO, SHUT UP! DO YOU JOB AND IN 3 YEARS YOUR TOUR IS UP AND YOU CAN GO HOME KNOWING THAT YOU DEFENDED YOUR MOTHERLAND. Sorry about the caps, but I was in the USA Army for 7 years and I did my time with honor and have the honorable discharge to prove it. It just upsets me that all the time armies get advice on what they should do from those who never even served in the Army.

2. Cant play computer games all day while in the Army. Well your job is too defend your homeland, not play maple story, star craft or what ever new game is being played in the local pc rooms.

I have see protest against the USA Army being here but if they leave: Will the average South Korean youth be willing to take the USA Army's place and fight and defend South Korea from the North? I think not.

3. You want to have freedom but you are not willing to pay the price for the freedom. If you want to be free and play with your computer and do the things you like then you must pay the cost when the bill comes due, in South Korea is called a draft and for 2-3 years you are in the Armed services. If you do not do you think that your uncle from the north will let you play games if he takes over South Korea. Look at his own county and you can see that answer. Rember ladies and gentlemen, freedom isnt free. It will cost alot of soldiers lives, but if you don't stand up to bully nations when they arise then your freedom is worth nothing.

4. This point was the hardest for me to understand i will list a few examples here...

http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200504/200504250039.html

Kim Jong-seon, the widow of Petty Officer Han Sang-guk, who was killed in a June 2002 naval battle with North Korea in the West Sea, turned her back on her homeland Sunday and boarded a flight bound for the United States. Before getting on her flight, she said, “If the indifference and inhospitality shown to those soldiers who were killed or wounded protecting the nation continue, what soldier will lay down his life in the battlefield?”

In the battle on June 29, 2002 -- one day prior to the closing ceremony of the Korea-Japan World Cup -- six sailors were killed and 18 wounded when a North Korean patrol boat that had crossed over the northern line of control ambushed a South Korean naval vessel. The bereaved have spent the last three years in an atmosphere where it was difficult to even grieve. Nervous government officials, worrying that the incident might cast a pall over the Sunshine Policy, even warned the families to please be quiet. The father said, “My son is buried in the National Cemetery. But I’m going to take my son’s remains to my family burial site in my hometown.” Having watched the situation develop, he thought his son who was killed by North Korean soldiers was considered nothing more than a criminal. Some parents said that they are more scared of people who consider the U.S. a bigger enemy than North Korean leader Kim Jong-il, who killed their son. We lose courage to defend the country, when we hear that a wife whose husband fell in the battle is preparing to leave this country. Reading a condolence letter from the USFK commander to mark the second anniversary, the wife said, "The Americans remember my husband and his brothers-in-arms better than Koreans... Frankly, I hate Korea."

GI Korea Bog had this comment about the article:

The point of my post last summer was how hippocritical things here in Korea are when USFK is still having protests about the two girls killed in an accident in June 2002 which everybody up the chain of command including President Bush apologized for and we the military have made huge improvements to further improve safety and reduced total convoy movements to prevent another accident in a country where thousands continue to die from domestic traffic accidents anyway while in the same month a few days later the North Koreans deliberately kill six South Korean sailors in an ambush to draw media attention away from the World Cup finale the next day and nobody cares. Where are the candle light vigils, demands for apologies, demands for compensation, and calls for a more equal relationship? Obviously the North Koreans are getting the better end of this relationship and the families of the victims are getting a cold shoulder from their own government.


this is the whole article from the link above...........

Can We Ask Soldiers to Die for Such a Country?
Kim Jong-seon, the widow of Petty Officer Han Sang-guk, who was killed in a June 2002 naval battle with North Korea in the West Sea, turned her back on her homeland Sunday and boarded a flight bound for the United States. Before getting on her flight, she said, “If the indifference and inhospitality shown to those soldiers who were killed or wounded protecting the nation continue, what soldier will lay down his life in the battlefield?”

In the battle on June 29, 2002 -- one day prior to the closing ceremony of the Korea-Japan World Cup -- six sailors were killed and 18 wounded when a North Korean patrol boat that had crossed over the northern line of control ambushed a South Korean naval vessel. The bereaved have spent the last three years in an atmosphere where it was difficult to even grieve. Nervous government officials, worrying that the incident might cast a pall over the Sunshine Policy, even warned the families to please be quiet.

During the first two remembrance ceremonies in 2003 and 2004, not one high-ranking government official, let alone the defense minister, showed up. The person who did send condolence letters to the bereaved was not a Korean government official but the commander of the U.S. Forces in Korea. A request by the families to move the bullet-riddled South Korean patrol boat to the Yongsan War Memorial, to show people that here were men who gave their lives for the country, were ignored. “Our children who lost their lives to the enemy are being treated like criminals who tried to ruin the atmosphere of intra-Korean reconciliation,” one family member said.

From the time of the 2002 battle to the end of that year, there were nationwide candlelight vigils to mourn the death of two schoolgirls killed when they were run over by a U.S. armored vehicle. Any civic group worth its salt was there. In June 2004, right around the time of the second anniversary, a crowd of 5,000, including party and government figures, gathered at the funeral of Kim Sun-il, who was killed in Iraq. Their deaths, too, were heartbreaking, but they were not killed defending their country like those who were killed in the West Sea fight.

The Republic of Korea is a nation that does not remember soldiers who answered the country’s call and died fighting for it. It is a nation that silences the bereaved for fear of upsetting the enemy who shot their sons for no reason. Is it a nation that has the right to ask the soldiers who even now guard the DMZ to give their lives for it?



Damn good question the paper brought up, The Republic of Korea is a nation that does not remember soldiers who answered the country’s call and died fighting for it. It is a nation that silences the bereaved for fear of upsetting the enemy who shot their sons for no reason. Is it a nation that has the right to ask the soldiers who even now guard the DMZ to give their lives for it?

If you know what the hell you are fighting for it makes a soldiers job easier but when your own brothers are killed and you can not morn, then the ultimate question must be asked, Is your counrty worth fighting for and worse: is it work saving? The next generation of Koreans will have to answer that one. I can't.

Sunday, June 19, 2005

Wow My first day of this bog and a sad news story to comment about.

A South Korea soldier threw a grenade at his commander and then opened fire on his fellow soldiers near the DMZ killing, at this time, 8 and injuring 2. Kim Dong-min,22, told military investigator that he threw a grenade into an Army barracks, packed with sleeping soldiers, out of anger when he saw a senior soldier who had often yelled at him.

5 soldiers were killed in the explosions and 3 more were killed when Kim was able to take a rifle from a soldier and opened fire with appx 40 rounds. According to the South Korean Yonhap news agency.

CNN and yahoo have reported that Kim was molested by one of the men that he killed. If this is true then why wasn't anything done when the molesting took place?

I am an English teacher here in Korea and I have had about 50% of my male students at my former school tell me that they do not want to complete their ROK Military obligation at all. If this is true for the general population I wonder what kind of Army the ROK will have in 10 years

It will have to be an all volunteer army and that will increase the budget because of the cost to maintain and support a volunteer force. Will South Korea support that and I wonder what happens to a society when their young refused to join their army? History tells that the country or empire will collapse.

Just my ideals on today's events.
Well hello my name is Mike, and I am an English teacher. I now live in Daejeon, South Korea. This blog will be about my time in Korea, observations, and whatever else i want to talk about. Please leave all comments and I will try and answer.