LT Bobby Ross weB Log

Feeling Nostalgic?

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Sat, 01 Oct 2011 11:21:19 -0400

Feeling Nostalgic?

Remember the Compact Disk?

Unique Country Music at it's best.

What is Memorial Day?

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Mon, 16 May 2011 23:23:06 -0400

My years whirl past me. Swirling. Dry, broken grass hovering in a spring breeze. Can I remember my experiences in war? Hardly. Fighting for my country, my youth invested, seems such a long time ago, and so unimportant. The calendar this year marks Memorial Day on the 29th of May, 2000. Have I lost something? The traditional Memorial Day, also known as Decoration Day, is on the 30th of May. This observed Memorial Day on May 29th coincidentally allows for a national three day holiday. Such is commercialism's capitalistic American display. But why do I feel so stricken, like I have abandoned old friends from long ago? Their ghosts consort with my floating years, and their spirits coast around my presence.

Another three day holiday! Memorial Day! Maybe me and the kids can go camping? Or, to the beach? Memorial Day is fun! This is the inconsiderate, thoughtless approach to this meaningful, and consecrated moment representing one three hundred and sixty-fifth of our year. What is the meaning of Memorial Day? Is it merely a three day escape from our worldly duties? Or, is it the official beginning of summer? Is selling more hot dogs at the ballpark the overriding clarification?

Many souls, sacrificed in war, in duty to America, are wandering. They drift in a heavenly place, minus their future here upon earth. Tomorrows were forfeited. Given up so our nation would invigorate free souls, aspire them to freedom, and justly allow their lives lived as they prefer. Raising offspring above restrictions, as they desire. Those lost lives giving we, the living, what we want freely. Those are the souls we respect on Memorial Day. This means it is a sacred day.

Without retrospect, sacrifice is mute. Old Glory does not wave by accident. It flutters in the spring air revealing honor. The color red represents the blood bloom from those who fell, those who clawed, those who cried in horrible pain. Those who died fast. And, those who died ever so slowly. They did their duty. When I see Old Glory waving on a sunny, end of May day, the pigment red gushes from millions of souls, floating, not with us, anymore. They are amongst our heroes, cajoling with angels with their champions, conquerors and commanders. Friends and loved ones gather, over the grave, witness to those who gave more than anyone should be required to relinquish. They did not want to yield. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time, and when the moment harshly struck them their fatal blow, they cried for their mother, or their friend. Then there were those, many of those, who knew exactly what they were giving. They moved forward knowingly. They lost their lives so their mission would be accomplished.

Fools! Some intellects can say that. One would have to be an imbecile to give up life, no matter what the cause. For a flag? Futile! For a country! More pointless! For freedom! What freedom is there in mortality? Yes, fools they may have been, but their numbers add up in an awesome display of American loss! Veterans' Cemeteries, white badges sailing row after row after row upon green grass, almost never ending, creeping onto the horizon. Constant reminders of the devastation of our human treasure. Mothers' tears, enough to fill an ocean to overflow. Sweethearts, broken hearted, reading telegrams. Sons and daughters, many unborn, wakening at birth to a devastated family suffering from a victim of war there no more. And what does all this macabre math equal? Memorial Day is the correct answer.

Few Americans know a person who died in war. Their family trees have lost some leaves, falling as they fought in one of America's wars, or discarded in the peacetime military. We are a busy people. We have business to capture. Our kids are in school. We have chores. Mundane, or surrealistic. We are a spirited society, seeking applications to improve ourselves and our communities. We are a helpful populace, always there when the going gets tough to help those who have suffered the tragedies of nature, whether a hurricane or a famine. Americans are always the first on the scene worldwide bearing their gifts of human spirit and abundance. This is why it is so puzzling that the meaning of Memorial Day seems to lack substance to many of our own people. Even with the day itself. Put back to accommodate a holiday schedule fixed by some organism no one knows, yet powerful enough to do so, the day itself lacks consequence to too many. Many who never knew a person who died in service to America are wrought with the invisible pain of not feeling for those who do.

Americans take things for granted. We have so much. So very much. Endless choices. These options are not available worldwide. Our shelves are full. Unlike many in other nations of the world. So many are empty or offer very limited selections. Those American fighting men and women killed in battle whose souls are floating actually made available these wondrous choices we have every day of our American lives. Yet, most of our youngsters have no idea whatsoever what this means. They don't learn this in school. We must teach them. For without knowledge, they may end up thinking, or believing, all these marvelous selections came without circumstance. Minus anything. Equaling no meaning.

Our nation needs to halt and perceive the flags and flowers on our Veterans graves on this consecrated holiday. We need to lift a common voice of adoration to those floating spirits of our onetime American Warriors, and extol them with a salutation. We have not come that far with our technological miracles of this millennium to become crass. We still need respect. Our backs can not turn from formality. Our eyes can not look away from custom. Our voices must not resonate in silence against honor and glory. To do so will leave us hollow, only to fill us with that which is desolate and lacking potential. This is not the true meaning of Memorial Day. The heartfelt significance requires reminding. Story telling. Wisdom being passed on from our Veterans to our younger generations. An interpretation certified by those who remember the horrors of war. Without this core, our society can not remain genuine. It becomes contemptible. It rots from within. These floating souls of our lost American Warriors are a powerful force, for they live within our hearts. They constantly seek justification for their contributions, and they are real within us. Such is what our American substance stands for, where character is developed, individually is guaranteed, and a community, a nation, survives.

America enters the 21th Century as the most powerful entity humankind has ever experienced. America permeates this next century with vast responsibilities. Our children must bear this promise. We can not turn our backs on these bygone descendants, nor can we do so upon ourselves. Memorial Day offers us the opportunity to express a moment of solitude where each of us can personify in our own way what we feel. I only speak for my myself, as one who has bared his soul to the dread of war. So my father did, and his father's father before him, and their souls float amongst the multitudes. My mother and her mother held their Veterans after they returned from war, tears streaming down their cheeks in gratitude for their safe return. And there were those in my ancestry who did not return from war. And their mothers' tears soaked the pillows on beds for generations to sleep upon. Their souls are the dreams that drift amongst the floating, gathering at the end of May in the breeze of summer's coming, in the cool glass of lemonade at the child's street side stand, in the cheers at the ball game from the crowd rooting their team to victory and enjoying the best hot dogs in the world. Let us all stop for a moment, whether it is on the traditional day, or the observed Memorial Day, or even at the end of May, and reach for those floating souls. Let us reveal to them how much we cherish their sacrifice for our free people. Let these memories harvest our recognition of the meaning of Memorial Day in a very simple word. And let that word, simply stated be: Thanks.

(copyrighted 2000)

PEACE, LT Bobby Ross

LRRP Net now on Face Book

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 11:37:04 -0400

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Stop war in the 21st Century

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:24:25 -0500

How do you stop war in the 21st Century?

I think Gene Rodenbury's "Star Trek" had some good ideas. He flew 89 combat missions in World War II for the US Army Air Force, and he was also a Los Angeles cop, so he was certainly not an 'idealist'. Like him, I do believe that socialism is the collective answer to putting a stop to certain aspects of the human political problems, and suffering. Communism did not work. A man has to be able to own his own cow, or he will not farm it. Communism took away a man's balls. Socialism is working in many nations, including America. I think war has to stop. The means we have to put a real halt to some aspects of religion. Rodenbury was an atheist because he blamed religion for the continuation of war. Education of the masses is a key factor. And I do believe that America is the only country that can bring about these changes. This is why the 'elite' is trying to destroy it.

The way to stop war is to make it unprofitable. Charge every corporation who makes one red cent either directly or indirectly from war profits to pay for the care of the wounded Veterans. Take that responsibility away from the 'tax base' and place it onto the 'corporate gross profit' base. By doing this, you would put an end to war within a year after such a law was passed. And, you would suddenly see a 2/3rds reduction of the standing military.

All wars after WWII ended that America has participated in were and are 'illegal'. Every single soldier wounded or killed in those wars are the corporation's responsibility, no the tax payers. Under our Constitution the Congress shall 'declare' war. This has not happened since the attack by the Japanese military on Pearl Harbor. Much the same as the patenting of 'seeds' that Monsanto has done via a new 'stipulation' from the Supreme Court, the Congress and the MICC has passed 'resolutions' to send our best kids to be slaughtered in all of these wars for the only purpose to put more profits into the pockets of a very few elites. And it sure is a good deal for them. Congress passes the 'resolution', they draft or get volunteers to join the military so they can be sent to some far away place to fight for our 'freedom', and an enormous amount of our National Treasure pays for the whole thing. Then, when these brave soldiers return home wounded, the responsibility is placed on the tax payers via the Veterans Administration. It's a 'Win-Win' formula for the MICC.

If in fact, WE THE PEOPLE, voted to place the financial responsibility for the care of the soldiers who fight in these Rich Man Wars upon the shoulders of those really responsible for them, then these corporations would 'shift' their corporate missions to other forms of revenue rather than war materials. If in fact war became 'unprofitable', then it would be put to an end.

Now, I'm not against having a strong military. Not in the least. And I'm a true believer in the 2nd Amendment. And I do not believe in isolationism. I surmise that my country, America, has the responsibility to our citizens to protect our cherished freedoms. As such, it is the obligation of our government, and all citizens, to accept the role of being the world's policeman. And, as such, we need to arm ourselves and defend ourselves.

But, the key word here is'defend'. This function has been obliterated by the war profiteers since the ending of World War II. Now, it is the function of our government and military to be the aggressor, and to wage war in anyway we desire for the sole purpose of making a few more wealthy. This is not only wrong, it is evil.

But, the true fidelity lies in the American Democracy, and WE THE PEOPLE. We Americans have turned our backs on ourselves. We have allowed the elite to take away our power of the vote. We are no longer a Democracy. We have allowed ourselves to become a multi-national corporate autocracy.

A New Decade

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Thu, 27 Jan 2011 12:48:10 -0500

Hello!

Well, we are well into the new year. The President's speech last night concerning our state in this union went over like a fog bank hitting an iceberg. There is now doublespeak regarding double-dipping in the nation's housing market. It is little wonder. Who can qualify to buy a $250K house? And who can afford to live in one? And we hear that the job market is weak. Little wonder after our free trade agreements wholesaled the exporting of them to Communist China and Vietnam. The other night I saw 9 more soldiers (one was a gal) who had given their all in Iraq and Afghanistan as of that day. I thought we had stopped fighting in Iraq, and I'm still wondering why we are fighting in Afghanistan? Perhaps it is because our Western World's dependence on its opium? And, of course, the 'gloom and doom' reports are non-stop on just about every subject from Global Warming to our President's birth certificate.

So, life goes on!

On my end, I'm well ahead of the game at my organic seed farm. I have attached some pictures I took in the fog yesterday of my 'turning earth' policy out here, and you can see that I still have a lot of work to do before it's planting time. This Winter has been a hard one on my Show Birds and Bengal Cats, but we have weathered the wet and cold, and I am proud to say my flock is more healthy than ever, and they are all 'frisky' and wanting to be shown and find new homes.

On a few other fronts, my '21 Song Salute' record album project in Nashville is going GANG BUST. We are at the final phases, now, of dealing with the budgeting and gathering support for this entirely new, and premier music production. We have the 21 songs. That process took me a year and a half. They are written by some of the best songwriters in Nashville, and they bring a solemn reverence honoring our men and women fighting in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. For those of you interested, please visit my new web site at:

http://www.rassio.com/21songs/

My dear friend, Bill Taylor, known to many here as The CENTURION has a new web site, as well. Please visit him and his astute writing at:

https://thecenturionchronicle.com

Looking back at the 1st Decade of the 21st Century, I have some smiles for the
good times, and some sadness for the bad. Moving from Nashville and the duck club was very hard on this old LRRP, but I made the best of both of those moves. And, I learned from those adventures that our economy is not to be trusted as a 'given'. Now, starting this new decade, my eyes and ears are more addressed to the reality of the opportunities that are 'real' and not 'promoted' by the few. This is my 23rd year on the Internet as a professional, and I have established an incredible network of good people around the world who are now part of my family.

LT Bobby Ross

www.centurionus.com

Ocean Beach

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:02:03 -0500

Hello!

I sent you my Veterans Day message back a few weeks ago. I always spend this day with my partner, The CENTURION. On that particular morning, I took him to one of my family's favorite hangouts, the Cliff House on the Pacific Beach on the Western border of San Francisco. I parked my Lincoln in front and when I got out with my Nikon 200 camera strung around my neck, here comes this handsome young couple walking towards us. The gal was very pretty, and the guy had a Cannon camera strung around his neck. So, me being the producer I am, I asked him if he would mind taking our picture. He complied, and one thing led into another, and low and behold, we created an artist event. Turns out this young man is an incredible professional photographer and video producer with a large company in San Francisco. Just a few days ago, he sent me this web site of a video he had captured of me telling his galfriend what I thought of that day's meaning as a Veteran. You have to watch this. It's a kick in the ass!

LT Bobby Ross

Happy Thanksgiving!

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Fri, 26 Nov 2010 09:01:07 -0500

Hello!

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's a very cold morning here in Sacramento, California. We set record lows last night, and this definitely takes me back to my youth filled days when we would awaken on my Grandparent's farm 60 miles north of here just outside of College City. All of my Clan would journey to their farm so we could spend Turkey Day with the Old Folks. Most of us would arrive the night before and because we would not respect my religious grandparents, we would not smoke or drink inside their farm house. So we 'scoundrels' (men) would assemble in a part of one of the barns where we set up a refrigerator filled with cold beer, whiskey and assorted cheeses and fruits.

On Thanksgiving morning, we would harvest the pheasants in the alfalfa or sweet potato field. It was always a memorial hunt. We would line up all the hunters at the southern end and begin to move forward, north, towards the Buttes. Dogs always worked in front of the line. Spotters were sent to the north end of the field to prevent the birds from 'running' and flushing in front of the line's gun range. We always returned with a large sizable number of 'pretty birds' and always had our pictures taken in a ceremony of lore.

Then it was 'football time' and we watched the games on the "B&W" TV set and ambled about while the 'women folk' prepared the meal. Always traditional: Turkey and all the trimmings. About 2PM we were served. My Grandpa always carved the bird, and for some reason, the first cutting was the right leg of the turkey, and he passed it to me, one of his several grandchildren. I don't know why he did that. Years later, as he was dying, I was the only one in the Clan who could communicate with him '1 on 1'. He was as sharp the day he passed on as I stood by his side as he was in my first memories of him. I was special to him. He was a poet and a writer. I was the only one in the family to follow in his footsteps.

Those years are long gone. And, so is the first decade of the 21st Century. Hard to believe, but it is so. Dry leaves revolve outside, reminding me of my memory, on this cold morning. I think back to the start of this decade, and the beginning of this new Century, and it amazes me that ten years have passed, like the leaves in a chilly breeze. So, on this nippy forenoon, I am mindful of my indebtedness to the bounty of not only this past year, or decade, but my life in general. So, I wanted to share a couple of links on this festive feasting Holiday of American distinction with you, as well as a few of the multitudes of pictures that I pulled out of my bag this morning, and wish you all a very warm and pleasant Thanksgiving.

http://www.jacquielawson.com/preview.asp?cont=1&hdn=0&pv=3270942&path=83562

This link kinda reminds me of how thankful I am to be an American. And, the first picture I attached is one of me and an Air Force Major I served with in the long ago Vietnam War when we flew in a very similar aircraft. Our mission was to call in air strikes on enemy targets. I lived to write this email to you. A picture is worth a thousand words? Perhaps. But a thousand words can not tell you how pleased I am that I am here, breathing, in good health, and ready to go work on my farm.

http://www.vintageflying.com/page24.html

LT Bobby Ross

http://www.rassio.com/pmmusic.php

Veterans Day

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:15:52 -0500

On Wednesday evening, I was invited to spend the night with some friends in their home in the Berkeley Hills. I took a picture out of their living room window on Veterans Day morning. The weather in the Bay Area could not have been better, as you can clearly see.

From there, I drove to San Francisco to meet with my partner of 20 years, The CENTURION www.centurionus.com. The Bay Bridge was closed when I arrived. Some nut case had tried to off himself by jumping off the bridge, and left a note or phoned into 911 that his car was loaded with explosives. So, the line of traffic was stacked back to Sacramento, I do believe. I sat there for about a half hour, but then I was on my way, picked up my partner, and we drove straight to the Cliff House for gin fizzes. (Old family tradition!)

Then it was off to the VA hospital at Fort Miley. We had a very nice visit with a Navy Chaplain there. Then we drove across the City by the Bay to our favorite hang out, Sinbad's, on the water near the Ferry Building and had a wonderful Veterans Day lunch. After that, I had a meeting with a very famous 'individual' in his Bank of America Building office, and that lasted until about 6:30PM. Then I took Bill home to his place on Post Street, and I was off to Sacramento for my last meeting at 9PM to watch the HBO Veterans Day Special Documentary "Warton" on the subject of PTSD. Overall, it was a wonderful day. Hope all of you had a good one, too.

LT Bobby Ross

http://www.rassio.com/pmmusic.php

Harvest at LT Bobby Ross' Farm!?

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Mon, 08 Nov 2010 17:18:08 -0500

I'm in full swing harvest mode on my new farm. Thought you'd all get a kick out
of some pictures of the fruits of my labors since I got this place last
November. Any of you interested in getting involved with my "LT Bobby Ross'
Seeds for Survival' organization, get back with the code word:
seeds!

Also check out my new web site below!

http://www.rassio.com/pmmusic.php

LT Bobby
Ross

I'm home, and it sucks!

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Wed, 05 May 2010 20:28:55 -0400

The old cliche, "You can't go home!" often rings in my ears. But, I have come home as I stated in my last BLOG post. The other evening, I decided to go further into my past by going fishing in the American River under a bridge that I fished under as a kid. What a surprise!

Today, in my home State, here in its capital, Sacramento, we see our local politicians work in our Capital building day in and day out. It is common knowledge here that we are bankrupt. Now, there are other words for this condition like 'lack of funds', or 'not enough tax revenues', or 'The Recession'. But, all those candy coated phrases do not hide the fact that the biggest and most successful State in America can not pay its bills.

Why? Well, I can not answer that one. California is the 8th largest economy in the world. That includes the US of A, China, England, France, Russia and the North Pole filled with Eskimos. Yet, we are bankrupt. Maybe it's because we have allowed too many illegals to cross our borders so we can plant and harvest our garden that feeds America? And, they also clean our motel beds, wash our restaurants dishes, and yes, sell dope to our poor kids in the school yard.

OR, maybe it is because we have allowed our banks and investment institutions to become too greedy and as of September 19th of 2008 when the 'bubble burst' exposing the fact that maxing out your credit cards by buying the crap you can not afford to 'pretend' you are keeping up with the Jones, is not a formula that works.

OR, perhaps it is because it is time for we Native Californians to take a serious look-see at all the folks living here that came from the other 49 States and say, "ENOUGH"!

Whatever the reason or reasonings, the pure fact of the matter is that we have allowed a certain portion of our population to bankrupt us.

When I went under the bridge I fished under in my youth, I was amazed to see the real California of today. It is a dump. Our police, politicians, religious leaders and community leaders allowed this to happen. It's under this bridge. I took some pictures. I have them on this post. Pictures do not lie. The first one shows the Sacramento skyline looking South from the entrance to the bridge. The second one shows the bridge and the American River sign. The next shows another sign of just how we citizens of California are planting new trees to make it more beautiful. Then the rest of the pictures show the real picture. Take a look. It is what California has become. It has done so because no one cares. This 'filth' and duplicity by our California leaders demonstrates exactly why we are bankrupt. It is why we are going down!

Remember, what you are seeing in these few pictures I took this morning is only a mile from our State capital building.

I guess I should be mad. But, as a combat Vietnam Veteran, 100% disabled from that insane experience, I think I'm just sad. This great State I was born in, as was my father and grandfather, is now alive under this bridge.

35 Year Anniversary of the US Retreating from Vietnam

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Sat, 01 May 2010 20:00:18 -0400

I served in the LRRPs in the 101st Airborne Division in 1968 and 1969. Seeing these pictures yesterday, 35 years after we 'won' this Rich Man's War, and knowing today, this very moment, our kids are being slaughtered in the same fashion in Iraq and Afghanistan, makes me dream that one day, perhaps ten thousands millinimum from this one..., there will be a moment when there is 'peace' for the human race. It is a dream. Killing is our nature. We are going to continue to violate the peoples of Iraq and Afghanistan in the name of 'profits' and the large percentage of the American people don't care one little bit that we are doing now what we did 35 years ago. It is not important. Today, I do not think of Vietnam 35 years ago. I think of the kids who lost their lives today in Iraq and Afghanistan. I do care. But, then, who am I?

When I sent this out last evening to my LRRP Net, I only heard back from a couple. Since I've gone to this new BLOG format, it seems my 20 year old network has lost interest. I have not. Very few of those very few are entering this site where me, Bill, James, Sandra and Dan are working day in and day out to establish a new format for those around the world to visit to see there are 5 Americans living in America who do care for America.

Also, yesterday, I had this post sent to my Facebook page. A few have responded.

However, if I had posted something about screwing a 3rd grader, there would be hundreds of thousands responding. OR, if I posted something about "God is Good", then all of Right Wing America would have responded. Sex and God attract on the Internet. This is because Americans are interested in sex, and God, but they are not interested that 35 years ago, we retreated from the longest war in our history when the North Vietnamese rolled into Saigon and took over the city.

Today, in Senjaray, Afghanistan, as in Iraq, the 'Rules of Engagement' are of such that our soldiers have their hands tied behind their backs. General McChrystal has issued a series of tactical directives banning most forms of air support. The Taliban works with the other 'natives' openly, and also with the Americans indirectly. Lawyers in the States are watching every single move our soldiers make so if they do protect themselves in combat, they are subject to being tried for murder. Many are ordered not to shoot back.

And example of this is this directive: If a Taliban shoots at our soldiers, empties his clip, kills two and wounds another, and then drops his empty weapon and runs away, our soldiers can not return fire. If they do, they will be tried for murder if they kill this enemy soldier who has just killed two of their buddies and wounded a third.

Our soldiers hate it. And the moral is as bad as anytime in the history of our nation. No one is reporting this. The Right Wing owned Left Wing media is being paid by our MIC to shut up.

Who is expendable? Our soldiers.

And where are the pictures? The ones of the children killed? The ones of old people killed? The ones of our soldiers blown to bits?

Sanitized.

And, who cares? Let's see, there is me, and maybe a dozen others. Or maybe even a million. But, that is a very small number.

So, if you have read this this far, good for you. If you want to comment, do so. If not, that's KEWL. I have not given up on my country. It is the only one I want to live in. But, I have not given up on seeking justice, either. I figure it is my duty, as a surviving soldier from the Vietnam War to do my best to express myself as to the real 'news' out there, and to expose those who are trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the few who do actually care.

I've been to The Wall in Washington, DC, many times. I have sung my songs there. I have watched the thousands go by, looking at the names, and crying, silently, and openly for the 'loss' of this tragic 'mistake'. So, 35 years ago, we lost a war that we could not have won. And, today, this day, we lost some great kids fighting for the same 'enemy' I was fighting for: us.

LT Bobby Ross

http://www.rassio.com/lt/

Never-Seen: LIFE in Vietnam, 1965 - Comments
Source: http://www.life.com/image/ugc1042582/in-gallery/41902/never-seen-life-in-vietnam-1965

Me Riding My Water Buffalo

We often times forget what is important

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 12:59:54 -0400

Hey LRRPs

In the Generations, we often times forget what is important. So, yesterday, I went back to one of my oldest 'Stomping Grounds'. When I was a very young lad, perhaps less than 10, my Dad took me and my baby brother to a fishing hole that was 'his spot'. He called it "The Gorge". On the way to South Lake Tahoe from old Hang Town (Placerville) on Hwy 50 was my destination, and about 75 miles from Sacramento, I came to a stop at the "38 Mile" marker that is a piece of stone that was left from back in the "Olden Days" when the Pony Express and the Immigrants and Gold Diggers came over Echo Summit on their last 'hump' to the Sacramento Valley.

I have not been back to The Gorge for 30 or more years. As I was getting ready for the 'killer' descent into this 'up and down' place on the South Fork of the American River, memories began flooding into my mind. My Dad was a fly fisherman. He thought it was an insult to the fish if live bait was used to catch him. My Dad's best friend from college days at San Jose State, and a Navy combat Veteran from WWII like himself, had two sons, and me and my baby brother grew up with them. We were constant friends since our first memories, and all 5 of us often times made the steep journey down into the heart of The Gorge.

Time vanishes like the water you see here in these pictures. Old friends vanish, too. My Dad is gone, now, and so is his best friend. But the waters of The Gorge still flow. And shall do so for the rest of time. The Great Spirit will not allow otherwise. And, yesterday morning, at 6:45AM, I finally made it down the steep decline and stood at the headwaters of the American River along which banks I was born shortly after WWII. I stood there quietly and listened to the rush of the water and it sounded like my yesterdays. Of course, I went there to fish, but fishing was not my interest as I finally stooped and touched the cold water with my right hand.

Spirits joined me. I thought I heard voices. But there was no other human there except for me. I crawled around like an old intuition seeking a new inkling.

There is an old saying: "You can't go home."

When I retired from a 25 year career in the music business in Nashville at the end of 2004, and returned to the place of my birth, there were some common attributes to that shabby dictum. However, in The Gorge yesterday, I finally came home.

LT
out

Tim McVeigh as F-18 Pilot?

nospam@example.com (LT Bobby Ross) — Tue, 20 Apr 2010 21:45:32 -0400

James Nathan Post wrote:

Rachel Maddow, nightly commentator who just ran a two-hour documentary on McVeigh last night.

Just sent this to MSNBC:

Rachel, I am disturbed by your Tim McVeigh doc. Your experts keep describing him as psychotically cold for his military attitude about his mission and his motive, and they describe his killing of 168 people as a major horror almost beyond belief. How is what he did so different from the missions of every F-18 pilot who dropped a ton of bombs on a building in Baghdad killing 168 men, women, and children? Is it because of war those children are different, and their killing not murder? Is it because they are Muslim or Bathist they should be killed with professional detachment? Is it because the pilot had permission of George Bush that dropping his bomb was not an act of terrorism, but liberation? Because his name was read in church with praise and prayer every Sunday? McVeigh did it once. Our pilots did it ten thousand times in Iraq, and our leaders are frothing for the power to do it again in Iran. Do you think no F-18 pilot ever asks himself if it was really all right for him to do exactly the same thing as Tim McVeigh did, for whatever reason each of them chose, yet he should be called not a psycho but a hero, and he should feel not guilt, but pride? And yes, Rachel, I do have the bones myself, a box of bones you wouldn't want to have to carry.

James Nathan Post
Albuquerque NM

http://www.postpubco.com/sacrifices.htm

Hey James!

OK, I don't know her! So, your comments are out of sync because I
have no idea what she said about McVeigh.

Just between the 4 of us, however, I went to the OK Bombing Memorial
several years ago, shortly after it was dedicated on one of my LT Bobby
Ross Greyhound Bus Tours. I was staying with a real nice Veteran and
his family there. They took me to the memorial late at night. It was
still. Not another person in the place. I was totally by myself. I
got into the middle of it, and fell to my knees sobbing.

Not certain I would not do the same at the memorials in Japan for the
A-bomb blasts?
Or the Nazi concentration camp memorials?

I have been to several Civil War battle sites. HEAVY. Those were
where 50,000 guys on the Blue and Gray side were killed. There were a
couple dozen or so such battles.

Comparing McVeigh to any of these other sites, however, is a bit of a
stretch. I do understand where you are coming from, however, and The
Black Snake still coils inside of my soul for calling in air strikes on
innocent villages in Vietnam. That was the easy part. Walking through
those villages afterword was the hard part. So, I guess Timmy Boy and
me have a lot in common. His saving grace, however, is we executed
him. I have to live now with my Black Snake as my only mistress....

First "LRRP Sit-Rep"

nospam@example.com (ross12) — Fri, 16 Apr 2010 17:50:49 -0400

Hey LRRPs!

OK, this is going to be my very first "LRRP Sit-Rep from LT Bobby Ross" that is going to be posted exclusively here on my BLOG. I will no longer be sending these via email breaking a 22 year old tradition. I'm doing this because I want to bring 'real' change to my LRRP Net. Many of your are valuable contributors to all my postings over the last two decades, and now it is time you get to take your spot on the real page of Cyberspace.

This post is a follow up to my last one concerning the 1% of the population owning 99% of the wealth. I am going to go a bit deeper here, however. Back on September 18, 2008, Senator McCain was the Republican candidate for President and he was telling all of us how strong the American economy was. On the next day, the bubble burst and we entered into the worst economic times in the history of our country. On September 20, 2008, Senator McCain exploded with his rhetoric saying he had been warning us all along about how bad our economy was. That one statement cost him the election.

A short time later, I told all of you that by October 15th, 2008, this country would be turned upside down and ruled by hate. Well, here we are. April 16, 2010. Our nation is a gathering storm of hatred and resentment, anger rules our every move, and our government and business community has shown us their real colors. We are 'upside down'. And there is very little love left in our political climate because we are dividing. Not just to the Left and Right. A big portion of the American voters are moving to the Middle.

And, many of us ask: "What next?"

I do believe we are due to have a much larger economic crash. I saw it coming before 2008, and I see much more damage ahead of us. We simply have allowed a very small group of people to destroy our economy. Why? Largely because we just don't care. 200 Million American DEAD WOODs control our political landscape. These people don't vote, they don't work, they are criminals in and out of our prisons and jails, and they just don't care. The other 100 million of us are at their mercy. And our 550 professional politicians pander to those 200 Million because they can. That certainly is a simple statement, but when 2/3rds of us just don't give a damn, do you think 550 in Washington DC do?

Now that I have changed my "LRRP Sit-Reps" to this BLOG instead of my 'blind copy' email format, I do expect 'change'. This BLOG will open the door wide to my LRRP Sit-Reps. We will no longer be a small group. We will be open to the entire Internet. And, this is my desire.

I am closing by giving you 3 web sites that I think you should check out. By doing so, you will see clearly that on our horizon there are dark clouds. America is in a lot of trouble. And, what we have seen in the past year and a half is NOTHING compared to what the darkness covering our horizon is bringing. I do hope you are not kidding yourself into believing that everything is going to work out just fine. It is not. Our military is losing its war on terrorism, our economy is tanking, and our culture is rotting right before our very eyes.

It is time for change. WE THE PEOPLE can bring about change, peacefully, in the voting booth. So, check out these 3 web sites and then be brave and make your comments on this BLOG so all can see.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ssl5yb7FewA&aia=true

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kunB4SnAh4g&NR=1

http://moneynews.com/StreetTalk/george-soros-market-crash/2010/04/15/id/355816?s=al&promo_code=9C29-1

LT Bobby Ross

Sit-Rep from LT Bobby Ross

nospam@example.com (ross12) — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 16:49:15 -0400

Good Morning LRRPs!

Starting a new week. Lots going on around the bottom of my Manure Pile. I left my home of 5 years on November 18th of last year. Today, a little over 4 months later, I am in the downward stages of many of my projects.

I love this country!!! Where else in the world could a 62 year old man, 100% disabled by his war wounds, be able to prosper so dynamically, and so quickly from a 'bad deal'? The American Dream does live in this country if the individual is brave enough to aspire to it. For those who are not, well, their lives are often times absorbed into a nightmare.

We are getting closer and closer to the November elections. A few of us have been working around the clock to prepare my web site at: www.centurionus.com

I am going to take aim on this election like I did the last. I am not going to falter. I am not going to give up on the top of my Manure Pile.

I do believe this coming election in November is going to be one of the most important in our history. We have the opportunity to bring real 'change' to our government. Will it happen? Time will tell, won't it?

The "Rich Folks" are becoming more and more of a target of the dwindling Middle Class, the poor, and the ruined. I love Capitalism. The alternative SUCKS! But, I believe in the will of "We The People". I think it is wrong for one man to own all the wealth in our country. As such, the facts are that 1% of our population controls 99% of our wealth. This is wrong.

I'm not a Communist. Nor am I a Socialist. I'm an American. As such, I trust in the power of our Constitution. And I believe if you pour water into a bucket, it will seek its own level. I believe this should be the way our economy works, too. The less government interference, the better. The less taxes, the better. The more 'open', the better.

You all know that I have been involved heartedly in "Saving the Sacramento River". Our governator is trying to build The Big Ditch taking the water from the California Delta to Los Angeles. By doing so, he will destroy one of the biggest inland waterways in the world. This is a simple statement, but we will be voting on this in California in November.

I am giving you all a web site here:

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_western_water_baron

Please read it. From top to bottom. See exactly how the 1% of our population controls 99% of our wealth.

Maybe we can establish a "LRRP Thread" around this?

Hope you all have a great week!

LT