[Cachet's Scrapbook] The Crisis Chasm

[Cachet]

Yeah here is where I plan to post things and all. I dunno what I am going to put here. But I am going to put stuff here....eventually.

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[Gossamer]

. First Posts! No scrapbook should be left with only one post. I love being the first. So in the honor of scrapbooks everywhere, here's a blessing for yours. "May your Scrapbook always bear fruit and be full of juicy goodness." (No subliminal adult messages here. Honest!) .

[Cachet]

Ok so finally worked up the wording to say something here…And well here it goes. Many of these posts will be…honest? I guess that is what wording I would choose for them. I know I am nowhere near as popular as Goss but I plan for my posts here to be as brutally honest and blunt as she is in hers. Mostly because I respect that about her and therefore will follow in her footsteps. Most people when they meet me realize that something is very different about me. I am full of life, creativity and inspiration…but just don’t know where to put all of it. I am also usually frustrated about something and sometimes for no good reason. I could blame all kinds of things for this but my wife (whom I love dearly) put it best for me. She says it is my ADHD, coupled with my passion to try and make a difference in this world; and the inability to know how to go about doing this. She also says I have a unique upbringing and sacrifice selflessly without even realizing it allowing people to step all over me. I just usually blame my ADHD… Now I never realized how true what she said is until well just recently. I do really want to make the world a better place; I think everyone should. And with the plethora of people out there that are only out for them I was raised in a completely different mindset. I thank my father for this. He has to do or die mentality that only comes from being in high pressure situations of war…black ops war. He was a Black Ops C-130 pilot for a while and did things that are still classified with the government and considered treasonous if he discloses. Everything he did if he failed people died, and the repercussions would be possibly catastrophic. He didn’t know what he was doing or why most of the time but he did know that someone was relying on him preforming without a hitch. So he did his best and hoped it was good enough. I inherited that mentality from my father. He always told me ‘train as you fight’ meaning if you know how you are going to fight then why the hell wouldn’t you train for that specific engagement? Especially if you just need to get through it? Needless to say as a child my father was my hero, and he still is. He has done more than I could ever imagine. What happened to this mentality? Why have so many of the people I interact with in my peer group lost this? Sure people may not die if you don’t do what you are supposed to…but really? What is wrong with being reliable? I guess it got lost somewhere between Brittney Spears and Lady GaGa. It just is sad. Is it really honestly me or does it seem that the world around me (us) is degenerating faster than we can try and fix it? A good example of this came from much of my childhood. I was a Boy Scout since I was 12. Laugh it up but I really learned a ton about all kinds of things. And never really appreciated some of the deeper things until now. A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent. If you are a Scout you know what that is. If not that is indeed the Scout Law. Now this paired with the Scout Oath, On my honor I will do my best To do my duty to God and my country and to obey the Scout Law; To help other people at all times; To keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight. I really didn’t appreciate the conviction of these words until again just recently. The law gives a set of things you should be or strive to reach. Because we all know that there are indeed times that actual state, country, or government laws just can’t cover everything. And even if they could would you really want to live by all of them and use them as a moral compass? It seems society is missing these things. Now I’m not trying to indoctrinate anyone here. Polls show indoctrination is much more effective in person anyway. I just point that out because it sets the backdrop for what I am about to say. What in God’s holy or unholy name is going on out there in the world? Ever catch yourself saying that? You know you have. I am growing increasingly sick of the world around me. There are many reasons for this but one is because it seems to operate without any set of values, moral code, or really any set of rules at all. And that alone drives me insane. Why can’t people just try to be relatively decent people and leave it there? I’m not asking you to be perfect people; just to maybe give it a shot. I find myself constantly just stunned at the stupidity around me. Not on this site or by anyone on this site, but by the actual physical world. I remember being made fun of all throughout my life because I was a scout. I didn’t and still don’t understand why that was besides just people picking on me because I would take it. I just wish people would take into account that life may not be all about them. Because it isn’t about just you or just me.

[Tessa Poe]

The World's a funny place... sort of sick, black humour most of the time really. I'm not sure if the world's getting worse though, or if we're just more aware of it these days.

Oh, and as for the Scouts? I went through the whole lot, Beavers, Cubs and then Scouts and had a damn good time, and you're right, it does teach you a whole mess of things that are really useful. I still quietly thank one of my Scout Leaders every time I have to stitch up a hole in something for spending the time with me to teach me to sew. (I wasn't the most co-ordinated child in the world)

[Cachet]

I usually don’t follow much when it involves the UN. There is a good reason for this; it just makes me unusually angry. I was watching the news and well I saw Netanyahu giving his speech to the UN General assembly. I don’t know how many of you have been following the issues between Palestine and Israel but President Mahmoud Abbas filed for statehood. Israel and Palestine had been fighting for the same land for, I don’t even know how long now; and I believe they will continue to do so. Now below are just a few highlights of the speech and points that I think are important and correct. Well, this is an unfortunate part of the UN institution. It's the -- the theater of the absurd. It doesn't only cast Israel as the villain; it often casts real villains in leading roles: Gadhafi's Libya chaired the UN Commission on Human Rights; Saddam's Iraq headed the UN Committee on Disarmament. You might say: That's the past. Well, here's what's happening now -- right now, today. Hezbollah-controlled Lebanon now presides over the UN Security Council. This means, in effect, that a terror organization presides over the body entrusted with guaranteeing the world's security. You couldn't make this thing up. I don’t know what else to say besides it is absurd what goes on in the world. It’s ignorant but this isn’t the first thing like this that has happened. Didn’t they also put Rwanda on the committee for human rights while they committing genocides? I’m all for making everyone involved in the happenings of the world. But let’s say you owned a company. And you needed an accountant. Would you hire an accountant that was responsible for single handedly mismanaging the books of a fortune 500 company and sending it to the ground? No, you would be insane to. And he is right you couldn’t make this up! So here in the UN, automatic majorities can decide anything. They can decide that the sun sets in the west or rises in the west. I think the first has already been pre-ordained. I think that he brings up a very good point here. That the UN thinks it has the power to decide whatever it wants; because it is a council of nations who supposedly know what the entire world wants. So they can make up whatever rules they want and impose whatever sanctions they want to on whomever they want to. And they have. It’s really like a big game of Survivor nations edition. Where all the nations sit down and decide what nation they are going to punish that day. But here’s the catch, not everyone has to get voted off in this survivor; only the people whom the other nations hate the most. So you can punish the people you dislike the most to no end just because you want to. In two and a half years, we met in Jerusalem only once, even though my door has always been open to you. If you wish, I'll come to Ramallah. Actually, I have a better suggestion. We've both just flown thousands of miles to New York. Now we're in the same city. We're in the same building. So let's meet here today in the United Nations. Who's there to stop us? What is there to stop us? If we genuinely want peace, what is there to stop us from meeting today and beginning peace negotiations? Now I’m not going to go into the politics of this but just the fact that these two leaders have to come thousands of miles to be in the same room together is ridiculous. Why on God’s green earth when these people live normally less than half that from each other? If both sides were going to seek peace the UN isn’t going to make a flick of difference in this. Even when the two sides are literally within walking distance. In fact when Abbas was giving his speech Netanyaho was literally less than fifty feet away! Let me help you put this into perspective for you. Every day these two leaders live literally a 2 hour drive from each other about 153km that’s 95 miles. So they had to fly to New York which is like 5000 miles away (roughly) so that they can sit in a room less than 50 feet from each other. Now if they aren’t going to seek peace when they are just a few hours from each other what do you think is going to happen when you put them in a room together? But I forgot to mention this room is like a highschool classroom with nation cliques. That is why they will not seek peace in the UN. The outside pressure. Now I may not know much about the UN but I just approached this with a common sense approach. Looking forward to seeing what the rest of you have to say.

[Tessa Poe]

I really should have posted about this when I wasn't quite this tired...

Regardless, just a little bit about Israel and Palestine and the incredible mess of a situation they're in. It's been going on now... pretty much since the end of the Second World War, after the allied nations decided to create the nation of Israel for the Jewish people so they'd have a homeland, since you weren't sure Cach.

Anyway, for me at least, neither side comes out of any of it well. On the one hand you've got the various Palestinian terrorist organisations and their campaign of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israel, and on the other? You've got the Israeli army, with their frequent usage of the combat bulldozer. Yes, you heard me, the combat bulldozer. It's an armoured and armed bulldozer, a retrofitting of a civilian one, and it's designed to roll up in groups and then roll over entire towns and villages. Now the Israeli government has several excuses for why this is done, whether it's stopping terrorism or knocking down illegaly constructed buildings, but when it's done to allow for the expansion of Israeli settlements into the West Bank/Gaze strip... yeah, it doesn't exactly paint the best picture.

I've only picked out a couple of things about the ongoing mess there, I'm too tired to really go into lots and lots of details. Netanyahu makes some good points about the state of the UN. This is the same organisation that tried to say no to Hitler all those years ago and he just quit and did it anyway. However, I will say this about his speech. It's very, very easy to paint yourself as the 'good guy' in a speech, but just a couple of things about him and the Likud party he represents.

"The Government of Israel flatly rejects the establishment of a Palestinian Arab state west of the Jordan river. The Palestinians can run their lives freely in the framework of self-rule, but not as an independent and sovereign state. Thus, for example, in matters of foreign affairs, security, immigration and ecology, their activity shall be limited in accordance with imperatives of Israel’s existence, security and national needs."

That's taken from the Likud party's manifesto. Now if the party in power in Israel holds that as a core belief and you were a Palestinian, would you consider holding talks with them? Especially if, as far as you're concerned, Israel shouldn't even exist as a state. It's your land that Israel's built on.

However, in 2009 he did make the concession that there could be a Palestinian state, officially recognised and all, but not without loud opposition from within his own party. Oh, and this state? Would have to be entirely demilitiarised, would not have control over its own airspace and there'd be no right of return for Palestinian refugees to Israel. Also, the Palestinians would have to accept that Jerusalem, which lest we forget is actually a holy city for Christians, Jews and Muslims, would be soley under the control of the Israeli state as its capital. Not exactly the best of offers if you're Palestinian is it? Though I can see why he set it out that way, I mean the Palestinians and practically every nation around Israel refuses to even acknowledge that Israel is a nation at all. And when you're living like that, surrounded by enemies on all sides, most of whom you've fought wars with and sometimes more than once? It's a huge step forwards for him to even consider that the Palestinians could have their own state at all.

Arg, I've gone on for longer than I should have done. Sorry Cach. Going to have to stop now though since I need to sleeeeep.

[Cachet]

I will say I LOVE learning. And at first Tess I thought you were full of it. What is he talking about armored bulldozers. Is he talking about a Killdozer? If you don't know what that is just google it. But rather it is an actually commercially built armored bulldozer. Ok so it exists but what does this beast look like? Well here is a picture. Now you may find yourself saying. What's the big deal? The deal is that I'm 6'7" and I wouldn't even be as tall as the front bulldozer blade of this thing! Well crap this thing is huge! Oh and it has a standard pintle mount on the top near the hatch. Wait a pintle mount? Yes. This means the bulldozer can sport everything from a 7.62 caliber Squad Automatic weapon to an Mk 19 40mm automatic grenade launcher....wait...isn't this just a bulldozer? Yes, it is. However read below what I found on an Israeli Caterpillar Branch web site. We have confirmed reports where [the D9] has reflected RPG rounds, and absorbed a large amount of small arms fire at close and long ranges. There is even a case where a D9 has taken an extended assault of hand fragmentation grenades. The HELL? A bulldozer that has absorbed small arms rounds? Now most people consider a 9mm handguns a 'small arms'. But the millitary term for 'small arms'. Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry So an Ak-47 that fires a 7.62 man killing, bulletproof vest piercing, steel shredding round is a small arm because a single man can carry it. Even sniper rifles are considered 'small arms'. However good news is that a 50 caliber machinegun isn't a small arm because it takes two people because the bi-pod to mount it on is so heavy....like the pintle mount on the top of the bulldozer.... Well Tess I have to say I am very impressed and glad again that I learn from those around me like you. I would never have found this without you. Again take this for what it is...but holy hell this thing makes the killdozer look like a childs toy...although it may have been inspired by the killdozer.I'm not sure which of these came first the killdozer or the D9.. I will have to look into this. Because it would be hilarious of the killdozer came first.

[Tessa Poe]

Always happy to be of service Cach

[Cachet]

If you are stateside you have doubtlessly heard about this case I am about to offer my opinion on. I can’t hold back this any longer and feel the need to post it somewhere. I’m going to be bluntly honest and I will likely get some heated responses…but here I go anyway. I did use harsh language…so if you don’t want to read don’t, that’s the beauty of choice. Ok so the case involves two men who (Joshua Komisarjevsky and Steven Hayes) broke into the house of the family of Dr. William Petit. Not an uncommon occurrence. But what makes this crime absolutely horrid and demonic is what they did next. They beat the father nearly to death with a bat. Then tied up the family and raped the 11 year old daughter and the mother in their bedroom. Then proceeded to pour gasoline on them and burn them while they were still alive. The father was downstairs so he was able to escape. But his wife and daughter were more than dead their only remains were burned and charred bodies that resembled something out of the holocaust. Now the crime is absolutely horrible. But what really horrible is how it is being handled in the supposed ‘justice’ system over here. They are arguing over how old Komisarjevsky ‘thought’ the 11 year old was. As if that excuses his actions. He said in court he thought she was 14 or 16…Yeah that makes it sooooo much better. What the FUCK happened to good old justice? What happened to the times when this sick child rapist and murderer would just be simply hung when he admitted he did it? But NO… instead he will sit maybe 10 years or so using and abusing the US Justice system. Stating it is impossible for him to get a free trial, or appealing what a fair trial did give him. So I think this sick bastard and his accomplice Steven Hayes (who got the death penalty) will abuse the system to the end. Partially because they don’t care they will never be around to pay the lawyer bills…unless they somehow get released. And if they get released I really think they have an expiration date of like a month before they end up in jail again or dead. Because stupid people tend to repeat stupid actions. This pisses me off if you can’t tell. Why WHY do we let people like this have trials like this? I understand that we don’t want to put an innocent person to death. That would indeed be horrible; and I understand that groups like The Innocence Project have freed countless hundreds of people from jail who were wrongly convicted. Power to them. But people like these two are the REASON the death penalty is around. Life in prison just isn’t enough; and it is actually quite luxurious for someone like these two bastards. No if I put them in a prison it would be a Vietnam style metal cage and I would have someone break a glass beer bottle over them every 12 hours and torture them in any various way decided randomly twice a day. Some say this is harsh. But I believe that if these guys are going to live their lives need to be as painful as the man they have inflicted. Can you even begin to imagine the pain he is going through? I can’t even believe he hasn’t killed these two guys himself…I would’ve. No lie if anyone ever breaks into my house I WILL KILL YOU OUTRIGHT I’m sorry but I don’t have the time to figure out what it is you want from me. If you want my TV or if you want to rape my wife and burn down my house. I don’t care I will spill out your brains with my 45 caliber HK handgun loaded with full powder hollowpoint rounds. And I will not just stop at shooting you once in the chest. I believe as a SEAL Team 6 friend of mine. “Truth comes in a 3 round burst” Hallelujah!! I just can’t even begin to think how this bastard even thinks he will get off any easier than his friend. And IF he gets anything but life in prison or the death penalty I have officially lost my faith in the US Justice System, no it’s more than that. I will lose my hope in humanity as a whole. I don’t understand why in this case people would not be able to put themselves in the shoes of the father and put death on these people. Thank you for reading, leave comments or rants below. I will read them. ~Cachet

[Cachet]

Oh and here is something else I found that is just precious as well. Taken right from the BBC website. A court in Saudi Arabia has sentenced a woman to 10 lashes for breaking the country's ban on female drivers. The woman, identified only as Shema, was found guilty of driving in Jeddah in July. Women2drive, which campaigns for women to be allowed to drive in Saudi Arabia, says she has already lodged an appeal. In recent months, scores of women have driven vehicles in Saudi cities in an effort to put pressure on the monarchy to change the law. The sentence comes two days after the Saudi leader King Abdullah announced women would be allowed to vote for the first time in 2015. Two other women are due to appear in court later this year on similar charges, correspondents say. Wait a woman is going to be whipped at a post for driving a car? Yes, she didn't kill anyone she was simply just driving a car. I don't know what to say about this...but there are obviously some places that need to grow the fuck up. Honestly.