I took part in that! 3rd Week

Well, We are slowly moving along here with Anything at Anytime.  One step at a time and constantly moving forward.

This week I kept my visits to the site down to 10 visits and we are seeing a bit more traffic form all around. 
I Believe that next week will be the last Weekly post of I took part in that and from next week forward We will be doing "I took part in that!" on a monthly basis.

So here it is:

Giveaways and Remembrance

The Giveaway side:

I ran across this site by referral from a family member that mentioned another relation had a blog, so of course being a good "2nd" cousin I had to go pay a quick visit and check out this site:  Living with the Lebedas is a good "Mommy" blog (her words not mine).

From what I have seen and read so far Jen has it going and has built up a little following and she has a kicker to boot, Giveaways!  She constantly has some contest going for giveaways.  There are instructions on what to do and how to "gain" additional draws.  The current Giveaway is for a T-shirt, go check it out and see if maybe you might be interested in giving it a shot and see if you might win.  You Never Know!?!?

Now the Remembrance side:

Now when Jen realized I had a blog she came to my blog and posted a comment wanting to know a bit more about me and mine.  Well, we chatted a bit and will continue to do so from time to time about whos, whats, and all of that but I figure that I could post a tad little bit about the whos and whats of our first meeting. 

Her father, my cousin who just so happens to have a few years on me (jab, jab - nudge, nudge), was assigned on board the USS Belknap (at the time the Flagship of the 6th Fleet) Home Ported in Gaeta, Italy. 
I at the time was serving on board the USS Sierra AD-18 (destroyer tender) and we were at the beginning of our Med-Cruise. 

Well, one of the places we were scheduled to port was Gaeta, Italy.  Now, at that time I knew my cousin was in the Navy but last I had heard he was in Washington DC.  He on the other hand had been keeping in touch with family regularly and knew I was on board the Sierra.

The Sierra pulls into port along side the Belknap and we are secured from detail, and within 15 minutes of securing from the detail my Chief is calling me over saying I have a visitor.  At that time I have no clue as to who, what, where, not a thing is coming to my mind as to a "visitor" and to get on board that quickly across the Flagship to boot.

Lo and Behold I report to my Chief and there is my cousin a 2nd class Petty Officer chatting along with my Chief and 1st class Petty Officer Wardean (a royal pain in the you know what).  My cousin informs me he has cleared it with my Chief so that when I get liberty (freedom for a few hours) I am to go spend time with him and his family for dinner. 

One of those moments of pure enjoyment when running into a relative when least expected!

So (yes, I am going to do it Jen), when Jeff (my cousin) gets me to their house to introduce me to his family, up runs this little blond girl who is maybe knee high on a grasshopper (told her that yesterday) to hug her DADDY and ask "Daddy, who is this guy?" 

Needless to say I truly enjoyed my first and following visits to Gaeta, Italy.  If you ever get a chance to go visit,  there is a Fantastic Cafe at the end of the bay that serves some Great Double Capachinos with plenty of cream and has an Awesome view of the entire bay.  I remember many days at that cafe just enjoying the view and watching the simplicity of honest life happening under non-judgemental observation. 

Gaeta, Italy and running into Family so very, very far away from home opened my eyes to viewing things just a little bit differently and with a little more joy.

Tragedy on The Rio Grande

My most Controversial Post yet from the Soap Box.


If you have not looked at my profile, I live in El Paso, TX.  My home is between a 1/4 mile - 1/2 mile from the border (US/Mex) and the DEADLIEST CITY in the World. 

As you can see below search "deadliest city in the world" in yahoo and this is what you will find for the first 9:

See what I mean?

Now, on Monday June 7th 2010 a tragedy took place right on the border. 
A US Border Patrol agent was called to check out possible illegal aliens trying to enter the country at a bridge near downtown El Paso.  When he arrives he apprehends one individual while several others run back across the river (at this point the river is low and not really much for the people to run across).  From across the Rio Grande River the other people start throwing rocks and refuse (bottles, broken bricks, etc...) at the Agent.

The Agent gives the people fair warning to have them stop and pulls his weapon.  (Not certain here but more than likely a 9mm or some similar pistol.)  After warning the people he fires off a round and hits a young man in the head and the young man passed away then and there at the foot of the bridge (on the Mexican side).  The young man was (now reports vary) 14 or 15 years old. 

The parents, being parents, are grieving for the loss of their son and saying what an innocent child he was never doing any wrong and he was only out playing with his friends. 
The Mexican President has "Requested" Justice for the Slaying of an innocent child. 
The Mexican Attorney General is investigating the "Murder". 
The US Attorney General is pursuing a Civil-Rights-Investigation on the incident. 

A Few things here strike me as Just fundamentally wrong here:

1.  First and Foremost - Living right across the border from the Deadliest City in the World - I think the Mexican President and Attorney General need to focus on the Corrupt Police Dept. and Military that are in Juarez and start controlling things on their side of the border.  Improve the economy in Mexico so that the residents of their country do not feel the need to leave and risk crossing the border of another country illegally.  (Many countries around the world have very harsh penalties for crossing their borders illegally, and that is without any violence at all.)

2.  Throwing Rocks at Police officers, Military, Border Patrol Agents is an assault against said Peace Officer.  The Officer has every right to defend himself under the circumstances.  Especially if he is Alone!

Having traveled a fair part of the world with the Military, there are things you just do not do and that is to get in the way of, or assault in any form the Police or Peace Officers of another country in any way.  The Results can be Devastating (as we saw Monday)!  In Italy for instance the Kari Banari (spelling, but the main Police Force in Italy) yell telling people to get down, you better get your ASS down.  These guys carry Uzis and when they are saying that they are about to shoot.  If a bystander gets shot - oh well, they were told to get down (and if you do not understand Italian, why are you in their streets?).

3.  The young man that was shot and died on Monday is not the innocent that is being portrayed.  He was on the Most Wanted list here in El Paso for Human Smuggling and has a record with the US Justice Dept. 

4.  Why does our Government continue to sidestep issues of illegal entry into the US so much so that the individual states are beginning to take their own actions?  Why is our Government treating the People they Hire to protect our Borders as if they are the criminals when individuals that are trying to enter illegally assault them on a regular basis?


So there is no Misunderstanding here.  A person crossing the border at a proper point of entry in order to visit someone, go shopping or even to file the paperwork to become a legal citizen of the United States has every right (in my opinion) that we as American Citizens have because they have come to this country legally and for a civil purpose (not to commit a crime).  The difference is when you come into this Country Illegally and commit crimes or assaults, even from across the border, against someone within our borders there are consequences that sometimes could be fatal and this sadly is what happened on Monday.