Self Improvement...

After an almost 2 week break, I decided that it is time for me to get back to work. Classes begin on 30 August, so I'm shipping out on the 29th. I have roughly a month to improve myself as much as possible before the beginning of my plebe period. During my plebe period, the vast majority of my time will be very restricted, leaving little room for personal side projects.

I recently found a book that I acquired during a YLJ religious tolerance session. It's entitled The Complete Idiot's Guide to Understanding Islam. I've decided that it would be wise to better understand a religion that is having such a significant impact on world affairs. Especially so, because in many countries the religion is integrated into the government, the traditions, and the thought patterns of the people. By increasing my level of understanding (not neccesarily agreeing or even empathizing) I will be better able to understand events that may directly affect me in the future, militarily or personally.
What I've found so far, shows that not only do most Christians misunderstand Islam, but even the most high profile Muslims seem to grossly midunderstand Christianity. I've found some interesting fallacies in this broadly distributed publication. One, is that the author believes that the concept of the Holy Trinity shows God as split into three seperate beings to help the "father God" being do his work, and further that Catholicism places Mary on level with God. However, the concept of the Holy Trinity is actually much more complicated than that, with all parts of the trinity being God, but also with God being one unified being. Nowhere in Catholicism is Mary placed on the same plane as God, or even remotely so. Another has to do with the crucifixion of Jesus:

"The Qur'an records that fierce opposition to Jesus came from the leaders of the Jewish community. The called him an impostor and contrived a plot against him. After they succeeded in having him arrested, they tried to get him executed. Here is where the story gets interesting: The Qur'an claims that Jesus was not killed or crucified, but it was made to appear so to them. Certainly early Christian sects also believe Jesus escaped death. Islam is uncompromising on this issue. God saved Jesus and took him to be in Paradise until the hour would come to complete his mission in the end-times." (pg. 207)

Wow... you can't get much more misunderstood than that. The book even goes on to claim that it could have been someone that looked like Jesus, or possibly even Judas who was crucified. I'm not an expert on biblical history, but I'm pretty sure that there is more than one source recording the crucifixion of Jesus. I'm also sure that I've never heard of any evidence that early Christianity believed that Jesus wasn't crucified. I think that I'll look into these possibilities later.

I've alson been doing some reading into the Chinese military situation and have come to the conclusion that they are currently not an offensive threat. Many experts actually agree that China doesn't even have the prowess to capture Taiwan for another 15 or 20 years. Much of this has to do with China's ability to transport troops across the 100 miles of sea to Taiwan, and China's ability to maintain air superiority over that same body of water. I've found the Center for Defense Information to be a very useful source. You can read an entire transcript of a video program on the subject here.

At some point before I leave, I would like to obtain some materials that would help me to learn to speak Arabic.

I am going to max my PT Assesment at GMC.

I also watched the first two Matrix movies today and helped my Aunt move in. Man, I'm a busy guy, but I was also very bored.

Mer will be back sometime around the 10th for about 9 or 10 days before she has to leave for school.

Warped Tour is Thursday. (sweet)

I should be headed to Pensacola next weekend. Maybe if we're all willing to do a little driving, I'll be able to meet Anna. Apparently her approval is very important ;)

-Out

Fun for the maniacly bored...

I just discovered something called the "Interactive Buddy" at Ebaum's World. You basically torture this little humanoid made out of 6 circles. The more damage you do... the more money you earn. You can buy things like a Michael Moore skin and new weapons. SO... I basically spent an hour chasing Michael Moore around with a taser and watching him scream about F-ing conservatives. It was delicious.

Lookin' for Hos...

Well, Nick and I have decided to begin an online pimp service. This is to supplement our incomes as I enter college and he nears a mid-life crisis. The concept is quite simple. We bitch slap some hos into listenin to us, and then when we get an e-mail with an adress and a credit card number... we send our hos on their way. See? I'm surprised nobody thought of it before.

Back in business...

The American space program is now back in business. Tentatively. So much is riding on this mission. Our space program is a litmus test of the American spirit. During early cold war Americana the space program excelled and was seen as a symbol of American greatness. As the cold war simmered down, however, so did the US space program. I think that America needs something to inspire her. I long for that feeling of national pride when we conquered the moon. 9/11 reminded many of us how wonderful it is to live in America, but new victories in space would show the world that we're still on top. What happened to that wonderful idealism that once imbued the country about being American? Why don't we find the glory of discovery and exploration appealing any more? We've become so weighed down by tedious internal issues that we've forgotten how to dream, and a life without dreams is one not worth living.

Perspectives...

As the upcoming school year approaches, I've been thinking about my goals. As soon as I step onto the GMC campus, I'm going to be expected to exceed all of my peers in almost every aspect. This due to the fact that I dominated the standings at LTC (when compared to my fellow GMC cadets) in every category as well as received a stellar eval from my Squad Tactical Officer. Several of my buddies already told me that they are depending on me to get rank, because then I can use some of the priveleges to make their lives a little easier or a little more fun. Never one to back down from a challenge, I've decided to try and lead the GMC Order of Merit List (OML) in every category, as well as achieve the highest staff position I can in my first year. I don't just want to be the best at one thing. I want to be the best at everything. I want people to look at me when I walk around campus and think, "Now that's a freakin' soldier." But I don't want to stop at the numbers. I want to win the respect of all of my peers. I've always led from the front... and I'm not going to stop now. I want to graduate as CO, valedictorian, and whatever else they give out. I'm not going to quit until I'm the best at everything. Some people hear me say that and think that it's about me trying to beat everyone else, but it really has nothing to do with me being better than other people. It's about beating myself. Breaking out of my comfort zone and charging head first to the top. OML and GPA and all of those quantified things are just ways that I measure how far I'm pushing myself. I've also decided that in situations where I'm not the designated leader that I want to be more quiet and lead by example instead of trying to force the situation my way. I think I'll win more respect and piss off less people that way. All these things merely translate into the premise of my time at GMC: to become the best leader of soldiers in the US Army.

God Bless America

Apparently, every large drink purchased at Hardee's has a picture of a swimsuit model printed on the side. As a matter of fact, they actually asked me if I wanted a blonde or a brunette. Even better, when I put a cold beverage in the cup... condensation took over and she started to "sweat." Isn't America great. For a limited time receive a sweaty supermodel with every large combo!

Returned...

I arrived last night around midnight. Or is it 2400? I was greeted with a hug from my mother and the bark of Churchill. (I volunteered to watch the Mason's dog while they are gone) I promptly went to my room and crashed...

This morning I woke around 7. It seems I'm incapable of sleeping more than 7 hours these days. I sat up in my bed and looked around completely at a loss for what action to take next. I've been completely indoctrinated to the Army lifestyle, and what a beautiful life it is. By this time in the morning I would have already woken up, performed personal hygeine, cleaned my room, ran a few miles, done some calesthenics, eaten chow, and begun the days training cycle.

I have things to do today, including a trip to the bank. It'll take several posts to impart what I may of the experience I had at Fort Knox, so just hang tight.