Straight Ahead George

The other day I got to thinking about the old days when I was stationed at Nellis. When I was at a place on the corner of Flamingo and Valley View. A great place called Triple J's Hobbies or to us regulars "Joe's Place". On this particular night we were playing a game of Gear Krieg. This game is different variation of WWII. Most of the vehicles are the same just some of the tanks are now walkers. That's about as simple a description as I can get.

Anyhow there were five of us and The Great Joe was being the game master (the guy who manages the rules if things should get out of hand). So three of us Frank, George and myself are on the Allied side. Using American and British troops while the other two handled the German forces.

Before we started, decided on the strategy and tactics to be used. I have left flank, Frank had the Right and George was straight down the middle. Knowing our roles in this George then asked for some of our (Frank and Mine) troops, whatever we could spare. Now the thing about games like this, is that each person or side has a set amount of points to spend on troops/vehicles. "Purchase what you like/can, what you do with it is on you. We ask Joe if it's cool what we're doing and he said "As long as we kept it all on the same side" So Joe had no problem with it. Frank and I give George what we thought we could manage without. Hopefully pulling off a win.

The game starts with us going first and George taking everything he has as far up as he can. straight at ravenous maw of the German line. They in turn start to whittle down on his troops. My turn comes up. I move my troops more collectively know what we are heading into. Germans then take more damage to George since I wasn't that attractive of a target. Frank is more of the in between of George and I moving vehicles to near max but pushing infantry as much as he can.

After a few turns Georges' troops have holed up in or near burned out buildings and has done some damage to the main elements of enemy line. While Frank and I have now engaged the flanks of the German line. Five grueling rounds and a few lucky shots from all of us we take out the German positions and the game. We look around to see what pieces we have left. I had both walkers heavily damaged and one of three infantry left, Frank had damaged one walker and all of his infantry. George. Well George started off with one tank, four walkers, and six to eight pieces of infantry. he got out of there with two infantry pieces.

Sounds awful but that's how George played. Straight ahead in in your face. Keep them looking at you while your allies could come around and flank them. Everyone knew how he played, he never changed his tactic. Some days it worked, others it would blow up in his face.

We were all the regulars at Joe's place and I acquired a new found respect for an old war veteran named George who would come in with his walker and and oxygen tank. I miss that place at Flamingo and Vegas Valley. Too many good times and memories and most of all I miss the people there.

I never wanted to say "I told you so."

So I'm watching the news today and guess what. Now the Gov't instead of bailing out the bad loans, now they are still pumping money into the banks for people and businesses to get and survive.

Now on the surface this looks great, but all you are doing is prolonging the inevitable and this will make things far , far worse when the bill for all of this comes due.

To make this even better now they are looking into saving the Auto and the credit card industry. I say let the close minded, ignorant auto industry die. Don't tell me they haven't seen the writing on the wall. The US auto industry has been in a world of hurt for a long time now. Making more efficient engines and then turning around but turn around and have them push out more horsepower totally negates any improvement to the vehicle, so at best you get a draw. While on the other sides of the world manufactures are out there keeping the same horsepower and turning the effency way up , and moving in on alternative fuels.

The Auto Industry is one of the key problems with progress in this country. Years ago The Peoples' Republic of California passed a law that the auto makers had to develop alternative fuel cars in order to sell current cars in the state. It took time but the Industry actually had a few models that people loved and used everyday. Then the Auto Industry finally threw enough money at Congress and had the law revoked. Letters went out to the owners of the Electric cars and they were informed that their vehicles are being recalled. It didn't matter if they were great cars, ran fine. They were leased and like it or not they were going back to the Company.

What happened to them? They were crushed. Right in front of their former owners.

Now to the problem at hand. The Auto Industry has cried for years now that converting plants over and training the work force, unions, and retirement pensions cost them too much. You know if they would have started to modernize and keep up with the competition overseas maybe they'd have a fighting chance. Instead the Gov't will be acquiring a stake in the Auto Industry, which will to all of us mean a new socialized car to go to work in, to pay off our Gov't owned credit card now aka ration card...I mean Freedom Card. All of this and Gov't owned home. AWESOME!!!

Change.

I've heard this word "change" a lot for a while now. Do people really know what "change" really entails? When I say "these people". I mean the fools that actually believe that the President actually has any power to do any of the things that he's "promised" during his campaigning.

Really. It's like your mom giving you medicine when you were little and telling you that "it tastes just like candy and it'll make you feel better". In all actuality it tastes like ass and guess what? Like a good little whore you swallow it. Ha! Stupid she got you, and you'll fall for it again because it's mom and mom doesn't lie...just like the Government doesn't lie...honest.

Maybe people don't seem to understand that change will make your taxes go up to pay for more social programs. WIC, Welfare, Free clinics, treatment centers, etc. I have no problem with people needing help every now and again, but not all the time. It kills me when see people who "make too much" to qualify for food stamps or medicare or any kind of help yet there are people who use the system and keep popping out kids my a new baby daddy to get more money from the Government which in turn means you and me.

In other social programs.... Boy I've got a good one for you that's right on the horizon. The socialism that is about to take over this country. Let's see the Gov't now has it's hands in this country's banking industry to help them out for all the loans that they gave to people for a home, business, whatever. Soon I'm sure they'll get a hold of the Medical, and Airline Industry. This is heading to Socialism and it won't take to much before it's straight up Communism.

Let' talk about the Housing Crisis. Simply put. The people in the housing crisis have to take blame for this mess as well as the banks that gave them the loan. They needed to read the fine print, do the math and make sure that if anything happened that you'd be able to make the payment even if the interest rate went way up. Sounds a lot like balancing your checkbook, well without the interest rates anyways. What happens if I bounce a check? I get screwed and have to pay fees and all kinds of other bullshit to make things right. Who pays? I do, It's my responsibility to make things right. So really, when it comes down to it what really is the difference between your checkbook and your mortgage? Not much really. The money has to be there to make things right. If not, you pay one way or another. Now with this "Great Bailout" we all pay, for American Greed and not The American Dream.

Wait.... Now I'm getting fucked twice? At the same time? Paying for my bounced check and now some dumbfucks' $800,000 house that he bought on his store clerk salary. I like seeing some dumb porn star getting tagged team but it ain't cool when it's me and I don't have a choice in the matter.

Change is coming. He's brought a friend. You won't like it, it won't feel good,whatever you do don't look up and at the end of the day maybe just maybe, just maybe, you'll have a little change left in your pocket.