Well....I finally heard back from the VA Disabilty Review board. First of all, they break PTSD down into 2 basic ratings.....30% and 50% disabling. 30% is pretty rough at its upper limits....sleep disturbences not more than once a week, hyper awareness, irriatibilty, easily startled and so forth. 50% is bad....up to and including sleep disturbences more than once a week, suicidal or rage related feelings that can lead to physical action, inability to maintain a job, severe memory issues and so on.

I never thought that so much could be part of this thing. Hell, when I went in for the interview I was rated on speech, hygeine, dress, locomotion, comfort level, cooperation and more. It all is affected by this thing.

I fall in the 30% range.

Now, with two bad shoulders, one bad knee and one just waiting to get bad enough to count, hearing loss and my back I am rated at a 60% disability rating on the VA 'slide-o-matic' (tm) scale though the aggregate is in the 80% range. What does all that mean? I have no idea but I need to find someone to explain it to me.

Now....Having read this I am not finding it to be too ambiguous. Maybe George needs the Big Picture Book version.

Article 3

In the case of armed conflict not of an international character occurring in the territory of one of the High Contracting Parties, each party to the conflict shall be bound to apply, as a minimum, the following provisions:

1. Persons taking no active part in the hostilities, including members of armed forces who have laid down their arms and those placed hors de combat by sickness, wounds, detention, or any other cause, shall in all circumstances be treated humanely, without any adverse distinction founded on race, colour, religion or faith, sex, birth or wealth, or any other similar criteria.

To this end the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons:

(a) Violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture;

(b) Taking of hostages;

(c) Outrages upon personal dignity, in particular, humiliating and degrading treatment;

(d) The passing of sentences and the carrying out of executions without previous judgment pronounced by a regularly constituted court affording all the judicial guarantees which are recognized as indispensable by civilized peoples.

2. The wounded and sick shall be collected and cared for.

An impartial humanitarian body, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross, may offer its services to the Parties to the conflict.

The Parties to the conflict should further endeavour to bring into force, by means of special agreements, all or part of the other provisions of the present Convention.

The application of the preceding provisions shall not affect the legal status of the Parties to the conflict.

It should be noted that many of the nations that we are extending this to are not themselves signators or the Geneva Conventions and do not abide by them.

The complete Articles of the Geneva Convention can be found at http://www.unhchr.ch/html/menu3/b/91.htm

On the 11th of September 2001 I was at work....I was walking down the hall to ask someone about an order that we were sending out and as I passed the conference room I saw two of the girls from the office clustered at the television and they were crying. I walked in and asked what had happened. Becky told me a plane had hit the WTC. Just then they showed the impact again. I remember thinking that there was going to be Hell to pay after an aviation disaster of that magnitude and I was starting to walk out when I heard them gasp. The camera had switch back to live feed and the second plane was on its approach. All that went through my mind was "Oh Shit"...and then I watched the second plane hit.

I knew when I saw the second plane that we had just been attacked. One plane is probably a mistake...a horrible mistake but most likely an accident. Two was no accident. It was an attack on America and I knew that in a very short period of time I would be getting "The Call". I walked down the hall to the President's office and told him I'd be leaving shortly and I had no idea when I'd be back. Less than 20 minutes later I was walking out to go home and grab my gear before reporting to my unit. I called all my Joes and we all hit the Armory.

We spent a little less than 2 hours packing all of our gear into our trucks and waiting to be told where we were going. After 18 hours of waiting, most were sent home. In the weeks that came after many of us went down to WTC or to the myriad of airports and nuclear plants in the State. As a Unit we went went down to NYC and guarded the bridges and rail tunnels for several weeks. I worked with MTA Police who had been in the rubble pulling people out. I listened to the stories they told of fallen friends, of citizens bodies they found, of fire fighters and EMS people hurt and killed. I stood in the Pit. I stood in the shattered lobby of WTC 7 and looked out over it and felt sick to my stomach. So much death...so much suffering...

Television doesn't do justice to it really....the enormity of it. Television doesn't tell you the horror stories and there were many. The MTA Police I worked with had seen grusome things...horrible things....things no one should ever have to see.

When I think of this date, I don't just remember the building or the dead....no, I remember the survivors and the men and women who are just now starting to suffer the effects of their heroism. I remember and I pray that no one ever forgets....a prayer that I already know is a waste of time....because we already have started to forget.

The Alamo, The Maine, Pearl Harbor / December 7th, WTC / September 11th. With so many things to remember, why do we make the same mistakes so many times.

Because we forget....

I never will

Since the 2 MSN team members were snatched in Gaza I've been thinking about this question. Think about it a minute (yeah..I know...thinking beyond yourself is hard for some folks but hey...you can try)......

Hardcore terrorists are usually associated with an Islamic Extremist sect and have been indoctrinated since they could understand words. Its easy in a society that places Religion in front of everythig else, followed by family loyalty, then tribal loyalty and finally other human beings and farm animals. Actually, in an Islamic Extremeist society religion comes first and there is no second place that is not strictly dictated by the religious leaders. Children are raised to one day fight and kill infidels. They have a sick kind of hero worship for the men who went before them on "martyrdom" missions. For them its is the greatest thing they could ever do. In America we have nothing like it. The only thing I can think of off the top of my head similar to this indoctrination was that of the Hitler Youth Corp. It is total and it is complete.

Now, the guys that took the MSN people were young and acted in a manner that terrorists tend to avoid. They struck at media...media that they need to publish their exploits and media they need to expose the plight of the innocent people they supposedly work to help. They also made the reporters convert to Islam at gun point....not something usually done. Captives are encouraged to convert so that should they die they have a chance to enter heaven or should they live that another follower of Allah walks the earth but not forced to convert as the conversion has no meaning if it is not of free will.

So the question in my mind is, has this form of "lesser terrorism" become something that is considered "cool" among younger people in the region.....sort of a 'rite of passage' if you will. There are hundreds of pictures of children throwing stones at Israeli tanks...displaying their courage. I wonder if some of those children, who are now teens and young adults, haven't elevated their little displays of courage to new levels. Time will tell.

Write this down...do it now...right damned now.

If the "International Community" doesn't get off of their corrupt, cowardly, money grabbing asses a nuclear device will be detonated by a terrorist organization in a western city in the next 5 to 7 years.

The technology to create this device or the device itself will have come from Iran or North Korea. Bank on it. Every cent.

There may be a little side help from Russia or China in there but hey...gotta make money some how, right? The fact is this.....those 2 members of the security council have sold associated technology to other nations in the past in spite of treaties preventing this. Research it....you'll find it. Its not that hard. What's been done? Zero..Zip...Nada....

5-7 years.......so, um.....buy that sports car because your kids won't need the college money......trust me.

You don't have to have a 'dialog' about a weapon if you didn't give the SOB the weapon in the first place....and doing nothing is the same as giving it to them in this case. Hell....we might as well sell it to them ourselves.......at least we'll make a little cash on the deal.

Its a NUCLEAR FUCKING WEAPON.....shit....when did the stupid juice get into the water. When you are sitting on 1/5 of the world's oil reserves you don't need Nuclear Power. Hell.......when the sun shines 355 days a year on your country, you can use a cleaner and safer alternative....solar power....did I mention cheaper too? Ah...but it has no military applications now, does it?

5-7 years.......

write

it

down.

CuppaJo was the Lead Community Service Rep in CoX.....her last day was Friday. She's being kicked upstairs to to create and mentor the CSR program for a new game, Tabula Rasa. She's worked hard for the last 2 years and earned this promotion. She is, hands down, the best CSR I have seen in the 4 or 5 MMOs I've played over the years.

On Friday, starting at 1 PM est a 12 hour Cuppathon took place. There were events, prizes, guests and tons of fun. It only took a pot of coffee to make it through the whole thing. It rocked. Best time I have had in the game in months....shame it was with complete strangers...well, mostly *winks*.

In any event, she will be missed. The new Community Coordinator is Cricket. She has big shoes to fill and I think she's a little intimidated. I'm sure she'll do great though....and I hope there will be a 'grace period' for her with the Community. She plays a mean Brute, I'll tell you that much.

Farewell CuppaJo.
May the darkest days in your future be no darker than the brightest days of the past.