11-4-2003
A simple prayer

To our higher power
however named, however worshipped,
we offer this simple prayer.
We thank you for the bounty of this food,
for the comfort of friends and family,
and for the continued blessing of health.
We seek your guidance, your wisdom and your patience
as we try to live each day
as a better reflection of you.
We pray for peace for all,
for comfort for the afflicted,
and for a beautiful sunrise tomorrow.
In this we pray
So be it

In family gatherings, my uncle always says the blessing. Not being the organized religion type, I wrote myself a poem and memorized it just in case I was ever called upon.

Here's my take on religion; you create more of a scene by objecting, so just find a universal wish, convey it, and move on.

I bring this up because the blog is on hold for a bit. I'm in a new industry and I'm studying like crazy. As I write this, America is exactly one year away from its chance to change presidents, so you can believe I still have things to say.

In fact...

One Final Parting Shot: Out of Iraq. Today. Right Now. Seriously.

For all the Republicans claiming the United States can't cut and run in Iraq, let me say to you that such a sentiment makes as much sense as starting a grease fire in your kitchen and then hanging around inside the burning building. There is no logic in compounding the error of going there in the first place with the further deadly error of sticking around.

For the Republicans who say American prestige is at stake, I wish to remind them of current world opinion. It's hard to say American prestige even exists when European polls say the USA is a bigger threat to world peace than Iran or North Korea.

Furthermore, I'd like to remind the Republicans of history. The US got run out of Lebanon in 1983 by terrorists. The US got run out of Somalia in 1993 by terrorists. And you know what? The Republic survived.

There is nothing more precious than the life of an American GI, and there is nothing more shameful than putting them in harms way for domestic political soundbites.

As James Webb, and if you're not familar with him, look him up at Google and learn something, as James Webb told his soldiers, make your death mean something.

The Iraqi occupation fails that test.

Out of Iraq now.

-30-

G.L. Marshall is currently employed by a satellite Internet conglomerate and is learning to explain in plain English 3DES encryption, packet spoofing, latency issues in NetBIOS applications and what it means when the speed of light isn't fast enough.