2004 December | The Bull Speaks!

TSUNAMI IN THAILAND – Photos

Images from the devastating tsunami in Thailand. Remember you can click on the images for a better view….

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I find it hard to imagine the horror and devistation these people are dealing with now – and for days and weeks to come.

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Most folks, at least in these shots, put themselves at risk either from curiosity, or disbelief, or sheer terror of what they were seeing.

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Living the closest to the shore that I have since my Navy days, (when I was young and immortal), it really makes you wonder at the power of the sea.

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Just months ago I experienced the fury of a major hurricane, (Ivan), for the first time up close and personal. We were on the “weak” side of the storm too! Parts of the coast and the towns there are still in ruins.

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Still, when it comes to the power of Earth and her seas, the fact is that sometimes words are useless.

Omar out.

Incredible combat story…

I’ve not yet found solid evidence of the validity of the following letter that was in a Veteran’s Healthcare Group mailing I recieve, but I will keep looking. In the meantime it is a good story to use when telling some kid why you should brush your teeth.

During my year long deployment as an Army Dentist in Kuwait and Iraq, I witnessed a very different “conflict” than what is currently portrayed by the news media. I saw many wonderful and miraculous things as the people of Iraq worked with our servicemen and women to rebuild their country. We went into the villages to provide dental exams and treatment. We would care for the Iraqi children first, then their grateful parents.

I accompanied Army Veterinarians as they worked to rebuild the Baghdad zoo and conducted classes to teach simple spay and neutering surgeries to their Iraqi counterparts. I spent a full day sorting a warehouse full of toys sent by the American people for the Iraqi children.

I saw many valiant works of service between our two countries. I also saw miracles preserve our soldiers. This photo shows the building adjacent to the Ibn Sina hospital that took a mortar through the window at 2:30 AM. Miraculously, all the soldiers billeted in this room were downstairs playing poker and were not injured.

The most miraculous event I witnessed showed how a tooth saved a sergeant’s life!

Christmas Eve morning a soldier came into our clinic at the Ibn Sina Hospital in downtown Baghdad covered in his own blood. He recounted an incredible story. Early Christmas Eve morning, two squads were assigned to sweep and clear two adjacent homes where Iraq terrorists were holed-up. The patient, SGT C, was leading one of those assault squads. The other squad hit their target first.

SGT C said that he heard a lot of small arms fire and yelling, so he thought he would round the corner and size up the situation before advancing his team. Unfortunately, as he turned the corner, he found himself staring directly into the barrel of a 9mm automatic pistol. SGT C said he never had time to be scared, he just knew he was dead. The terrorist pulled the trigger and, miraculously, SGT C found himself still standing. He figured the bullet had missed. He advanced on the Iraqi, who immediately surrendered. After the enemy was rounded up, SGT C said he started to feel light headed and one of his soldiers insisted that he proceed to the hospital. He realized at this time that he had lost his front tooth in the gun fight. He figured the ballistic shock from the weapon’s blast had knocked it loose. He was wrong.

When he presented early that morning Major Kimberly Perkins, our oral surgeon, took a panograph and discovered the incredible truth. The 9mm bullet did NOT miss SGT C. He was hit directly in the face. The bullet entered just below his nose where it impacted the apex of #8. The energy from the bullet was transferred to the tooth, literally ejecting the tooth from its socket, and stopping the bullet in its track. Other than the missing tooth, the majority of SGT C’s injuries were confined to soft tissue.

SGT C is a citizen soldier – a reservist. When he returns to the states, the Army will see he has an implant replacement for the missing #8. Meanwhile, the prosthodontist in Baghdad, LTC Richard Druckman, made him an acrylic interim treatment partial. When SGT C came in for the prosthesis, I said “Can you imagine what the enemy thought when he shot you point blank in the face, and you just kept coming at him! Americans are invincible. No wonder he surrendered so fast!”

SGT C smiled and said, “This is why you should always brush your teeth!”

By:
AnnaLee Kruyer, DDS

Las Vegas, NV

Omar out.

Election Problems to Overcome

The following is a wee bit from a GI’s letter home from Iraq. I’m not posting the more graphic parts, but the part concerning the Elections. If you wish, read the entire story at the site linked.
I’ve been sitting on this for a week or two. No reason, just hadn’t got around to posting it. Now, with the news from Iraq, it seems a good time to post it.

From The Universe and Everything:

They is a major concern not to have Coalition Forces do anything that would make it look like the US rigged the elections. It is a “Catch 22″. If we do nothing then the insurgents will intimidate the population and attack the voting centers and shut them down. If we secure them then the insurgents will mount an Information Campaign and say that the US predetermined the outcome of the elections and used her forces to ensure that outcome. We already have seen propoganda and flyers warning the population not to vote. Telling them the voting centers will be attacked and anyone attempting to vote will be killed. We are still working on a solution but the time is fast approaching.

Here’s the thing. We *have to* back our troops *AND* their mission. To the bitter end. Period.
Omar out.

Vet Alert! 2005 Means Test Numbers

These are the $$ amounts that determine if you are eligible to get into VA health care based on Priority and what if any co-pays you might have.
Also see eligibilty and priority groups at:
http://www1.va.gov/elig/page.cfm?pg=1
&
http://www1.va.gov/Elig/page.cfm?pg=37

Department of Veterans Affairs
VHA DIRECTIVE 2004-071

Veterans Health Administration

Washington, DC 20420
December 17, 2004

MEANS TEST AND GEOGRAPHIC-BASED MEANS TEST THRESHOLDS FOR CALENDAR YEAR 2005

1. PURPOSE: This Veterans Health Administration (VHA) Directive provides the Means Test Thresholds, Medicare Deductible Rate, and Child Income Exclusion for calendar year 2005. In addition, this Directive provides an internet link to the United States (U.S.) Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) income limits for Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 for use by VHA in calendar year 2005.

2. BACKGROUND

a. Title 38 United States Code (U.S.C.) Section 1722(c) requires that on January 1 of each year, the Secretary of Veterans Affairs increase the means test threshold amounts by the same percentage the maximum rates of pension benefits were increased under 38 U.S.C. Section 5312(a) during the preceding calendar year. Under the provisions of 38 U.S.C. Section 5312, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is required to increase the benefit rates and income limitations in the pension and parents’ Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) Program by the same percentage and effective date as increases in the benefit amounts payable under Title II of the Social Security Act.

b. On November 15, 2004, the Veterans Benefits Administration (VBA) announced that effective December 1, 2004, veterans’ benefits will receive an increase of 2.7 percent.

c. Public Law 107-135, the Department of Veterans Affairs Health Care Programs Enhancement Act of 2001, directed VA to implement a Geographic-based Means Test (GMT) (see 38 U.S.C. Section 1705(a)(7)). VA uses HUD’s “low-income” geographic-based income limits as the thresholds for VA’s GMT. NOTE: The Health Eligibility Center (HEC) controls the GMT for VA; as such, HEC will install Patch IVMB*2*819 before January 1, 2005. A veteran’s income from the previous year is compared with the appropriate GMT threshold for the previous fiscal year to determine if the veteran should be placed in priority category 7. HUD’s “low income” geographic-based income limits for FY 2004 can be found at: http://www.huduser.org/datasets/il/il04/index.html. The easiest way to find the limit for a geographical area is to click on the State on the map. NOTE: Be sure to use only the “low income” limits or 80% of median income in the chart.

d. Definitions

(1) “Below the means test threshold.” “Below the means test threshold” is defined as those veterans whose attributable income and net worth are such that they are unable to defray the expenses of care; therefore, they are not subject to co-payment charges for hospital and outpatient medical services. Within the Veterans Health Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) system such veterans are designated as “Means Test Copay Exempt.”

(2) “Above the means test and GMT threshold.” “Above the means test and GMT threshold” is defined as those veterans whose attributable income and net worth are such that they are able to defray the expenses of care; therefore they must agree to pay a co-payment for hospital care and outpatient medical services. Within the VistA system these veterans are designated as “Means Test Copay Required.”

(3) “Above the means test and below the GMT threshold.” “Above the means test and below the GMT threshold,” is defined as those veterans whose attributable income and net worth are such that they are able to defray the expense of care, but whose inpatient medical care co-payments are reduced 80 percent. Within the VistA system these veterans are identified as “GMT Copay Required.”

3. POLICY: It is VHA policy that all VA health care facilities must install patch DG*5.3*637, EAS*1.0*61 and IVMB*2*819 before January 1, 2005. NOTE: The new means test, net worth, and GMT threshold rates are effective January 1, 2005.

4. ACTION a. Medical Facility Director. Before January 1, 2005, each medical facility Director, or designee, is responsible of installing patch DG*5.3*637, EAS*1.0*61 and IVMB*2*819. NOTE: The new means test and GMT threshold rates are effective January 1, 2005.

b. Means Test Thresholds. The following new Means Test Thresholds are effective January 1, 2005, through December 31, 2005:

(1) Veterans with No Dependents

(a) Below Means Test Threshold: $25,842.

(b) Above Means Test Threshold: $25,843.

(2) Veterans with One Dependent

(a) Below Means Test Threshold: $31,013.

(b) Above Means Test Threshold: $31,014.

(3) Veterans with Two Dependents

(a) Below Means Test Threshold: $32,747.

(b) Above Means Test Threshold: $32,748.

(4) Veterans with Three Dependents

(a) Below Means Test Threshold: $34,481.

(b) Above Means Test Threshold: $34,482.

(5) Veterans with Four Dependents

(a) Below Means Test Threshold: $36,215.

(b) Above Means Test Threshold: $36,216.

(6) Veterans with Five Dependents

(a) Below Means Test Threshold: $37,949.

(b) Above Means Test Threshold: $37,950.

c. Dependent threshold amount increase (above two dependents): $1,734.

d. Child Income Exclusion: $8,200.

e. Medicare Deductible: $912.

f. Income and/or asset threshold for net worth development: $80,000.

g. Maximum annual Rate of Pension: Base rate.

(1) The base rate is $10,162. NOTE: The base pension rate is also used to determine if certain veterans are subject to co-payments for Extended Care Services.

(2) The base rate with one dependent is $13,309.

(3) Add $1,734 for each additional dependent.

5. REFERENCES

a. Title 38 U.S.C. Sections 1705(a) (7) and 1722.

b. Title 38 Codes of Federal Regulations (CFR) Sections 17.36(b)(7), 17.47(d), and 7.111(f)(2).

c. VHA Directive 2003-005, Implementation of Geographic Means Testing and Revised Inpatient Co-payments Requirements.

6. FOLLOW-UP RESPONSIBILITY: The Chief Business Office (16) is responsible for the contents of this Directive. Questions may be addressed to 202-254-0406.

A Vet for Vets,
Omar out.

And then, the Sikh.

We speak openly and often of religion on this blog. Mostly of Christians, Pagans – such as myself, and the interactions between the two.

Today I want to speak of my thoughts on another faith, that of the Sikh.

I’ve long known of the Sikh, though I admit that my first exposure to the term was as a child while watching the original Star Trek. Captain Kirk and Spock cross brains with the Sikh “superhuman” known as Kahn. (Only to have to redo the battle many years later…) All that is explained is that the Sikh are fantastic warriors. The rest is a mixture of screwed-up facts and extreme bio-engineering. Turns out they were right about the warrior bit. Records show Sikh units with fantastic battle records in both World Wars and elsewhere.
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Now, what brought this to the forefront of my thoughts was the family, or most of it, coming together for Yule/Christmas and a Great-Grandmother’s birthday. As it happens, there are members of Lady Beth’s family that are Sikh, (I had hoped to see them during the holidays.). That, combined with the international headline news of the horrible death toll in Asia and on the Indian sub-continent from the earthquake and following tsunamis, and my mind focused – somehow – on the untold story of the Sikh.

Who are they? What do they believe?
The Sikh was born of both the Hindu and Muslim faiths, yet is neither. The Sikh is not some Islamic terrorist! They believe in the equality of all – both men and women. While they have no use for hollow tradition and superstition, the Sikh honors every persons right to practice their own faith as they see fit. So while they *do* wear turbans, they are definately not like their Muslim neighbors. And while they believe in reincarnation and karmic return, they see only one god and have no clerics of any sort. This well seperates them from their Hindi neighbors. The founder of the Sikh religion was Guru Nanak who was born in 1469. He preached a message of love and understanding and criticized the blind rituals of both the Hindus and Muslims. Guru Nanak passed on his leadership of this new religion to nine successive “Gurus”. The final living “Guru”, Guru Gobind Singh died in 1708. During his lifetime Guru Gobind Singh established the Khalsa order (meaning ‘The Pure’), soldier-saints. The Khalsa uphold the highest Sikh virtues of commitment, dedication and a social conscious. The Khalsa are men and women who have undergone the Sikh baptism ceremony and who strictly follow the Sikh Code of Conduct and Conventions and wear the prescribed physical articles of the faith. One of the more noticeable being the uncut hair (required to be covered with a turban for men), and the Kirpan (ceremonial sword).

And here is where our friends, the Sikh, are catching problems today…
Since the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, Sikhs have found themselves targeted, along with innocent Muslims, by hate-mongers here in the United States because of the requirement of men to wear turbans. (Note: women have no dress restrictions like veils, and are equal to men in all respects.) They are further singled out because of the required wearing of the “Kirpan”, a cerimonial sword or, more often, dagger. These “kirpans” are to the Sikh exactly like the cross to a Christian. But Christians are not likely – yet – to be arrested for wearing a cross into a public building. A Sikh is very likely to be arrested in America for wearing an article of faith, or attacked by a mob of rednecks bent on revenge for 9/11 while having no clue who they are pounding into the pavement. (Though that last case could be one where the said Sikh may consider drawing the kirpan in self defense. Woe unto the poor redneck should that happen!) Still, I’m sure you see the point.

Here in the United States of America, the Land of the Free, with Constitutional Rights protecting the Freedom of Religion, we have over 500,000 Sikh citizens that are shunned, racially profiled, discriminated against, attacked, and denied Constitutional Rights on a daily basis. Mostly due to the ignorance of the average United States citizen. Something The Bull hopes he’s helping to eliminate.

For more information on Sikhism, visit The Sikhism Homepage.
Omar out.

Xmas Spirit

FEASTERVILLE, Pa. (AP) – A man angry that he got no presents for Christmas burned down his parents’ house early the next morning, police said.

Steven Murray, 21, was charged with arson and risking a catastrophe in the blaze that broke out early Sunday. No one was injured.

Police said Murray had himself committed to a hospital on Christmas Day, but then signed himself out and walked eight miles home. Later he told police he saw the flames in the distance.

But officers said his jacket smelled of smoke and they found a lighter in his pocket and a gas can near the front door.

“He was irritated that his family gave him no presents for Christmas,” Lower Southampton police officer Peter Liese said.

Murray was jailed on $1 million bail. It was not immediately known whether he had a lawyer.

Mo’ of that good ol’ Xmas Spirit at work…
I think I’ll stick to “Bah! Humbug!”
Omar out.

Death of a Power Supply

Yeah…
If you’ve been wondering where I’ve been, our power supply died in the computer. Powered down, left home. Returned, tried to power up…. Nothing.

I gave HP a call and the Left Coast chick said that yes, I am still under warantee BUT she couldn’t send me a power supply as I might hurt myself with it. I’d just have to send in the entire machine.

Yes. She said that.

Wrong answer! Turns out that my Father-in-law works for HP and we did a three-way call with the tech support folks and… *POOF!* …I have my power supply.

The Bull is BACK!

Social Tips for Rednecks

Yes. It is true. The Bull lives in Alabama. Not that that is a huge step either up or down from my previous addresses of South Carolina, Georgia, and western, (not ‘West’), Virginia. Mainly it’s just flatter. Especially here in Mobile.

No matter where in the South you go one thing remains constant: Rednecks. Not that the South has the market cornered on Rednecks necessarily. I’ve spotted them in many places including New York City. Still, we have more per square mile in the South than elsewhere. And since we have so many nearby I thought I should take a moment to run a Public Service Announcement for our Redneck population. Here we go:

Social Tips for Rednecks

In General…
1. Never take a beer to an interview.
2. Always identify people in your yard before shooting them.
3. It’s considered tacky to take a cooler to church.
4. If you have to vacuum the bed, it’s time to change the sheets.
5. Even if you’re certain that you’re included in the will, it’s
rude to drive a U-haul to the funeral.

Dining Out
1. When decanting the wine from the box, make sure you tilt the
paper cup and pour slowly so as not to ‘bruise’ the fruit of the wine.
2. If drinking directly from the bottle, always hold it with your
hands.

Entertaining in your home
1. A centerpiece for the table should never be anything prepared by
a taxidermist.

Personal Hygiene
1. While ears need to be cleaned regularly, this job should be done in
private using one’s own truck keys.
2. Even if you live alone, deodorant is not a waste of money.
3. Use of proper toiletries can only delay bathing for a few days.
4. Dirt and grease under the fingernails is a social no-no, as they
tend to distract from a woman’s jewelry, and alter the taste of finger
foods.

Dating (outside the family)
1. Always offer to bait your date’s hook, especially on the first date.
2. Be assertive, Let her know you’re interested: “I’ve been wanting
to go out with you ever since I read that stuff on the bathroom walls two
years ago.”
3. Establish with her parents what time she is expected back. Some
will say 10:00 PM. Others might say “Monday,” If the latter is the answer,
it is the man’s responsibility to get her to school on time.

Theater Etiquette
1. Crying babies should be taken to the lobby and picked up immediately
after the movie has ended.
2. Refrain from talking to the characters on the screen.. Tests have
proven that they can’t hear you.

Weddings
1. Livestock, usually is a poor choice for a wedding gift.
2. Kissing the bride for more than 5 seconds might get you shot.
3. For the groom, at least, rent a tux. A leisure suit with a
cummerbund and a clean bowling shirt can create a tacky appearance.
4. Though uncomfortable, say ‘yes’ to socks! and shoes for this
special occasion.

Driving Etiquette
1. Dim your headlights for approaching vehicles, even if the gun is
loaded and the deer is in sight.
2. When approaching a four way stop, the vehicle with the largest
tires does not always have the right of way.
3. Never tow another car using panty hose and duct tape.
4. When sending your wife down the road with a gas can, it is
impolite to ask her to bring back beer too.
5. Do not lay rubber while traveling in a funeral possession.

This now ends the Bull’s PSA…
Omar out.

Merry 2453365! And a Happy 2453372!

Seems no one can be satisfied anymore…

If a Pagan seeks recognition for his/her holiday, the Christians will scream.
If a Christian seeks recognition for his/her holiday, the Athiest will scream.
If they all get together for recognition of any holiday, the ACLU will scream.

And since we can’t even keep the current calendar because no matter what you tag the year with, be it AD, BC, or the more “correct” CE, and BCE (Common Era and Before Common Era), that pesky number is *still* based in Christian lore. This is the year 2004. Two thousand and four years from what? Oops! Can’t use the days of the week anymore either as they are mainly named for Pagan Gods. Oops again!

See what all your screaming has done now? The only thing left is to use the Julian Date. The Julian date is the amount of days since 12 midday January 1st 4713BC. This date is really arbitrary and was only chosen to align the records of various accounting practices. It is mainly used in astronomical circles as it provides a continuous linear date that is simple to work with. It also provides an easy method of quickly finding how many days are between two dates. For example, to find the 1000th day after Jan 1st 2000 (Julian date=2451545), we add 1000 to the Julian date (2452545) and find that the day is Friday 27th September 2002.

That makes today “2453362″. Tomorrow will be “2453363″. Calculating birthdays and anniversaries will be aggrivating, but in our new world we probably shuld drop those too for fear of hurting someones feelings.

Have a Merry 2453365! And a Happy 2453372!
Omar out.

A Mad, Mad ,Mad, Mad World!

A very Happy Yuletide to all of my fellow Pagans today!
Now, on to the story…

The world is going insane! I had this dream about Beth skipping into our room and waking me up to tell me we may have a white Christmas. In my dream I laughed and went right back to sleep.

When I got up I told Beth about the dream and she dragged me to the computer and showed me the story below. Then she said that she had indeed tried to wake me and give me the news.

Gods! Can you possibly imagine the horror of Mobile in snow?

Highways becoming slaughterhouses, power outages, hundreds of raging house fires, people using gas in kerosene heaters from back in Grandpa’s day and blowing themselves to bits, children starving from lack of bread and milk…
Damn. Just damn.
(I’d best not hear any person who lives South of the Mason/Dixon Line laughing about the milk & bread comment! You know you are all guilty too!)

I think we’d best hope for sunshine and warm temps, myself.
Omar out.

Source: Mobile Register

Mobile may see a white Christmas

Tuesday, December 21, 2004
By KIM LANIER
Staff Reporter

Arctic air moving back into the region could set the stage for some snow to fall in the Mobile area on Christmas Eve.

Whether the region gets a wintry mix of snow, sleet and rain, or just all rain depends on the timing of the low-pressure system, according to David Eversole, a forecaster at the National Weather Service office in Mobile.

A system expected to bring storms to the area Wednesday should be followed by an arctic blast.

“It’s going to bring incredibly cold air,” Eversole said. “With that in place, low pressure is expected to develop and move across the Gulf of Mexico Friday and Friday night.”

Moisture spreading into the area Friday is expected to start out as cold rain and may become mixed with sleet during the late afternoon and change to snow as evening temperatures fall rapidly.

“This is the classic, textbook for making snow down here,” Eversole said.

“The problem with the whole thing is we don’t know for sure exactly how this low pressure is going to develop and move,” he said.

Rain may end before it has a chance to change to snow, he said.

If everything comes together and snowflakes do fly, Eversole said he believes the ground may will be too warm for snow to accumulate, but the frigid conditions could cause some surfaces to ice over.

The National Weather Service forecast calls for highs Friday near 40 and lows Friday night into Saturday morning plunging into the middle teens in the northern sections of southwest Alabama. Readings in the immediate Mobile area should range from the upper teens to near 20, with temperatures a few degrees higher closer to the coast, Eversole said.

While the National Weather Service isn’t calling for precipitation on Christmas Day, precipitation could linger longer than expected if the low-pressure area slows down, Eversole said.

The Agricultural Weather Information Service, which provides some of the information for the Register weather page, indicates high chances of precipitation Wednesday and Thursday, with good chances on Friday and Saturday.

The Mobile area gets snow about once every four years. As a result, the conditional probability of snow on Christmas Day is about one-third of 1 percent, according to Eversole.

Data show that, since record-keeping began, it snowed in Mobile on Christmas Day only once, back in 1989 when a trace was measured.

‘Tis a little known fact…

It is a little known fact that all the jokes about the wearing of kilts are based in fact.

It is, as I understand it, against regulations to wear anything like underwear under the kilt in Her Majesty’s Royal Highland Regiments. There are various photos on the web that seem to support this statement. I submit the following from a post from Pop this morning…

I wonder if the Queen keeps a copy of this?
I can’t help but wonder about a couple of things here…
1) Did this guy get to stay in the service and did he ever live it down? and…
2) Does the Queen keep a copy of this photo nearby?
Omar out.

He’s always thinking…

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Well, one thing can be said for California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger. He’s always thinking of the future. Another thing about the guy: he doesn’t often say anything until he’s actually thought about it. This has the advantage of making him correct in his statements more often than not. In his latest well publicized statement I find myself in total agreement with the guy once again.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger suggested in an interview with Germany’s Sueddeutsche Zeitung daily , published Saturday, that the Republican Party should move “a little to the left” on social issues such as gay rights and the environment. A shift that he he was quoted as saying, “This would immediately give the party 5 percent more votes without its losing anything elsewhere.” While I agree with that shift in policy on those topics, IMHO, the gain would be closer to 10-15%.
Perhaps the Governor *is* more Conservative than The Bull, eh?

Come on, let me read YOUR opinion! Comment on this post, and while you’re at it, let me know about what you think about the drive for an Amendment that would allow to run for President. I’ve already spoken my mind on the topic. What’s yours?

So sad…

From the Associated Press and Fox News:

SKIDMORE, Mo. â€??? Authorities have charged a woman with killing mom-to-be Bobbi Jo Stinnett and cutting the fetus from her womb.

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Lisa M. Montgomery, 36, of Melvern, Kan., was charged with kidnapping resulting in death. She is accused of showing up at Stinnett’s house under the pretext of buying a dog, then strangling her and taking the woman’s premature baby girl.

If you desire to read the rest of the story, use one of the links above.
You have to wonder what the hell to say at reading a story like this. So sad… So… unbelieveable.
As a human being you desperately wish that it is someone’s sick idea of a joke and didn’t really happen. Another urban myth perhaps. At least if it is true, the person who did it has got to be mentally ill, right?

Sick. Forget “ill”. Say “sick”. And yes, this person, this murderer is sick.
I’ve talked to many people in this life so far. It’s been a gift, that ability to engage nearly anyone in conversation. I’ve spoken to convicted murderers, highly decorated war heros, less-decorated “Tunnel-Rat” Vietnam vets that killed up close and personal, and one guy that… well, never mind that guy. We agreed on one thing: All killers are sick. You have to be sick to take life.
Let me rephrase that…

When you have taken a human life, you are a sick person – no matter what the cause. War, defense of others, self-defense, execution, or be it other such as drunk driving, passion-slaying, or cold-blooded premeditated murder. The killing of another human being leaves a sickness, a stain if you will, on your soul that no amount of self-help, no prayer, no god, can take away. That stain is with you until the grave. Oh, you *may* be forgiven. By society, the family of the dead, by your country, or even by your version of God. Yet in the wee hours of sleepless nights that stain is at its brightest.

Does that somehow mean that this person, who I can damned well promise will use some insanity defense – and perhaps successfully, is not responsible? No! Hell no! Not now, not ever!

It will be said by some that I’m making the case for the defense, or that I’m laying a case for the end of the death penalty. Nope. Just the opposite. Yes, killers are sick. I’ve agreed to that. But there are certain Rules that a society *must* enforce – sickness or no. There *are* times to kill. Times when we must take the lives of fellow man no matter what the personal cost, no matter how deep the stain. However, *this* killer has broken the one Rule that we reserve the use of the ultimate penalty for breaking.

Go back up and look at the picture of Bobbi Jo again. Look close and see the spark in her eyes. That spark of Life, now extiguished forever. Picture in your mind the horror she felt as she fought not just for her own life, but the life growing within her – the “fetus” to be her first born child.

Imagine the torment of her husband losing his wife like this and not knowing if his child is alive or dead. And soon he will face the reality of rearing that child without his help-mate, his wife, Bobbi Jo. Killed by this bitch, this Lisa M. Montgomery. Sure, Montgomery may be sick, but that shouldn’t keep her from paying for her crime.

Now society must itself carry the stain of killing but in so doing insure that this one killer never again leaves a family destroyed by murder. And while it is small comfort the vast majority of surviving family members feel somewhat better after the final Justice is served.
Omar out.

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